We are talking to the lovely Alison from Yappy.com today all about mental health, being happy and pets! As this is part of our What The Mental Health series, it does mean there is another incredible prize being added to the bundle worth over £1800!
Please can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello, I’m Alison and I look after all things PR at the personalised pet gifting company Yappy.com. We are an online gift shop where we create unique products for pets and their owners.
Yappy is a fabulous idea, what inspired it’s creation?
Yappy was inspired by a team of personalised gifting experts. They combined their passion for great products, design, technology, and ecommerce. This creates amazing one-of-a-kind gifts for dogs and their owners. Following demand for the canine-themed products that we offer, the range has since expanded. Now we offer gifts for cats too, much to the delight of our feline fanatic customers.
Our pets can bring so much joy into our lives, they really make a difference to us each day. They can make us happy just being in the room with us. This is such a great way to commemorate them for the family. What type of animals can you include in your designs? Have you had any unusual requests?
Pets really do make such a huge difference to our wellbeing. They bring joy into our lives. At Yappy, we help owners celebrate their amazing pets with a uniquely designed gift. This brings their pet’s personality into their home or workspace. Whether it’s a cushion with their pet’s photo on, a piece of bespoke wall art or a mug featuring their cat’s icon that they can take to the office.
We currently offer personalised gifts for over 350 dog breeds and over 60 cat breeds. Offering plenty of choice for customers to match their pet with one of our illustrated icons. The most unusual requests are for pets with brilliant names, we come across some unusual and quirky ones. We love seeing these popping up on social media when shared by our #YappyPack community. Who doesn’t love to see gorgeous happy pets being pampered and adored by their owners!
We have been lucky enough to receive a ‘Where’s….?’ Search and Find Book, which is absolutely fantastic. We have a little person, and their favourite toy is very loved. This means he is quite tatty and frankly falling to pieces! You expertly matched a photo of him to a wonderful avatar. When the book was presented to them their response was ‘Oh my word! It’s like he’s famous!’ They then proceeded to sit down, with said toy and spent ages exploring each page. It genuinely made them happy! This is a great way to celebrate favourite toys, especially as they age. Had you thought about preserving the memories of toys when starting Yappy?
I absolutely love this. I’m so pleased to hear that your little one loves seeing their favourite toy featured in our personalised Where’s search and find book. We think that all pets deserve to have a place in the spotlight. Similarly, this is a brilliant way to celebrate and treasure a child’s favourite cuddly dog or cat.
Sadly not every child can have a pet for so many reasons. Many have a toy dog or cat and preserving memories of these toys in a keepsake book is a wonderful idea.
We also loved the presentation. Arriving in a sleek purple box meant not only did the ‘surprise’ feel extra special for the child receiving it, but the book arrived in completely undamaged. This is a brilliant way to brighten someone’s day and add that touch of wonder. Is the experience for customers important to you?
Absolutely! Delighting our customers is our number one priority. 98% of our independent product reviews rate Yappy products with a 4 or 5 star review because of this. We love seeing reaction videos of customers seeing their pet’s face on a gift for the first time – it’s magical.
This could be an amazing way for people to help their children cope with the loss of their family pet. This can be a terribly difficult time for kids. Having a memento and their pet preserved in their own book could make such a difference. What other titles besides the search and find books might be more suited for this occasion?
Losing a pet can be so difficult for the whole family to process. It’s such a sad time for children who may feel as though they have lost their best friend. Giving a child a book that is personalised with their pet’s face and name throughout may help them talk about the feelings of grief and loss that they’re experiencing.
Our Wondrous Adventures book is a lovely bedtime story for celebrating a beloved pet. Remembering all the special moments enjoyed together. We’re also launching a special personalised memory book. It’s designed to help treasure the memories of beloved dogs who left paw prints on the whole family.
What would our readers need to start the process of ordering one of these innovative and exciting books?
Creating your pet’s own online shop is quick and easy. Simply head to Yappy.com, select if you have a dog or cat, follow the prompts to add their breed or mix type, type in their name, select an icon that best matches their profile from a huge choice and within seconds we’ll create a unique gift shop just for your pet, packed full of customised gift options.
Tell us about the illustrations. They are so varied, bright and detailed. They must take hours to draw.
We have a very talented team of illustrators who create the icons for us and bring each breed and breed profile to life. Capturing the unique qualities of each breed is quite a challenge and it’s all in the detail. The Where’s book pages are drawn by the very talented illustrator, Rod Hunt, who specialises in hyper-detailed landscapes.
We love the whole design of the book, from the ‘wanted’ poster at the front, to being chased by the ‘paw-parazzi.’ There’s happy smiles with each page turn! The cover also features the child’s pet and name, just building that totally unique and personal feeling. This book has become precious to our little person, a treasured possession. How important is it for you to create that bond for the child?
The search and find books are very detailed and because you need to really concentrate to find your pet within the pages, children feel very involved, and I think it helps them bond with their dog to see them in another world that they can only experience within the pages of a book. It’s that sense of wonderment and adventure that can keep children hooked for hours!
Do you have a go to title in your collection? If so what is it and why?
I love the updated ‘Wild Ride To…’ book which is a twist on the classic book as it also features your city or place name on the panoramic cover as well as your dog’s ‘pawesome’ icon and name. I love the cameos from characters such as Bridget Bones and Will Sniff and the canine-themed locations such as Furbiddon Planet, House of Bark and Dogtopia. The whole book is dedicated to creating a world of adventure for our furry friends.
From our mini reporter – ‘How did you choose all the places my doggy got to visit?’
We were inspired by all the fun places that we’d love to take our dogs if a world was created just for them! So in the original Where’s (Dog Name) book, the best hotel to take your dog to became The Paw Seasons, California became Colliefornia Love and the best place to visit for treats became Wonky Whippet’s Treat Factory. In total there are 12 scenes, all packed with dog related objects to spot and find – including Fluffy Butt Shampoo, a dog kissing booth and a string of sausages! It’s a highly entertaining book and we hope that you continue to enjoy it!
Win! Win! Win!
We are enamoured with the Search and Find book ‘Where’s?…’ from Yappy and we think you will be too! That’s why today we are adding your very own copy to the prize bundle. A bundle worth over £1800!! You will receive a voucher with details on how to claim this part of your incredible collection of goodies, when you receive them in the post!
a Rafflecopter giveawayYou can get more entries and improve your chances of winning this amazing prize with each article in the series. You can find more about them if you search WTMH? or check our competitions page.
We hope you’ll take time to listen to WTMH? What The Mental Health? Our brand new podcast available over on Apple. You can click the link above or find it on our homepage! Our first Episode ‘Introductions’ is available now and we will have new episodes each week!
