GoGo squeeZ(TM) Teams Up With Celebrity Dad Jerry O'Connell To Spotlight Playful Moments For Families

NEW YORK, June 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- GoGo squeeZ applesauce on-the-go, the leader in fruit-based pouches, announced today the results of a nationwide survey they commissioned to discover the state of playfulness in the USA, which revealed that U.S. families have trouble incorporating playfulness into their daily lives. GoGo squeeZ realizes that being playful is an important aspect of childhood development and is committed to providing parents with the tools they need to empower playfulness, not just in their children but also in themselves.

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To ensure that everyone can share in the brand's playful promise, GoGo squeeZ has teamed up with actor, writer, producer and father Jerry O'Connell and The Life is good Playmakers, the action arm of The Life is good Kids Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing training and support to childcare professionals that ensures all children can grow up feeling safe, loved and joyful.

In conjunction with today's playfulness survey results, GoGo squeeZ kicks off their "Wherever You Go, Go Playfully" campaign with a launch event to bring families and friends together. Jerry O'Connell and Life is good co-founder and chief executive optimist Bert Jacobs will be in New York City hosting and exploring the GoGo squeeZ Mobile Playground, an interactive tree house on wheels. It all takes place at Bryant Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. where playfulness and GoGo squeeZ will be served up for all to enjoy.

"GoGo squeeZ is all about imagination, laughter, keeping it simple and being playful," said Jerry O'Connell, actor and Playfulness Ambassador. "They aim for that to come through in all they do, inspiring others to do the same. As a father in an on-the-go family their commitment to combining playfulness and healthy snacks fits my parenting lifestyle perfectly."

America's Playfulness Deficit

Survey results show a disconnect between how playful parents feel and how often they actually get to experience unstructured play – free and imaginative play as opposed to an organized sport or game – with their families. Most parents (92%) describe themselves as "playful" but they struggle to fit the unstructured play they remember from childhood into their own family life. In fact, a majority of parents (74%) have a problem keeping "playfulness" alive day-to-day – revealing a playfulness deficit in American families.

But it is not their own playfulness that concerns them most: two-thirds (66%) feel they spent more time in unstructured play when they were young than their kids do today. With a reduction in unstructured play, 75% of these parents fear their child is missing out on key developmental lessons including learning:

• to be creative (36%),
• to communicate (36%),
• to share (25%) and
• to resolve conflicts (23%).

Complete results available on request.

Ways to Close the Playfulness Deficit

Why is it important to blend playful moments into our daily lives? "Play is embedded into us as a fundamental survival drive and all humans are built to play our entire lives," said Dr. Stuart Brown, founder and president of the National Institute for Play. "This biological need for play persists through our lifetime, so it is essential that play be integrated into the realities of adulthood, including work. Play drives innovation and creativity, it is how we learn to resolve conflict and build community – simply, it is how we bring more joy into our lives."

While it's clear that families are noticing an erosion of unstructured play time, the good news is that the experts of The Life is good Playmakers have some field-tested suggestions for infusing playfulness into our daily lives. Here is a taste of that guidance (much more available at www.GoGosqueeZ.com):

• Sing what you're doing: It offers a chance to connect and be joyful, and it never fails to become collaborative and produce smiles. Play is defined not by the activity, but by the spirit in which you approach it.
• Create a playfulness plan: You plan for retirement. You plan for building a house. You have weekend plans. Doesn't playfulness deserve to be prioritized and planned? Carve out time for nonsense by making a playful promise in writing for all to see.
• Take it outside: even if you're inside you can still "play in the rain." Structure is important, but there has to be a balance of routine and spontaneity. Do the unexpected and go freestyle – outdoors or in – once in a while.
• Spend more time being interested than interesting: Renounce the role of teacher and dive whole-heartedly into the things that make your child happy. Contagious playfulness with ensue and bridge any gaps.

GoGo squeeZ's Commitment to Playfulness

The GoGo squeeZ mobile playground will be traveling the country this summer to fuel playful family moments everywhere. To find out where and when your family can explore this versatile vehicle, visit www.GoGosqueeZ.com. While on the site, help GoGo squeeZ celebrate the brand's commitment to playfulness for all: for every share of the campaign's #gogoplayfully hashtag or any of the website multimedia content, GoGo squeeZ will donate $1, up to $100,000, to The Life is good Playmakers so that everyone can have the opportunity to go – and grow – playfully.

"Today's kick-off event in New York City expands our ongoing commitment to creating a more playful world – one on-the-go family at a time," said North American Managing Director of Materne/GoGo squeeZ, Meena Mansharamani. "We're at the beginning stages of a multi-year  partnership with The Life is good Playmakers and cannot wait to see where it takes us and the collective lives we touch by combining our 'awesomesauce' and their boundless optimism."

Survey Methodology

The GoGo squeeZ Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative American parents with children ages 4-12, between April 10th and April 19th, 2013, using an email invitation and an online survey.

About Materne's GoGo squeeZ

GoGo squeeZ all-natural, 100% fruit squeezable applesauce on-the-go is simple, yummy fun, and it delights like a game of tag or a run through a backyard sprinkler. We believe in real fun foods that are easy, smart and fit into peoples' busy lives. Originally founded in France where it is known as Pom'Potes, GoGo squeeZ launched in the U.S. in June 2008. Collectively, Materne has sold more than 2 billion pouches to families around the world. Materne North America is headquartered in New York City. GoGo squeeZ products come in a re-sealable pouch that features a built-in straw, making it a no-spoon, no-mess way to enjoy fruit on-the-go. Our pouches are all-natural, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, made with no artificial flavors or preservatives, and come in ten flavors: appleapple, applegrape, applecherry, applestrawberry, applebanana, applepeach, applemango, applecinnamon, appleberry, and applepear. GoGo squeeZ is sold at over 35,000 retailers nationwide including Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods Market, and a growing list of other major retailers. For more information, please visit: www.GoGosqueeZ.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Life is good

Life is good® spreads the power of optimism and helps kids in need by donating 10 percent of its net profits to The Life is good Kids Foundation. The company with a Positive Purpose has raised over $9.5 million for kids in need to date, principally through Life is good products, the annual Life is good Festival, and community fundraising efforts. Please visit Lifeisgood.com for more details and spread optimism with #PositivePurpose. Life is good® is a registered trademark of The Life is good Company.

About The Life is good Kids Foundation

The Life is good Kids Foundation is an accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by Life is good to raise money to help kids in need. The Life is good Kids Foundation directly funds the Life is good Playmakers program, which provides training and support to childcare professionals who use these tools to ensure that children grow up feeling safe, loved and joyful. Life is good donates 10 percent of its net profits to help kids in need through The Life is good Kids Foundation. For more information, visit Lifeisgood.com.

SOURCE GoGo squeeZ