Mom-invented ice pop holder, Pop Pals, will be sold at major retailer Babies "R" Us.

The award-winning ice pop holders, called Pop Pals, were developed by Stephanie Veve, a businesswoman and mother of three children, Abigail 10, Sean 6 and Julian 5 from Temecula.

Veve grew frustrated by having to wrap paper towels and tissues around ice pops to protect her childrens’ hands from the cold and so invented the ice pop holders.

She then connected with a distributor and set up manufacturing overseas. She developed the concept in 2006 and formed a company called M3 & Company, LLC.

After developing her product, Veve, 39 and a stay-at-home mom, launched Pop Pals at the ABC Expo, a trade show in Las Vegas in 2008. Pop Pals won a best baby product award at the Expo.

The mompreneur made her first prototype with modeling clay before having Pop Pals manufactured overseas in 2009.

Since then, Pop Pals have enjoyed commercial success with sales coming mostly from catalogs, online retailers and brick and mortar stores.

Veve is proud that her invention is a product that makes the lives of other moms easier.

The nation’s first insulating ice pop holders are now available Advertisement

[ Chatton and Associates ] at Babies"R"Us stores nationwide.

A two-pack of colorful Pop Pals is sold online for $4.99 at Veve’s distributor’s Web site, www.keendistribution.com.

Pop Pals also can be purchased at 40 stores nationwide and at ToysRUs.com and Amazon.com.

They are available in two catalogs – One Step Ahead (www.onestepahead.com) and Leaps and Bounds (www.leapsandbounds.com).

Veve is looking forward to launching her jumbo Pop Pals line for large ice pops, yogurt tubes and electrolyte pops this summer and is investigating the possibility of expanding into foreign markets.

Pop Pals are fun and easy to use. Just slide Pop Pals, a soft, insulated cover over freezer pops and little hands will stay warm and clean.

Pop Pals also make it easier for kids to squeeze up the frozen treat while minimizing drips.

Their unique design and flexible material allows children of any age to use them. Pop Pals are lead-free, PVC-free, pthalate-free, and BPA-free.

Veve and her husband Robert moved to Temecula in 2002. Robert, a pathologist, was offered a job in Temecula after he finished his residency in Colorado.

For more information, contact Veve at (951) 805-8849 or for sales inquiries contact Keen Distribution at (480) 619-4113 or e-mail info@keendistribution.com.