Brilliant Black-Owned Businesses to Support All Year Round

The Darnley’s found themselves in a familiar parental predicament; their sweet baby girl started teething early and did not have a good time. Mom and Dad tried everything to help her find relief, but her two-month-old wittle handsies weren’t able to hold a teether yet. Necessity is the mother of invention, so Mom (and Dad) designed this adorable Mitten Teething Mitten for their daughter’s ailing gums, and it worked like a charm!

And so began Darlyng & Co., serving up practical go-tos for families. Treat yourself and the whole fam with their luxuriant shea butter, and soothing body oil, perfect for sensitive skin.

Grab the mic, your best hype man (it’s always Mom), and challenge your crew to an epic rap battle-royale right in your own living room! A quick-thinking game of poetry and teamwork, Rhyme Antics encourages players to flex their vocabulary skills, so you’ll be developing confidence and creativity while you’re spittin' flows.

In addition to the game, the company offers a creative language arts curriculum available for classroom use for students in grades 6-11. The course combines vocabulary building with music and art therapies for a unique learning experience designed to improve standardized test scores.

Few dolls promote self-love and self-care like the Zoe Doll, the darling companion doll by Healthy Roots, the curl care education champions. Zoe is beautifully detailed and has a relatable, touching backstory surrounding the complicated feelings she has about her hair.

More than just a toy, Zoe encourages creativity, empowerment, and educational play. She’s 18” tall, making her perfect for practicing your box braids, twists, or whatever you’re feeling. Need some setting lotion for those rollers?  Go for it! Zoe’s hair is made from fibers designed to look, feel, and be treated like real hair. Keep your locs looking fresh by washing Zoe’s hair with real shampoo, let dry, and let the styling start all over again!

Pre-bot Learns Not to Hurt is the first book in a planned series by Fiwi Toys. Timmy is given his very first robot, Pre-bot, who learns through imitation. Timmy struggles to set a good example for his robotic buddy, but when Pre-bot starts acting not-so-nice, Timmy realizes he might need to make some changes! A thoughtful, and richly illustrated adventure, this is a wonderful story for promoting accountability because our actions have consequences, and what we say and do matters.

Jumping right off the page and into real life is a fully poseable, cleverly constructed Pre-bot of your very own. No heavy metal for this robot; its chunky shapes are made from wood with a pleasing, smooth texture, and the colors are as vivid as they are on paper. Intriguing to pick up and hard to put down, your new robot friend is a cheery reminder that it’s not nice to push people’s buttons!

Little Likes Kids was created by a loving mother who wanted to give her son toys that reflected his own life experiences with friends of every color, offering screen-free fun for every age. Their puzzle selections grow with your skill level, and each completed puzzle looks like a page from a richly detailed children’s book, the image telling the story on its own so vividly, you can almost hear the melody at this Musical Crossroads!

When playtime becomes clean-up time, the packaging gets an A+ in sturdiness and practicality; the double-thick cardboard goes a long way to thwart destruction-by-toddler, and the rope handle makes it easy to carry off to your next puzzling destination.

I see riches in your future! Or is that a Community Chest card taking you back three spaces? Kaleidadope  is here to help. Their specialty is in good vibes, and helping people center themselms. Align those outta wack chakras; draw a card, meditate on the color, and find your flow.