Spinoza® is a talking teddy bear who has lots of great things to say and sing songs about! He is very engaging and fun to listen to. He speaks to YOU and wants to know YOUR name. You are special to him and he wants to be your friend.

Spinoza and his Woodland Friends™ have a library of nine original cassette tapes. Through fun stories and songs they instill self worth, give positive reinforcement, are motivating, help open communication, can be relaxing and comforting or energizing and invigorating.

Spinoza’s messages continue to delight people of all ages. They use clean, constructive and non-limiting language to spark imaginations, help us discover our self-worth and communicate our true feelings.

Spinoza celebrated 20 years in 2004 yet he is as ageless as ever.

• The tiniest infant is calmed by Spinoza’s soothing voice and music.
• An autistic preschooler sings, for the first time, along with her Spinoza bear.
• A child who is visually impaired is motivated and excited about books and learning to read braille.
• A child with cancer is able to better control his pain with the help of Serena’s™ relaxation game.
• An abused and traumatized teen talks about it for the first time while holding Spinoza.
• A hospice volunteer, Spinoza, and the tape Hold On To Me help a terminally ill grandpa communicate with his grandchildren.
• And finally, a nursing home resident with Alzheimer’s disease is regularly calmed and comforted when holding Spinoza and listening to a tape made by his family.

Each example came from one of the hundreds of letters and cards sent to Spinoza by friends, parents and professionals. Each is testimony to the value and universal appeal of Spinoza...the Bear Who Speaks from the Heart™.

Spinoza's Features: 

* Sits up with open arms and is always ready to give a hug!

* Safety locked eyes

* Made of soft, durable acrylic fur that is surface washable and passes infection control standards, 17x17 and weighs just about 3lbs.

* Heart dial (secured for safety) for on/off, volume and speaker that allow Spinoza to "speak from the heart"

* Zippered pocket under Spinoza's leg for his cassette player with amplified speaker, headphone, and external power source jacks.

Spinoza is individually inspected and hugged by our staff to assure high quality and durability. He comes complete with a 90-Day Warranty and a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. If Spinoza ever needs to visit the North Woods Nurture Center™ for repairs or rejuvenation, we always have a Bear Doctor on call.

Spinoza's Collection of Nine Audio Cassettes

Spinoza's collection of nine audio cassettes are available in both English and Spanish, and six tapes are available in French. Featuring original songs and stories, Spinoza addresses issues such as self-esteem, creativity, feelings, grief and loss, stress management, relaxation, breathing, and healthy living. The audio cassettes are recorded the same on both sides to eliminate rewinding. Music and lyrics by Peter Himmelman.

View a list of the tape titles and themes here.

How does Spinoza and his tapes provide therapy for children?
For children with a life challenging condition or crisis, time is precious and their lives become filled with limitations as well as tremendous amounts of fear. Their sense of self-esteem and confidence suffers with the change and loss in their lives. The tapes help the children express their feelings.

Two of Spinoza’s tapes, Breathing Healthy, Breathing Free and New Beginnings, were co-created with the Central Ohio Breathing Association and teach effective breathing techniques which help pain management. For some children, the results are reduced medications as well as a means of coping with the pain they may suffer daily. One of the tapes includes a special segment on asthma.

Hold On To Me is special tape created, with collaboration from hospice professionals, to help people cope with grief and loss, death and dying. Spinoza and his Woodland Friends demonstrate the stages of grieving in a sensitive and heartwarming story, followed by three beautiful songs.

We utilize Spinoza frequently as a distraction during painful procedures and a comfort toy following them. On more than one occasion I or my staff have had to provide parents with ordering information because their child had become so attached to Spinoza and had really helped the child through a rough time."

Sincerely,
Joneen Corrao
Miami Children's Hospital

When Spinoza is not being used with the children I have found him on different employee's laps while they do their deskwork."

Sincerely,
Susan Bina
Physical Therapist