Global Girl Power

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- KidsGive is proud to present its newest addition, Piper Whelan from Sydney, Australia to be added to the Karito Kids World Collection. Piper is an 11-year-old who lives with her mother, father and 'lil sis in Bondi Beach. She is an avid surfer and lifeguard, which they call Nippers down under. Being outdoors so much, Pip begins to see the effects that humans have on our environment. Known as a "Greenie" by her friends and family, Pip takes it upon herself to educate others about how they can make a difference until one day when she was cleaning trash along the beach and realized what she thought was a bag was no bag at all. Her book reveals the mystery of why the sea life was dying.

Pip and her pals from the Karito Kids World Collection will be at the American International Toy Fair this February in booth #6436.

Karito Kids debuted in July 2007 with their World Collection of five ethnically accurate international dolls and books that empower kids to make a difference while having fun themselves. A bonafide runaway hit, Karito Kids won over 14 awards including the #1 Toy of the Year by Family Fun and a gold Oppenheim Toy Portfolio award. Every doll and book comes with a passport that invites the child to log onto http://www.karitokids.com and experience the joy of giving to other kids who are not as lucky as them. The brand provides an interactive experience combining traditional play with online gaming. But the best part is the fact that all of this fun allows the child to simultaneously help other kids by selecting one of four causes to support (food, home, school or health), since all products under the Karito Kids brand contribute 3% of the MSRP to Plan USA, a children's charity with whom the company has partnered.

The current global gals include Wan Ling from China, Gia from Italy, Lulu from Kenya, Zoe from America and Pita from Mexico. Each character has a unique personality and a hard-cover adventure mystery book that allows kids to recognize that for the most part no matter where you live in the world, all kids are the same. The stories are written by an award-winning author and illustrated by former Disney animators, which make these characters that much more realistic! Wan Ling is crazy about pandas and science, Gia is a total fashionista, Lulu is a kid's TV co-host and awesome soccer player, Pita is an award-winning equestrian and Zoe is a guitar playing, singing bohemian.

KidsGive is the manufacturer of the new line of dolls and books that is redefining corporate social responsibility. How? By developing an interesting and unique concept that directly brings the child into the actual process of giving to, and understanding the development of, children's humanitarian projects around the world. By empowering kids to direct the donation selection of 3 percent of the retail price of all Karito Kids(TM) products to support children's charity Plan USA, KidsGive's goal is to teach a generation of children what charitable giving really means.

The line launched in summer 2007 with five doll and book sets: -- Zoe and book "The Manhattan Menace" -- Wan Ling and book "Shanghai Secret" -- Lulu and book, "Nairobi Nightmare" -- Pita and book, "Mexico Mystery" -- Gia and book, "Florence Fiasco" Karito [`ka-ree`-toe] noun. Etymology: from the constructed international language, Esperanto, a universal second language created to foster peace and international understanding. 1: charity, 2: love of one's neighbor See http://www.karitokids.com to learn more.