The Greenzys is the newest brand to hit the shelves at US specialty retailer FAO Schwarz and at FAO.com.

The eco-friendly literary kids brand will launch exclusively at FAO on April 5, before expanding to domestic and international retailers. It encompasses books, plush toys, animated content and an interactive website and the characters, with plush manufactured by Kids Preferred, promote green living and teach eco-friendly practices.

A portion of every Greenzys purchase will go towards the non-profit Environmental Media Association (www.ema-online.org). And with the forthcoming Earth Day celebration in April will see each toy purchased between April 5 and December 31 supporting Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org) by the planting of a tree in US forests.

Greenzys was created by Lisa Keyser and co-founder Mark Lieber. Lieber, founder of Rethink Entertainment and Media, is also associated with creating, developing, producing and distributing consumer product franchises, including The Simpsons, Barney and X-Men. The Greenzys book author Danielle Mentzer also has writing and development credits on Santa Claus Brothers and Pink Panther & Pals . Digital artist Cris de Lara illustrates the series, which is published by DK Publishing.

A preschool TV series is also in development. For more info, head over to www.greenzys.com.