Dental Dedication: Toy Puts Hygiene Within Kids’ Reach
November 2003 | Vol. II - No. 11
Design Inspiration
Dental Dedication: Toy Puts Hygiene
Within Kids’ Reach
By Amelia Brown
November 2003
Brushtime Bunny
After countless failed attempts to encourage good dental habits in the Baltimore
neighborhood where she practiced, Dr. Winifred Booker knew
something had to be done. The expensive toothbrushes and toothpaste she
was investing in just weren’t enough to motivate children to brush their
teeth, especially since most of them received little or no help from their
parents.
When asked why they weren’t brushing, her young patients gave Booker
reasons like “I could not reach the toothpaste” and “I could not see the
mirror.” She realized that children needed something they could identify
with and easily access if good dental habits were going to be achieved.
During a snowstorm in the late winter of 1988, inspiration struck. Stuck
at home reading the newspaper, Dr. Booker noticed numerous advertisements
for Easter candy. As she recalls, “I thought that since kids love the
Easter Bunny so much, I should create my hygiene product in the likeness
of a bunny.”
Booker wrote down all of her thoughts on what the bunny should look like
and what functions it should perform, then hired an artist to put her
vision into design form. Booker began attending toy fairs in New York
with the hopes of identifying a manufacturer for Brushtime Bunny.
She came across an advertisement for a consignment manufacturer. “I contacted
him,” Booker says, “and the rest is history.”
Once the bunny was manufactured, Dr. Booker found retailers by making
personal visits to various stores and through mailing out press releases.
Currently, the Brushtime Products line is sold through a toll-free
number and a website, and retailers include Sweet Potato Kids Daycare
Gift Shop and The
Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry Gift Shop.
Brushtime Bunny is a 12-inch tall plastic rabbit wearing a colorful outfit,
equipped with all the tools necessary for a child to practice good dental
habits. Holding a plastic carrot in his right hand and a toothbrush
in his left, this bunny is full of surprises. The belly opens to reveal
a mirror and four "Brushtime Tips". The carrot doubles as a
travel case and holds a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss, while
the top is a rinse cup. For extra motivation, this bunny plays a special
song, “Brush, Brush, Brush,” for a two-minute time interval (the recommended
time a child should brush).
Brushtime Bunny Terrycloth Bathrobe
In addition to Brushtime Bunny, the Brushtime line has expanded to include
a Terrycloth Bathrobe with a carrot-shaped pocket for the carrot
travel case, and two Brushtime Bunny Backpacks are in the final
stages of creation. Brushtime Bunny has also inspired the first “Project
Healthy Easter Basket,” a joint effort between Brushtime Products and
Maryland Children’s OralHealth Institute to replace the usual Easter candy
promotions with healthy alternatives and ideas.
Dr. Booker continues to be inspired by her patients and their need for
oral hygiene aides and is happy to report that the major manufacturers
of dental hygiene products for children are focusing more on child-friendly
products. The responses from parents regarding her products have been
extremely positive. “Parents are pleased to have the Brushtime Bunny to
help them create enthusiasm for a good tooth brushing routine,” Booker
says.
