I’m all good with pop culture and understand that kids will be into what kids will be into – made clear to me this year when my science kid went major girl with a castle, a ballerina and unicorns from every direction on her list to Santa this year.

But, one thing I’ve never really been into is the whole “get a toy that gets you on the computer so that you can buy more stuff” - mainly Webkins. Don’t get me wrong, we have Webkins floating around our house and it’s getting harder and harder to fool the tiny person into believing that her Webkins don’t come with a computer code (mean mommy).

So, I went on a mission to find something that had a computer element, an ID of their own and a meaningful premise that focused on values like caring for the environment. Enter Idbids.

I had seen them before, since both Organic Family Natural Home and Podlings carry these cute guys. But, it wasn’t until I really spent some time with Scout (the cloud), Waverly (the rain drop) and Lola (the flower) that they made it to the top of the list.

We ended up buying Lola, who comes with a cool backpack, a storybook about the Idbids and a field guide for younger kids to learn the “iddy biddy steps” they can take to care for the Earth.

I admit that, at first, Lola was only moderately cool for the tiny person. But, once we went online and saved some very cool animals from Australia (which we got to name and some simple certificates for) - Lola is now the hit of the house.

The backpack also became one of those “can’t leave home without it” items – it’s easy to open, easy to get on and off and has plenty of room for the kiddo’s explorer gear.

Lola does double duty as a responsible toy – a portion of the sales go to preserve animal habitat, she and her backpack are made from organic cotton and the box can be reused as a backdrop for cutouts of Lola and her friends so that the waste from it is minimal.

The online stuff is no Webkins universe, that’s for sure. In fact, the web portion is relatively non-existent beyond saving the creatures. But, I am totally okay with that because our daughter isn’t really looking for more.

Lola and her pals are really great companions for little environmental stewards in training and a fun alternative to more consumer-based toys.

Plus, I can’t resist a way to keep the tiny person focused on remembering little bits like turning the water off when she brushes her teeth, closing the door when she comes inside, putting a sweater on instead of asking to turn the heat up and using both sides of the paper when making art.

Amazingly, Lola has helped her remember (regularly) to do all of those things.

Idbids definitely get the thumbs up from OBE.

Photo courtesy of Idbids.