Line of dolls celebrates cultures
BY HANNAH SAMPSON
HSAMPSON@MIAMIHERALD.COM
It's Monday morning, and Maritza Gutierrez has spent the weekend working on jingles. That's not unusual for the Coral Gables resident, a longtime marketing professional.
But unlike most of her career -- which includes campaigns for everything from Comcast to recently elected Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado -- these lines are about, well, child's play:
``I'm your new friend, Maru, pretty as a girl can be. We'll be friends forever, sharing our stories.''
Gutierrez's latest project, the one that is taking all her extra money and time, is a line of 21-inch vinyl dolls called Maru and Friends.
A doll enthusiast -- the 48-year-old mother of two sons has nearly 400 in her collection -- she got the idea to start her own line while she watched her young niece play with ``a doll that had nothing to do with her.''
The company launched last year during the holidays with the support of Gutierrez's husband of nearly 30 years, political consultant Armando Gutierrez.
``He's the support team. He's the cheerleader,'' she said. ``He's the banker.''
Said Armando Gutierrez: ``Whatever she wants to do, she can do. I don't fight with my wife.''
Since the launch, the dolls have won several awards and earned raves from groups like The National Parenting Center, which praised Maru's clothing, packaging, features and book.
``Maru is a high-quality doll with a sweet message that celebrates differences and friendship,'' said the center, which gave the doll a seal of approval.
NO PROFITS YET
For now, the doll company is not making money. The couple are pouring their extra resources into it with the hope of turning a profit in the next five years.
With the holiday season looming, the dolls are now appearing in commercials with a focus on three major markets: Miami, Chicago and New York. The jingle Gutierrez spent the weekend on is now on the company's website, www.maruandfriends.com . Maru's image can even be spotted on some bus shelters in South Florida.
For Gutierrez, working on campaigns for a political candidate and dolls, combined with her work as volunteer chairwoman of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, meant there's been very little in the way of free time lately.
``You make time. I don't know how. But you make time,'' she said. ``It means you stay home, you don't go out, and you stay working on what you like. When you like something, it's not considered work. . . . And working on Maru, writing children's books, that brings a great smile to my face.''
THE REAL MARU
Maru, who costs $110 and comes with a book about her life, is based on Maritza, who left Cuba for Spain as a young girl and then moved to the United States. Her parents couldn't come to the country right away, so she lived with her aunt and uncle in New York.
Kids know that Maru is based on a real person -- and sometimes want to chat.
``The cutest thing of all is when little kids call us and they want to talk to Maru,'' said Gutierrez, who is working on additional Maru books.
Gutierrez said she wants to empower girls with leadership skills -- and along those lines, is donating $10 for every doll sold to a chapter of Girl Scouts of the USA.
AVAILABLE ONLINE
The dolls are available online and at a few doll boutiques elsewhere in the country, though not in South Florida.
Maru and her best friends, Jamie and Tanya, wear layered outfits with buttons, boots, leggings and other details. Their wardrobes are modest -- which Gutierrez said is no accident.
``It is important not to be revealing,'' she said. ``That is part of a message that we're portraying.''
DIVERSITY
Jamie is blond with blue eyes; Tanya is African American; and Maru is Hispanic. Gutierrez said she wanted little girls to have dolls that reflected them.
``I have so many kids that tell me that the doll looks just like them,'' she said. ``That's what's really wonderful.''