Dolls gain national recognition

Where things stand with Scottsdale entrepreneur Gloria Mecca and her Heavenly Hug dolls.

At stake: Mecca designed the doll, with its sweet face and long arms, to comfort children or anyone who needs a hug from an angel. She began selling them a year ago through her Web site and local boutiques.

Update: The Heavenly Hug doll was named one of the 100 Best Children's Products for 2008 and one of the top Socially Responsible Products by San Francisco child development specialist Stevanne Auerbach. Auerbach, known as Dr. Toy, selected toys for her 17th annual list based on safety, age appropriateness, design, creativity and other factors.

"I received calls from places as far away as New York and Florida not only to buy dolls or put them in their catalogs but by a number of people who want to help promote the doll because they feel it has such a good message," Mecca said.

She also introduced a boy doll earlier this year.

What's next: Heavenly Hug dolls will be included in this year's Babes in Toyland holiday gift boxes, which a New York art gallery sends to 25 celebrity parents. And Mecca recently shot a television commercial with the doll that is to begin airing 200 times nationwide this month.

Learn more: www.heavenlyhugdolls.com or 888-HUG-DOLL.

Gloria Mecca is shown with one of her "Heavenly Hug" dolls,