bobble's baby is Born: New 13.oz/385ml bobble for Kids Aims to Wean Children Off Sugary Soft Drinks

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Move Collective, LLC, the creators of bobble (www.waterbobble.com), a sleek, reusable, patented water bottle that filters as you drink, today introduced a junior version of the fast-selling product. Informally dubbed "bobble's baby," the new, smaller bobble can hold 13.oz/385ml of water and fits perfectly into smaller hands. Bobble's baby is intended for children. Its design and multicolored scheme were created to make water consumption more attractive – to encourage kids to prefer water to sugary sodas and other unhealthy drinks. Bobble is a vehicle to better health habits for children of all ages.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100927/NY71248 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100927/NY71248 )

Bobble was designed by the renowned industrial designer Karim Rashid. The 13.oz/385ml bobble offers four multicolored filters – which are replaceable, recyclable and visually resplendent. Each bobble also comes with four playful stickers to let children creatively personalize it.

The children's bobble retails for $8.95 and can be reused endlessly. That fact tends to greatly increase water consumption in bobble users. Since they can refill at will, they tend to do so. Bobble filters should be replaced after 40 gallons, or 150 liters, of water passes through them. This typically equates to two or three months' use per filter. Users fill bobble with municipal tap water; schoolchildren can easily refill it from hallway water fountains or from their home's kitchen sink. Bobble's filter makes that water taste better by removing chlorine and organic contaminants from it. Chlorine is common to tap water and tends to impart a slightly sour aftertaste. Bobble eliminates that aftertaste. Bobble water instantly tastes cleaner and more refreshing.

"Since we launched bobble earlier this year, one of the most pleasurable experiences was witnessing how children of all ages react to it. We have an 8-month old child and his eyes light up when he sees it," said Richard Smiedt, founder, Move Collective LLC. "We've actually been collecting images of children and babies drinking from it and posting them on our Facebook page. Children are drawn to bobble because it is bright and stylish, very different from the normal containers they drink from. So early on we realized we had to create a bobble specifically for smaller hands."

According to a 2010 UCLA study, "Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California" millions of youths drink one or more sugary sodas every day. This is the equivalent, the study states, "of consuming 39 pounds of sugar each year in soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages." Research has shown that changing those habits can have a lasting impact on children's health. One study, published in 2009 in Pediatrics, found that schoolchildren who consumed more tap water while at school were 31% less likely to become overweight.

"Smart habits start at an early age," said Richard Smiedt. "But children tend to be resistant to the message that they should choose something simply because it is good for them. As a child who spent plenty of time hiding vegetables in my mashed potatoes, I can attest to this firsthand. And I want my own child to prefer to drink water from the start – not simply because daddy insists on it, but because he wants to. So we made this bobble multicolored, beautiful and fun, something a child would want to carry with them. If we give children a good reason, good habits will flow from that."

Bobble is free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC. It is fashioned from recycled plastic and comes in four versions. In addition to bobble's baby, the product comes in three "grown-up" versions. The original 18.5oz/0.55 liter version retails at a recommended price of $9.95. The 13oz "grown-up" bobble, which uses single-colored filters rather than the playful children's versions, is available at a recommended price of $8.95. The 34oz/1.0 liter bobble's recommended price is $12.95.

For schoolchildren, using bobble is simple. The first time they use bobble they should fill it with tap water and gently squeeze it through one time. This removes any loose carbon in the filter. The filter is officially "activated" at that point. Afterwards, every time children fill their bobble, the filter will improve the taste of the water that passes through it. Bobble should also be cleaned regularly in warm soapy water to limit bacteria buildup.

Bobble is available at leading retailers including American Apparel, Bed Bath & Beyond, Bloomingdale's, Bon-Ton, Chef Central, Container Store, Cracker Barrel, Earth Fare, GNC, Harris Teeter, JCPenney, Kitchen Collections, Kitchen Kapers, Macy's, Roche Bros. and Wegmans. Many more are coming on board over the coming months. Bobble can also be purchased online, at www.waterbobble.com.

SOURCE Move Collective, LLC