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Jolly Goods

Our catalog of perfect holiday gifts features products from some of America's fascinating, privately held companies.

By Lora Kolodny | 
 

Born of and nurtured with passion, these businesses have outwitted such challenges as mass-market competition, disaster, even bad feng shui to carve a place on retail shelves. Their inspired ideas have led to products we wouldn't mind receiving for the holidays.

Board Approval

Founded by Shawn and Jennifer Martin in 1987, custom snowboard maker Donek bounced back from a 2001 fire that destroyed half of its warehouse, investing in a 4,600-square-foot facility in Watkins, Colo. Top competitive riders such as Adam Smith (No. 1 slalom) and Peter Thorndike (No. 1 giant slalom) ride custom Donek decks on race day. Riders can send digital graphics and photos or fabrics for a truly one-of-a-kind deck, which takes between two and four weeks to complete. Gift-givers should submit the height and weight of the recipients and note which terrain and style they like to ride (e.g., freestyle, carving, or slalom). $360-650; www.donek.com; 877-53-DONEK or 303-261-0100

Fuzzy Logic

Remember Teddy Ruxpin, the chatty teddy bear that children of the '80s clamored for? Ruxpin's creator, Mark Bradlee, is at it again. At the heart of the plush new Wabi Buddy lies a wireless sound card. By pressing the bear's badge, a child can play an "audio post card." Parents can leave voice messages or select from a menu of children's stories, lullabies, and educational content via telephone and password-protected website; messages are then transmitted to the sound card. The Wabi Buddy offers working parents one way to sing tykes to sleep from afar without battling time zone differences. $69; www.wabi.com

Happy Paper Trails

Knock Knock CEO Jen Bilik, 33, developed a passion and an eye for design as an architectural books editor at Rizzoli. Celebrities such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Parker Posey have purchased the wares of her Venice, Calif., paper goods company, which range from a Multiple-Choice Correspondence book (fill-in-the-blank notes tucked into this year's Emmy Awards gift baskets) to organizational Personal Library Kits to gift wrap that departs from holiday clichés. Gift wrap, $6 per roll; correspondence book, $23.95; Personal Library Kits, $24.95; www.knockknock.biz

Sleeper Success

Jennifer Aniston wore Ming Dynasty-print Bedhead pajamas on Friends, and like Rachel Green's haircut, they became an instant fashion do--even Oprah ordered a pair. CEO and designer Renee Claire started the sleepwear company in her Los Angeles apartment with credit card funding. Today, more than 1,000 stores nationwide carry her made-in-the-U.S.A. luxury jammies. Claire attributes part of the company's success to feng shui; after positioning her desk with the help of an expert, she won a huge order from Nordstrom. "The desk is in the way for a lot of people," admits Claire, who nonetheless refuses to budge. New designs are presented every six weeks, and the company is adding more plus-size sleepwear. $80-135; www.bedheadpjs.com

All Clear

Croakies made a name for themselves in 1976 with straps made from wetsuit material that keep shades in place during sports activity. Now the company, based in Jackson Hole, Wyo., sells its products in places like Wal-Mart and lodges at major ski resorts. Its latest eye care gizmo? A compact lens-cleaning kit that contains a lens-safe spray and a microfiber, nonscratching cloth for sunglasses that need a swipe after a day on the slopes. $14.99; www.croakies.com

Game On

Intellinitiative Inc. pokes fun at generation gaps with decade-centric board games. Three siblings started the company in 2000 when Clay Siegert, CEO and oldest brother, was inspired by an '80s music station during a road trip and called his sister Anne, now EVP, to start writing questions such as: "This Happy Days spinoff starring Erin Moran and Scott Baio premiered on ABC." (Answer: Joanie Loves Chachi, 1982) Spanning the years in trivia, Intellinitiative has sold more than 100,000 total units of the '70s, '80s, and '90s games in the United States through retailers such as Target and Borders. The company also hosts trivia contests online with prizes like genuine Enron stock certificates or vintage cans of New Coke. $32.95; www.the90sgame.com

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