Los Pollitos Dicen (The Little Chicks Say) now has a page on Facebook.
We welcome "Fans'' and pictures of your beautiful little ones in their Spanish baby tees and onesies.
Also, keep an eye here and there for news about new products.
We are so 2.0, aren't we?
I keep getting coupons and sale codes in the mail and on-line.
One particular sale is entitled: "The Economy Sucks Sale."
It made me laugh and appreciate them more. (Maria has a couple of their great designs)
So, doing our part:
Use the code PACHANGA (all uppercase) to receive 20% off your Los Pollitos Dicen order.
Your country thanks you.
When Oscar, my Pollitos partner, and I worked together in the newsroom we cracked each other up with the silliest of things – cubanisms, stuff our padres said, things non-Latin Southern friends said to us about Latins. We were, for a time, the only Latins in the editorial department, and perhaps the entire building of 2,000 people. Of course, we bonded.
When he moved to
We love this. We love what we do. We love that we produce a sweet gift, a colorful slice of culture, available to all Latins and the people who love them and la cultura. (That’s a lot of people, despite what the news says about long walls and raids.)
So, my days are made especially joyful when a customer writes and shows us their pollitos in Pollitos. (Makes us realize we’re not just giddy, crazy people.)
This came last week from my
This week another customer wrote to share what she posted on her blog about her three children in Los Pollitos Dicen t-shirts. What I found was not only a lovely tribute, but a gifted writer whose work I will be reading regularly.
Meet Violeta Garcia-Mendoza, who writes at Multi-Culti Mami and whose new column will launch Sunday May 11 at Literary Mama. Here is a beautiful and moving column she wrote last year about adopting her babies.
It was, to say the least, a long night. The tornado warnings were close enough to keep us up, but far enough that we were safe last night. Friends and family called and e-mailed us today. They know we still have some post-traumatic episodes from the hit in 1998, which demolished much of our then-neighborhood and damaged our home. If I never have to hear the sound of a tarp flapping against a roof top, I will be very happy.
Now then, meet my little friend, El Gordito Mas Fabulous in the Whole World. His mother, a generous and delightful woman, was kind enough to let me dress him up and torture him for a few minutes.
"Can I have my maraca back?"
"I mean, seriously lady, give me back my maraca.''
"One day, I am going to blow out my diaper all over this woman."
The latest chicks from Los Pollitos Dicen have hatched.
Introducing "Despertador'' or "Alarm Clock'' and "Ni Un Pio!'' or "Not a Peep,'' our version of "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" and otherwise known as the thing my Abuela said most commonly to her grandchildren: "No quiero oir ni un pio!'' The perfect toddler tee!
These funny Spanish T-shirts and onesies are our holiday 2007 offerings. They will be sold solo -- no box -- and each will include a card with the lyrics to Los Pollitos Dicen, the traditional lullaby we take our name from.
Despertador is available in 0 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months; Ni Un Pio is available in 2T and 4T. Both are 100% cotton and made in the U.S.A. $18.
Buy them here.
And finally, we've added "Fo!" in white with a chocolate brown image to our regular line-up. I personally, adore this funny, stinky, little chick.
We hope you like them, we hope they make you laugh, and of course, we hope you'll buy them for the bebes and children in your lives.
This is George. He is 1. George belongs to a lovely woman in my mom's group. I love George. George is the kind of baby who makes you want to have more babies. George makes you believe the Universe is kind and grand and generous. George is absolute fabulousness. And, his last name happens to have the word "fire'' in it, so the Candela tee fits him in more ways than one.
These photographs and a note arrived a few days ago. Their cool mama and I exchanged a few lovely e-mails about tees, work, and babies before she ordered. Here are three of the pictures of her sweet little chickies in their Pio Pio Pio tees.
See why I love my job?
"I tried so hard to get a great picture of the girls together in their shirts for you. As you can see, all I ended up with is hilarity. The first couple are what happens now when I say 'smile for the camera.' The last one is the best I could manage. But I swear they really love the shirts and they walk around saying "pio pio pio!" Thanks for making such awesome shirts. I love the little boxes, too - just the right size for crayons and stuff!''
Proud parents often send us photos of their beautiful children wearing Pollito t-shirts. Here is the latest one, sent by the Mami of these gorgeous 4-month-old twins.
Pictures like these, and the lovely notes, make the hard work worth every second.
Estan para comerselo!
Today is the last day for the Hispanic Heritage Promo at Target.com. But, we're there until they sell out.
Need a baby gift?
They're carrying our sweet Gordito and Gordita bibs and white Pio Pio Pio onesies, which are not available through our own on-line shop.
And muchas gracias to all the cyber friends who wrote about our onesies being featured on Target this week. We are indebted. Seriously.
So, Oscar -- the good-looking, creative genius who designs Los Pollitos -- has five sisters. Five.Cuban.Sisters. When his family heard the Pio Pio Pio onesies sold out in a day, The Sisters called and said they suspected one particularly supportive sister bought up the whole lot.
She didn't.
But, we have laughed like hell at the thought.
Our families love us and support our venture. Our friends are equally amazing and encouraging. But, even we don't have enough cousins to cause the 24-hour sell out.
The Gordito and Gordita bibs, by the way, have sold out too.
What a ride.
We're restocking The Red Hot Shop, so check back soon. And send links to the amigos, por favor.
We lived most of this past summer as people allergic to light, confined to the artificial cool of our highly insulated house. Outside was not fit for any kind of folk in this year of mind-melting heat and drought.
Today, however was our reward for surviving.
Here in the Boonies, we spent the day outside. It was 85 and clear. We watched the birds at the feeders and tried to teach Maria the difference between a chickadee and a titmouse. A sandbox cake was made and the four fish who just moved into our pond provided a calm only previously experienced with drugs prescribed by a very nice oral surgeon.
As the light went low and golden, we went to a nearby park and walked along the riverbank. Then, the kid jumped up and down on playground equipment.
At bedtime, she passed out. Cold.
Me, I am wondering how I will sleep. This happens tomorrow.
Another good day awaits.
canada.com image
So, I am over here measuring and weighing packaging boxes, measuring the depth of a bib (yes, they want to know these things) and filling out more paperwork than required for a multi-million dollar real estate transaction. But, whatever. I'll tattoo their logo on my bottom if they ask, as I am insanely happy that the e-mail I got several weeks ago from Gigantic National Retailer was neither fake, nor false start.
If all continues to move as expected Los Pollitos Dicen, our very own cha cha children's t-shirts en espanol, will be on a national retail website before the end of the month.
Holy pio pio.
So, stay tuned for the announcement and gigantic link.
In other news, when I am not packaging and pureeing, I am listening to Maria sing new songs in Spanish, songs learned at her new school. A favorite seems to be Itsy Bitsy Spider.
I've added a poll on the right-hand side of the Boonie Blog.
I know some of you have found me here, a little dot on the map in Whereinthehellisthat, TN, by Googling "tickle feet'' and "spanish onesies'' and of course, my personal favorite "spank Latinas.'' I also know some of your madres and primas told you about me and a few others stumbled here via a generous link posted anywhere between Little Havana and Sicilia.
When I worked for Gigantic Media Corporation they used to give us all sorts of data on who our readers were. (I use huge font because I still think my readers are 65-year-old newspaper reading Grannies. It's ingrained.) And given that my telephone number and e-mail were printed below just about every story I wrote in the last decade, my phone would ring and I'd get feedback. Everything from: "You are a talented, gorgeous genius. The next chick lit star'' to "You know what I'm doing with your story today? Training my dog on it, you talentless hack.''
Good or bad, I love feedback.
So, I think the polling will become a regular feature here. Some may be silly and some will be serious, as I need the information to become a Gigantic Baby Tee Shirt Corporation. And mostly because, I like you and want to get to know you better.
So, talk to me and go hit that little button to the right.
Even you spankers.
Speaking metaphorically, Los Pollitos has gone to first base with a major national retailer.
The kiss came yesterday afternoon. They tell us they will be ordering a decent amount of “units’’ and will sell them on their Web site. I am shaky and sweaty as I write this. We did not go looking for them, as major retailers scare the stink out of me. They found us through the holy power of Google.
Now, this is big. Very big. And we are grateful they even took a first look.
Our elation is tempered a bit because last year we let a major manufacturer get completely up our skirt – the promise of licensing – and then we got the equivalent of “Yeah babe, it was great. I’ll call you.’’ Y nada.
It was, to the say the least, a learning experience. While it was a letdown, it showed us we are on the right road and we ended up with a kick-butt revised business plan.
I have to tell you, running this business is a delight. I love sending the tees and onesies across the country and the thrill is even bigger when customers write a note of thanks, or send a picture of their pollito wearing our designs. Melts.my.heart.
Plus, I get to use skills I learned as a reporter: persistence, deadline, detail, follow-through. And this makes me believe all those years reporting on fires and freaks was training for a new path. (And, I get to work with the most talented, funniest and dearest friend, Oscar.)
This is not to say I don’t have days when I am completely exhausted and freaked. We ride a roller coaster often. Like, hey five people asked for wholesale information this week and like hey, no one has ordered yet. Or, hell it is July…time to start the Christmas push.
So, it is possible that working with this chain will give us exposure in the equivalent of gazillions of dollars in marketing and advertising. The roller coaster would climb very high. Very high, indeed.
When our first kiss with this national chain turns hot and heavy (like when we actually ship out the goods) you all will be the first to know for whom we are waiting anxiously by the phones.
And then maybe please go buy some over there.
We want these people to love us long time.
Los Pollitos Dicen (The Little Chicks Say) now has a page on Facebook. Become a Fan!
