The Little Tikes Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MGA Entertainment (MGA), one of the largest and fastest growing privately held toy and entertainment companies in the world, introduced the Little Tikes Story Dream Machine to the classic bedtime routine for parents of young kids earlier this year. The innovative toy launched with a robust catalog of story collections for extended story time. The brand has announced an expansion to this catalog via a collaboration with Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, welcoming the new Sesame Street Elmo & Friends Collection to shelves this month.
The Story Dream Machine is a portable projector for read-along children’s stories that doubles as a white noise machine and nightlight. Little Tikes and Sesame Street have each been a part of children’s lives from early childhood to adulthood for more than 50 years. Today’s announcement marks a timeless, cross-generational moment of connection through story time for kids, parents, and grandparents to enjoy just in time for the holiday season.
First launched in August and quickly selling out due to its quality stories and growing virality on TikTok, the Story Dream Machine is an early reading tool, engaging toy, and sleep solution for children. Now, the new story projector is back on shelves ahead of peak holiday shopping season with both a growing catalog of heartwarming stories from Sesame Street and an enthusiastic endorsement from American actor, writer, director and dedicated father, David Henrie.
“Putting kids to bed is a difficult task for most parents, and as a dad of three, I still have difficulty transitioning my children out of playtime to bedtime,” said David Henrie, best known for his roles on How I Met Your Mother and Wizards of Waverly Place, and now as a highly involved father and content creator on TikTok. “The Little Tikes Story Dream Machine has been the perfect solution for creating a fun bedtime routine because it helps my kids transition to nighttime relaxing while improving their reading skills and still keeps me engaged. The Sesame Street story collection reminds me of the lessons I learned from Sesame Street when I was a child.”
Little Tikes has introduced timeless Sesame Street stories to its Story Dream Machine catalog to create deeper points of connection between kids and their caregivers, encouraging early education and development through an engaging new medium. The new collection is sold separately and features three stories – Elmo’s Furry Friend, Elmo’s Trip to the Farm, and Elmo Visits the Dentist – plus one Elmo character that activates calming lights when placed on top of the machine and set to night light mode.
“Lying down for the night can be an especially challenging part of the day for some children, but at Sesame Street, we know that our minds and bodies need rest so we have energy to have fun and learning the next day. We’re pleased to team up with Little Tikes to spark curiosity, create wonder and inspire endless imagination as children get ready for bed.” said Gabriela Arenas, Senior Vice President, Global Product Licensing, Sesame Workshop.
In addition to its role within the bedtime routine, the Little Tikes Story Dream Machine is great educational tool for kids and source of entertainment throughout the day and on the go. The projection, narrated stories, and colorful lights keep kids engaged in educational play either independently or with an adult joining in on the fun. With an ever-growing catalog of stories that are easy to watch by inserting new cartridges into the machine, kids have never-ending story time at their fingertips.
“Parents all over social media are hailing the Little Tikes Story Dream Machine as the ultimate play and bedtime solution for kids ages three to six due to its calming, colored lights, lightweight portability, and beloved educational stories,” said Isaac Larian, Founder and CEO of MGA Entertainment. “Now, the Sesame Street Elmo & Friends Collection offers parents like David Henrie more stories to enjoy with characters they know and love. One of the hot new toys this holiday season, these story cartridges and Story Dream Machine projectors are already flying off the shelves so don’t wait to get yours!”
The Story Dream Machine and story collections are available at Amazon and Walmart. To learn more about Little Tikes and the Story Dream Machine visit https://www.littletikes.com. Be sure to engage with the brand on YouTube,Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned for parenting content with the Story Dream Machine from David Henrie on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook throughout the holiday season.