About Us
AS ARTISTS and educators we combine the teacher's sensibility with the methodology of art therapy to develop workshops and produce incredible products like Sockett® , The Sockett Kit® and Stick Puppet Party!® that emphasize the creative process and pay tribute to the artist in all of us.
OUR GOAL is to design products that encourage imagination, independence and creativity. Our mission is to get people of all ages, especially children, excited about arts and crafts and being truly creative. In today's world of accelerated technology and "push button" toys our inner creative selves are often overlooked. Art-making & imaginative play foster individuality, independence, hope and ambition. With art if you can dream it you can create it. What better way for us to learn to reach for the stars?
AS DESIGNERS the quality of a concept is equally as important as the quality of the materials we use. It is important to us to make products with purpose. Many toy companies have set trends that marginalize and compromise both art and craft, sacrificing imagination and artistic self discovery in the process. Unlike the overly commercialized toys and "paint by numbers" craft kits mass produced by giant toy companies, we focus on facilitating the creative process rather than taking it over. ®
Made in the USA
In addition to making wholesome, creativity inspiring, battery-free, family-friendly products, Tigercandy Arts, Inc. supports American businesses. 99% of the materials we use are made in the United States including our signature , premium socks and ecospun® felt!
Our USA Suppliers:
BenMar Hosiery Fort Payne, Al.
Central Shippee Bloomingdale, NJ
Art Cove Brooklyn, NY
GotPrint.com Toluca Lake, NJ
Dharma Trading Co. Petaluma, Ca.
MS Art Therapy, BA Art History; Child Development. Multi-media artist, educator and author Tiger Kandel has designed and implemented numerous art workshops and puppet making techniques for educational, recreational & therapeutic venues for artists, teachers, students & medical professionals. She has successfully utilized art and puppet making to address social issues such as violence prevention and conflict resolution with children from K-12 as well as in a therapeutic capacity with children in short-term treatment facilities. In addition to working with children, she has extensive experience utilizing art therapeutically with adults and seniors suffering from mild to severe medical and cognitive impairments. In 2014 she co-authored The Ultimate Sock Puppet Book.
Tiger Kandel
Heather Schloss
MS Art Therapy, BA Costume & Theatre Design. Widely recognized as the best sock puppet artist in the country, Heather's incredible designs have been used in film, commercials, PSA's, music and training videos. As a multi media artist and designer Heather is well versed in folk art, costuming, mask making and puppet design and has incorporated her experiences in the theater and her knowledge of design history to create the highly detailed and fanciful look of Socketts. Heather began by developing educational art activities for pre-school and kindergarten children while working in early childhood centers in Vermont and New York. Her primary focus was to create developmentally based pre-art and art therapy activities for children dealing with separation, developmental and medical issues. In 2014 Heather co-authored The Ultimate Sock Puppet Book.
