Get emailed StartupNation 2011 Home-Based 100 Competition Updates

Share this

Contestant's Case to Win

Handmade custom plush. You create the design... we do the rest.

Using the kid-friendly design tools on CurlyQ Cuties' website, anyone can quickly design their own unique stuffed plush toy. Children as young as 4-years-old have commissioned their own $25 made-to-order Monster designs. No sewing or crafting skills are necessary. As a customer interactively selects the color and shape of their toy's body and features, the visual representation of their design is instantly updated in the online designer. Customers clearly see how their customized design will look before they commit to a purchase.

Founded in January 2008 by mom entrepreneur Stephanie Estrin, CurlyQ Cuties was originally an Etsy.com shop selling ready-made monsters. After repeated requests for customized variations of her Monsters, Stephanie recognized an opportunity to provide a customer-designed made-to-order plush toy at an affordable price. In July 2008, Stephanie launched CurlyQCuties.com.

Today, CurlyQ Cuties offers several plush toy styles from Fairy-Teeth tooth fairy pillows and plush Splatopus to larger and more elaborate Monsters and Moggins. CurlyQ Cuties even offers a 2-1/2 foot tall Custom Monster! All products are handmade-to-order in Texas and ship in 10 days or less.

CurlyQ Cuties' Monsters were seen on NBC's Today Show this past December and their Deluxe Custom Monsters recently won a 2010 Parents' Choice Recommended Toy Award.