The Rowdy Ladybug: Made by Moms
Originally published under the headline “Get Ready for playtime at Mountain Fest,” March 3, 2023, by Mary A. Bowers, Special to the Ridgway Record. Reprinted with permission.
There is a reason necessity is the mother of invention: moms nurture, teach, and encourage, and they streamline to make it fun and effective. Moms make things make sense. And moms made The Rowdy Ladybug, a kids’ costume design business.
Come to Mountain Fest to see the two women from Washington [County], PA, who created costumes and games for their kids and now everyone else’s. What started with simple, classic animal towels on request led to bath mitt puppets, then costumes and games. All of these are made to be durable, washable, and comfortable. You can absolutely see that a parent designed them.
They are versatile, such as the crowns and superhero masks that children can customize themselves and the hats and vests that transform into different styles. The lack of major brand characters and logos encourages imagination; the versatility saves space.
“I’ve always felt like the most fun costumes are the ones you create for yourself,” said Jane Caldwell, founder of The Rowdy Ladybug. She turned her idea into a business when she “finally found the right materials to make it easy for kids to design their own costumes.”
That wasn’t always her main gig. Caldwell has a history in biology, teaching from preschool through the college level. When she had her daughter, however, she took time off. She began sewing again during nap times, first things for her daughter, then friends, before ultimately becoming The Rowdy Ladybug. She’s a fan of dressing up herself, making costumes for years. Her favorite piece, after much difficult consideration, is the convertible hat.
Her business partner, Julianna Heiby, has a background in theater, live-action role play, religious education, and early childhood Montessori education. She brings the performance expertise that was the impetus for creating more play-focused products and offering parties with kids’ costume rentals. Together, they create highly- interactive pretend play adventures that boost the imagination and fun and cut down on the chaos.
Heiby is the most excited about the Story Tag game which happens to be their main attraction at Mountain Fest.
“It begins as a simple game of tag with beanbags and a score-keeping system. As players advance, they can start developing stories and costumes to make the game even more entertaining;’ Caldwell said. “It works for 2 to 4 players, and all ages—we provide custom game sets that work for combinations of adults AND kids for multi-generational play.”
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Everything sold by The Rowdy Ladybug has been crafted by local seamstresses around Washington, PA. It has also all been play tested by local families to make sure the designs work. All of their products are geared toward getting the most out of playtime in the simplest way. Kids and adults alike will enjoy what The Rowdy Ladybug has to offer.
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