Mizzie The Kangaroo Is Hopping Into Canada This Holiday Season (Win!)

Mizzie the Kangaroo, the much-loved, award-winning Australian natural teething and educational toy brand, is hopping into Babies R Us stores across Canada. Mizzie is the perfect gift idea for new or soon-to-be parents, and we chatted with founder, Canadian-born Australian mom Sandra Ebbott, to find out more! —Vita Daily

Hi Sandra! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you! I am originally from Quebec City, and I finished my education at university in Ottawa. Afterwards, I led a successful global marketing career across Europe. I worked at BMW in Germany (I was part of the global launch team of MINI Cooper), Pepsi in the U.K. and Ireland, and Reebok, Europe. I ended up in Australia in 2007, originally with BMW, and decided to make tropical Queensland my forever home. My career progressed and soon I was helping Australian companies with their marketing strategies. Next, I married an Aussie, and both my kids were born in Brisbane. I am now officially, proudly, Canadian-Australian.

What and who is Mizzie? How and why did you come up with the concept?

When our daughter was born, she was a terrible teether. Drool, fevers, rashes, you name it. I couldn’t find a natural Aussie solution out there, and there was nothing on the market to address this very emotional teething time, and then took them on a fun learning journey, all the way to the toddler years. This is what Mizzie does: she helps little ones learn and develop through fun, in a truly Aussie way: natural, fun, safe and caring. As such, we only create purposeful toys, that will help little ones flourish through fun—the best way to learn. We aim for maximum positive impact on little ones learning, with minimal environmental impact (we use natural, safe materials, minimal and recyclable packaging, and we give back, wherever we can).

We hear Mizzie’s range has expanded! What’s new?

Indeed. The core purpose of Mizzie is to ‘Develop Through Fun’. Every single one of our products teaches age-appropriate skills, and immerses little ones in fun activities for the best positive learning outcome. For example, our books aren’t just books—they are ‘touch and feel’ books or they are ‘sing-a-long’ books featuring a choir of singing children. This encourages them to sing, makes them feel safe to sing with other children, and it ignites their love of reading and singing from a young age. We have puzzle box sets, increasing in difficulty as the child grows; we have music boxes and multi-level memory match playing cards, which can be fun for the whole family.

What are your top tips for getting the best out of Mizzie?

I’d recommend you introduce Mizzie at a young age. She will become baby’s friend, and she will become their companion in their learning journey, no matter their speed of learning—she will be there for them, encouraging them at every step. Mizzie products start from birth, with 10 different products to take babies on a fun learning journey into their toddler years, up to four-years-old.

Why does Mizzie make a great holiday gift?

Mizzie products are gifts with purpose! They are fun, natural, safe, AND they help little ones learn, so the best of so many worlds. Created by Aussie mums, with both baby and moms/dads/caregivers in mind, each product is infused with a bit of Aussie fun. They are great quality, and they are a great addition to anyone’s home.

Speaking of holidays, as a Canadian-born Australian now living Down Under, what do you miss most about Christmas in Canada?

By far, I miss a white Christmas, and the cold! Well, maybe not the Quebec cold for too long, but I do miss rugging up, that’s Aussie slang for snuggling, around Christmas time, watching snow fall on the trees, and the gorgeous lights reflecting against the snow and ice. It definitely adds to the Christmas spirit, and Santa’s sleigh and Christmas carols make so much more sense in the cold. In contrast, we may get to 35-plus degrees C on Christmas day! We’ll jump in the pool, serve up prawns and perhaps barbecue a ham, possibly in the air con. Most of us don’t have chimneys in Queensland (why would you?), so Santa finds different ways in, which I still find funny every year. In all honesty, prior to having kids, I did find it harder to get into the Christmas spirit when you’re in a tropical paradise. With my two kids, they made me see the magic of the holidays through their eyes, which is the same feeling all over again, simply different, and it’s just as magic. I can’t wait to get them to experience a white Christmas one day!

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Win! A $150 Mizzie The Kangaroo Prize Pack!

Congrats Angelina A. of Richmond Hill, ON, who will receive a Mizzie The Kangaroo prize pack, including Mizzie, mini Mizzie, Hop Out Mizzie, Freezie Pack and Memory Match, valued at $150 plus! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) on Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.