Product Review of "dokedo" Putty

When doing online research for new sensory products for my daughter, I came across a link to an interesting product called dokedo. The moment the page uploaded I had a feeling that I'd found something special that Jaimie would love. And after contacting the founder and owner of dokedo, Tina Cambio, I knew for sure.

When you have the opportunity to speak with Tina you realize that her company isn't only about making money; she truly cares. Her passion for her product and her compassion for helping others in need is inspiring.

Enjoy this short Q&A about Tina's fabulous product, dokedo, then check out our review at the end. Three of my children tested it out and have great things to say! Enjoy the interview, check out her website and invest in her product.

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CHYNNA: Tina, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. Let's talk about your fantastic product. What is dokedo and what inspired the creation of it?

TINA: dokedo is a non toxic, gluten, casein, nut and latex free putty. dokedo IS a play PUTTY made from silicone polymers which makes it smooth and soft with a silky feeling. It will never dry out or crumble. It IS NOT a play dough NOR does it contain CVS polyvinyl alcohol which is used to make clear slimes and noise putty which are wet and slimy. It's available in 13 different scents and colors-all made with organic and natural scents to give it the fantastic scents. dokedo is also available in 6 unscented colors for our customers that are sensitive to smells. Dokedo is made, and was tested in the USA and we only use vendors from the USA.

The inspiration for creating dokedo came from my children. As a mother, I was not satisfied with what was offered on the market for my kids to play with. If my children wanted to play with play dough, I always made it from scratch. My dream has always been to create a new product and this gave me the opportunity to do so. It took me over two years of working on hundreds of play dough recipes before I decided to try a putty recipe instead. If I was to create a new product, it had to be NEW. After I gave it some thought, I finally figured it out and dokedo was created.

It was important to me that my product contained non-toxic, natural ingredients and not chemicals to scent it. As a mother, I am cautious of what my children are touching. My goal was to create something for kids and adults to play with that is fun, but also has benefits to it. dokedo is fantastic and there is not anything else like it!

CHYNNA: I agree with you on that one...there is nothing else like it! And I so appreciate what you're saying about offering a natural, non-chemical product to your children to play with. How awesome of you to create this all on your own! Tina, who would most benefit from using dokedo?

TINA: The answer is everyone! dokedo is so versatile that everyone can benefit the most from it. dokedo is so much fun to play with kids and adults can have good old fashioned fun. But at the same time, get benefits from it! We all have our own struggles in our daily lives, be it natural daily stress, boredom, aches and pain, memory and focus issues, different moods, fine motor skills, stress and boredom at doctor and dentist visits, physical and occupational therapy, Autism, ADD/ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Anxiety Issues, sleep disorders, the list goes on and on. If a person were to look at their day, dokedo can benefit them throughout the day in so many ways. Please see the "Benefits and Fun" and "Scent Sense" pages on our website for more information.

CHYNNA: We noticed dokedo's versatility right away. The day we tested our samples, Jaimie's SPD and anxiety were on the "up" end of the scale. Working with the putty seemed to calm her right down-even with the scents! Why don't I let you describe the many different ways Dokedo can be used, Tina.

TINA: dokedo can be used just about anywhere. dokedo can twist, mold, stretch, bounce, squish, crackle, pop, bubble, snap, roll, break, fold, pick up comics, and much more! dokedo can also be softened and firmed for different consistencies and will always go back to its original state.

CHYNNA: Jaimie's favorite part was the bouncing--and boy does it ever bounce! LOL! How can people get their hands on your fabulous product?

TINA: Please visit us online at: www.dokedoputty.com

CHYNNA: I spent a fair bit of time on your site. I have to say that I think it's truly inspiring how many places your product has been donated to in helping to raise awareness or help others in need. Can you tell us about the many fabulous charity organizations Dokedo helps to support?

TINA: Our company, mama luvs, LLC, believes we should donate to many different causes to help do our part in the community. We support various Autism organizations who help families in one way or another with research, education and support. As of right now, we support Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), Generation Rescue and ACT-Today. We have donated to the SPD Foundation and the ADAA.

We also believe in helping out in other ways. We offer a few different fundraiser programs for any non-profit organization, such as schools, that wants to raise funds.

For anyone that might want to earn money with us, we offer an Independent Distributor opportunity.

There is also an opportunity to earn free dokedo and buy at a discount by holding a
dokedo home/office party or catalog show. In one way or another, I think we have it covered at every angle - at least I hope!

CHYNNA: LOL! I think you've covered it all, Tina. That's incredible. Let's get a bit personal now. Do you have any inspirational stories that stick out in your mind in how Dokedo has either made a difference in someone's life or helps them in a unique way?

TINA: We receive emails from very happy customers with stories, but I have my own favorite that makes me smile and laugh each time I tell it.

I had to take two of my kids to the doctor once to be evaluated for tonsil and adenoid problems. They were both very scared and nervous. We were waiting in the exam room and they were upset. I took some dokedo out of my purse and gave it to each of them. They started playing with it and within minutes, we were all laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. It just so happens that I had a pink and a green dokedo in my purse at the time. They both made pink snouts with green strings hanging from them, out of their dokedo and stuck it to their noses, waiting for the doctor to come in the room. He came in, looked at them, and they said, "We have nasal problems." The doctor laughed and said, "I've never seen a case like this before."

After I gave the dokedo to my son, all of the nerves, boredom and stress vanished and the stressful doctor appointment ended up being a very fun experience. They laughed through the whole exam and walked out still laughing. I could not believe the mood transition that I witnessed. They now say that going to that doctor is fun. When they went for their surgery, they were fine. They associated the exam with fun, which helped their stress the day they went in for surgery. I highly suggest dokedo for any stressful experience!

CHYNNA: That's priceless. What a great story! Any upcoming projects/events you'd like to share?

TINA: dokedo will be part of the Baby and Tween Celebration LA event that is bring held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 25 and 26, 2009. We happily donated dokedo, dokedo scented t-shirts, water bottles and mood changing pencils to ACT-Today for their booth and the play area. ACT-Today gets to keep 100% of the proceeds. dokedo will also be in the celebrity gift bags at the event and we provided the celebrity kids play area for the kids to enjoy! We have many other events we plan to be involved in as time goes on!

CHYNNA: I can't wait to find out where dokedo will turn up next. Tina, thank you so much for your generosity. I'm sure your product will help many and you'll go far with it. I know we all enjoyed it in our house very much.

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Our Product Review of dokedo:

Tested by: Jaimie (six), Jordhan (four) and Xander (two)

We tried each of the scented versions of dokedo which are: banana boat, citrus circus, boy o boysenberry, cotton candies, gumball burst, hello marshmellow, icing on the cake, melon splash, midnight berry, peppermint stix, popcorn ball, and shake like jelly. We also tried out the non-scented putty: blue me away, flamingo pink, iguana green, jet black, sunnyside yellow and whitewash. As you can see, the names of the putty are as much fun as the putty itself!

First impressions: The bright beautiful colors are appealing and match their names so the kids found them easy to remember. Jaimie had some hesitation when first attempting to get the dokedo out of the containers as she was used to using PlayDoh, which is soft right out of the can. Fortunately she was "seeking" that afternoon so I suggested to her that we squeezed and twisted it until it softened. She loved how it snapped and crackled between her palms. After awhile, she was able to pull it out like stringy cheese and squash it out like other doughs.

Sensational review: Jaimie's sensory sensitivities are very high with her most sensitive systems being tactile (touch) and olfactory (smell). I noticed on our test afternoon, she squeezed, pushed and twisted with all her mite and was constantly smelling her hands and the different puttys. I also got Jaimie to try the dokedo when she her mood was more "avoiding." Then she asked to try the "non-smelly" types and asked that I soften up for her. Whether scented or not, she still enjoyed the product very much.

Overall impressions: Xander absolutely loved every color, smell and didn't mind whether it was hard or soft as long as he could squish it into a ball. Jordhan also enjoyed each color but preferred the scented ones and the colors. Jaimie said she liked smelling them all but liked the lighter, less fruity scented dokedo, such as cotton candies. If you have a child with extremely high tactile or olfactory with issues about smells on their hands, either be sure to have a cloth/wipe handy or simply give them the beautiful non-scented options. They're fun too!

Funtime favorite things to do with dokedo: The favorite scents were cotton candies (Jaimie) and icing on the cake (Jordhan) The favorite colors were pink and yellow. The favorite thing to do with dokedo were stretching it out and bouncing it.

Other things we tried: pushing it into a printed magazine/newspaper picture then stretching it out-very funny to everyone; squashing small toys into it; blending some colors together to make cool figurines and shaping it into pretend food. (Tina gave me some great advice to put the dokedo in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds at a time until you reach the desired consistency. The putty goes back to its original state.)

Final word: The containers are small enough that you can fit them into your craft box or even a backpack or purse for fun on the go. It's advertised on sites such as SPD Foundation and has been included in celebrity gift bags for red carpet events. And you can use them with other sensory fun as part of a child's overall diet. The best part is that siblings with no sensory issues can play right along too.

dokedo is an excellent product and we highly recommend it. If you plan to use it with children who are more on the severe side of sensory issues or SPD, always be tuned into the child's stimulation needs so you know which scents-or no scents-and the consistency they'll need. Most importantly: get in there and have fun too!

Be sure to come to my site and blog during the month of May and sign up for our newsletter to be entered in our draw to win fabulous dokedo prize packs that Tina generously donated. We'll also be giving smaller dokedo prizes as the month goes on. Details will be up on the site by the end of April so be sure to check back!