Exclusive Interview with Munchkin’s Abigail Atkinson

Baby Brands Direct

Munchkin is a brand that prides itself on the ability to innovate and create exciting new products that make parenting easy and fun for mums and dads around the globe. A US brand, with a large office in Yorkshire providing the company with a foothold in the UK, the brand has gone from strength to strength over the last 32 years. With many awards and accolades under its belt, Munchkin is a very special brand indeed. Here to talk about what makes it so special is Munchkin’s Sales and Marketing Assistant, Abigail Atkinson!

 

1. Can you tell us a bit about Munchkin’s history and the inspiration behind the brand?

Munchkin was founded in 1990 by our CEO Steve Dunn who, as a parent himself, wanted to create innovative and fun products for babies and children that make parents’ lives easier and more enjoyable, which links to our tagline ‘it’s the little things’. Munchkin is powered by innovation, simplicity in design and a never-ending passion to find relevant and functional solutions for living a carefree and happy life. Since its creation in 1990, Munchkin has since grown to 7 offices worldwide.

 

2. What are Munchkin’s main values or goals when creating new products?

Whenever we are creating a new product, we always bear in mind our main value which is creating a fun, innovative and safe life for both parents and babies. We want to simultaneously offer reliable and positive solutions to parents’ everyday needs and to provide products which encourage baby’s ongoing development. As well as bringing new and exciting products to the market to stay ahead of our competitors, the needs of parents and their children is always at the forefront of our minds. We set a strict 4.5 star rating on new items, anything tracking below this is reviewed by our development team.

 

3. What would you consider to be the brand’s key strengths and selling points? What makes Munchkin special?

Munchkin prides itself on having functional and safe products, but also on bringing an element of fun to parents and baby’s lives! Our customers know us for our brightly coloured, bestselling Miracle cups, our vibrant feeding range and our fun and educational bath toys.

 

4. For retailers new to your brand, what are some core products that they should stock and why?

Our core categories are Cups, Feeding, Bathtime and Travel. We would recommend to have our top sellers such as Miracle Cups, Soft Tip Spoons, Suction bowls/plates, Bristle Bottle Brush, Caterpillar spillers, Ocean Squirts, Bath Crayons and range of Travel Mirrors and Shades.

 

5. The past couple of years have been really exciting for Munchkin, with new innovative products being launched, such as the Munchkin Swing and Mini Steriliser. What can you tell us about these products?

We at Munchkin have been really proud to bring these new products to the market over the past couple of years. Our Mini UV Steriliser has become a must-have functional cleaning product in the height of a pandemic – it provides quick, reliable and efficient disinfecting for soothers and bottle teats. The Bottle Warmer has been another successful tech product for us, fast and accurate heating at the push of a button, no water or microwave needed! And as we are emerging from the pandemic and getting out and about more, the portability of these newer products is a massive bonus. The Baby Swing has been a fantastic success – it is lightweight, easy to assemble with only 2 main parts, and has the great Bluetooth connectivity feature which means it stands out on the market against other swings. We have had some great nationwide coverage on this, with a feature in the Daily Telegraph and plenty of social media influencers talking up the new products!

 

6. Munchkin have also launched into a new category, with the Milkmakers lactation foods and supplements. What are some key facts retailers should know about these lactation support products?

Our chocolate chip breastfeeding cookies contain key ingredients traditionally used to help support breast milk supply, these are:

  • Fenugreek: the most popular, well-known and researched ingredient to boost milk supply
  • Oats: a delicious comfort food and a nutritional powerhouse, providing whole grains, fibre, iron, and lots of healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
  • Brewer’s Yeast: a traditional ingredient used to increase milk supply, rich in B-vitamins, proteins, and minerals essential for nursing mums
  • Flaxseed: provides omega-3 fatty acids necessary for baby’s brain development which can be passed from mother to baby through breast milk

The cookies are already proving to be very popular in the UK with strong reviews and plenty of social media buzz about them.

 

7. Do you know how many awards the brand has won globally? Which award is the most recent?

Globally we have won over 100 awards across many regions. Some key awards are the: 

 

8. Do you have any advice for retailers?

Our biggest piece of advice would be to focus on the top sellers and get behind these, getting critical mass and driving numbers into the brand is key. Once you do this, it helps establish a strong and loyal customer that will shop across categories and trade up, especially important as we focus on higher ticket items and ensuring the customer has trust in a brand.

 

Tell us a bit about you:

1. Do you have any pets? Sadly not ☹

2. What was the last movie you saw? Yesterday on Netflix – great watch!

3. What is your favourite comfort food? Spaghetti Bolognaise 😊

Check out the full range of Munchkin products, available to buy wholesale at Baby Brands Direct, for your chance to stock up on award winning and innovative baby and nursery items.