Alpha Buddies Inc.

Hello my name is Donna Rink from Chicago IL. I am the inventor of the original "Alpha Buddies". Art and Design have always been my passion. I took every art class in my high school and I always admired people that could invent their own product. I wanted to create my own children’s toy, but wanted it to stand out above the rest. There are so many stuffed animals on the market today. I wanted to create an educational stuffed toy with a personalized twist. One day it just came to me, Alpha…..Buddies! That night I had visions of Alpha Buddies dancing in my head! The next day I started drawing, I wanted to bring the alphabet to life! I took each letter of the alphabet and turned them into characters. I started drawing in the eyes, nose, mouth and all the features just fell into place! Then I drew the arms and legs, because I wanted them to be able to do something. Then I thought, “It would be great if they could connect to each other”. I added a "hook and loop" pattern on the hands and feet, so they could connect together and it worked! Alpha Buddies could be connected vertically and horizontally by the hands and feet, to spell names, words, initials and the alphabet. I also, added a hook on the top of the heads for easy wall hanging. Alpha Buddies were born! I took my drawings to a patent lawyer and the U.S. Patent office issued Alpha Buddies a Trademark, A Design Patent for the unique design and a Utility Patent, for the innovative ability to connect one character to another. I decided to take my product to an awards show in Pennsylvania. I was honored to win a “Gold Medal for Toys”, a “Silver Medal for Education” and “Women Inventor of The Year”.