A toy maker’s big secret: GC company scores celebrity deal

Well, tickle me, Elmo. A Gold Coast toy business has secured a major deal with Sesame Street.

The Burleigh Heads-based Mindful & Co have signed a deal with the US-based children’s television giant to collaborate on a range of products.

Owner Jacqueline Yeats is a psychotherapist who started her business four years ago to develop products to promote mindfulness. Yeats had seen first-hand the benefits mindfulness provided to her clients and knew children and parents would love the products.

The products are designed to guide children away from screens and to encourage them to practise mindfulness through problem-solving activities. Yeats said Oprah Winfrey had endorsed several of her products on a couple of occasions and she presumed the Sesame Street deal had flowed on from there.

“They reached out to us in March last year and it took a little while to finalise the deal but it is very exciting to have it in place,’’ she said. “We are looking forward to producing a range of products with the collaboration.”

Mindful & Co has a strong online presence in both Australia and the USA while the company’s products are found in more than 600 stores throughout the world. The company’s retail partners include the likes of Bloomingdales in the USA.