I read a Stanford study last year that said 75% of iPhone users sleep with their phones. Not just on the nightstand next to the bed, but actually in the bed with them. People said that using their iPhone was the last thing they did before they went to sleep and the first thing they did when they woke up in the morning.

I thought this was surprising (I didn't own an iPhone back then), but it did give me a thought: why not make a stuffed animal that would act as a holder for the phone? For the last few months, I've been working on a side project to make it happen. Today, it launches on Kickstarter. I'd like to introduce you, dear reader, to Swoop the Owl:



We're interested in testing the marketability of the idea. For the last month or so, I've been running around town with the Swoop prototype in a pink shopping bag asking people to give me their opinion of him. (I imagine from their perspective, I must look quite silly.) So far, everyone loves the way he looks, and most people have said they'd certainly consider buying one. Teen and tween girls have been particularly enthusiastic about him.

You can find him on Kickstarter.com here. Any thoughts or feedback on the project are certainly welcome and appreciated here. And, if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass it along.

(P.S. Tara helped me out a great deal with the project, even though the video barely gives her any credit. It's our idea, not mine. I consider her an equal partner in this, since I couldn't have done it without her.)