Our Mission:
We are determined to never grow up and to bring smiles to kids of all ages with amazing, quality products, at competitive prices, with friendly and personal customer service.
Our Story:
In 1996, Cyndi, a mom of 2 beautiful little girls, was sad that she couldn't spend more time with her sweet little munchkinheads. You see, Cyndi had a full time job which she loved, but it required long hours away from her family.After talking it over with her husband, Dave, they decided that Cyndi would leave her full time job so that she could be home with their kids. However, this made finances tight, but Cyndi and Dave already had a plan. They would find something for Cyndi to do at home while the kids were playing quietly or sleeping sweetly that could help with the bills. But what? It had to be something to be passionate about.
Enter personalized children's books and cushy critters (adorable fur ball stuffed animals). Cyndi and Dave loved to read to their kids - Dr. Seuss books were some of their favorites - and what better way to get the girls to love books too than to have their names right in them.
And stuffed animals? Oh, that was a no-brainer. Cyndi had loved stuffed animals ever since she was a wee girl and has never outgrown them. In fact, she had some of those adorable stuffed animals spread all around the house as special decorations.
Passion for books... passion for stuffed animals... it was decided. So in december of 1996, Cyndi bid a fond farewell to her good friends at her work, and spent her first Christmas not worrying about having to head back to the office after the holidays. CDK Enterprises was born. What's with the name, you ask? CDK was about the entire family as they entered this venture together... Cyndi, Dave, and Kids.
In 1997, Cyndi found a wonderful publishing company that had a rich history of quality and engaging personalized children's books and partnered with them to offer these fun creations. Making samples which included her girls and their friends, the books were an instant hit at home and everywhere they were shown. "Mommy, Mommy, is that me?" the girls would ask, getting so excited that they were a part of the story. They would read those books over and over for years to come. And pairing a stuffed animal with the book (as many of the books used animals for the characters) was even more fun.
In 1998, CDK actually started requiring more and more time away from their family than Cyndi or Dave had planned as they needed to attend book fairs and kids expos around the city. This path was not one they wanted to stay on. Being good friends with an amazing mom's community on the internet (that mystical world on the computer), it was decided to take CDK online. So in October 1998, CDK debuted its first website and it was a hit! Back were the good old days of taking care of business while the girls were playing or sleeping and then enjoying the time with them the rest of the day.
In 1999, CDK secured its own domain and since the girls were now in school, Cyndi started branching out to other types of stuffed animals. Having loved these furry friends all her life, she tends to get a little picky when it comes to which ones will join the CDK family as quality and personality are super important. Being a complete kid at heart, Cyndi could never get enough of stuffed animals and toys so bit by bit, creature by creature, CDK's stuffed animal selection grew and then came dolls, cars, wall decorations, and more. Every new shipment that would arrive was like Christmas in a box!
Now Cyndi loved to shop online, but she was indeed a tad impatient if she noticed days going by without her treasures being shipped. This is probably one of the reasons she was adamant about making sure every CDK order shipped quickly. She was responsible for getting other people's treasures to them and the quicker they were delivered, the sooner they would bring big smiles to their new families.
One thing that drove Cyndi crazy was calling a company to ask a quick question, only to get stuck in an endless automated voice menu. Maddening! Just one more reason it was so important to get a live person when calling CDK. Now, they may not always be available to answer your call, but leave them a message and you can be sure they will call you back.
CDK Enterprises (aka CDK Kids) is just one example of an American small business in action. Cyndi now works with a treasured and trusted childhood friend, and together with the rest of the family, strives to provide imaginative, quality products, at competitive prices, in a quick and efficient manner, and with friendly customer service.
