Origin

Truth to Tots was born during a rare and magical time: Paternity leave. Our son was still taking four naps a day and I was caught in a vicious cycle of kitchen cleaning to fill the time. How many times can you actually clean a kitchen in one day? (Turns out, I max out at two cleans per day—after that, it’s just mopping for sport.)

When he was awake between these cleaning marathons, “we” read somewhere between 40 and 50 children’s books gifted by generous friends, family, and co-workers. And that’s when I noticed something: these books had… issues. Big ones.

Some had no endings—just an abrupt “oops, we ran out of cardboard.” Others skipped the whole beginning entirely, like they were written by someone late to the party. These MLA infractions aside, there was a bigger issue.

Across so many kids books, clothing, and toys, one message kept appearing: Wild animals are just misunderstood best friends who want to cuddle your kids, and could never, ever harm them. Bears as huggable roommates. Crocodiles with calm, friendly smiles. Lions frolicking with zebras.

That’s when I realized: adults have been recklessly misinforming kids about wild animals for decades. Likely not on purpose, but still—it sets up misinformed expectations at a toddler level. And misinformed expectations are the gateway drug to bad adult decisions (like trying to pet a wild bison next to Old Faithful).

So, somewhere between nap #3 and my second Swiffer session, Truth to Tots was born. A brand dedicated to telling kids the truth—sometimes funny, sometimes blunt, but always honest. Starting with the groundbreaking first release: Wild Animals Are Not Your Friends (and that’s ok). 

Because someone had to say it.

And yes, there are more truths to come.

Stay tuned.