GARBERVILLE, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The country's largest independent children's record label, Music for Little People (MFLP) is celebrating their first Platinum Record! The winning title, Toddler Favorites, was first released in 1998 and received Gold Record status in March 2001.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), this is the first children's record to receive Platinum certification in three years and one in only 13 throughout the history of RIAA! A Platinum Record represents sales in excess of 1 million units.

"We're enjoying this honor!" says Sheron Sherman, President and COO of MFLP. "We watched this record immediately and consistently chart in Billboard, reaching #1 twice and remaining in the Top Ten since its release. It was Billboard's #2 Kid Audio title for 2002. When we saw how sales continued to climb after the Gold certification in March 2001, we suspected it would move on to Platinum."

Favorites series Producer John Alevizakis and Associate Producer Judy Nee assembled a choice group of child singers for the album, many of whom had performed on earlier recordings for MFLP and some who have recorded since. Alevizakas was not surprised by the recent Platinum certification either. "The continued success of the CD has inspired us to begin work on a companion video," said Alevizakis. "We all believe that youngsters will be just as enthusiastic about seeing the toddlers sing, dance and play as they are hearing them on the CD."

Toddler Favorites is one of eleven titles in the "right-priced" Favorites series that Sherman introduced to the company. Sherman believed that an entirely new consumer and market could be reached with a high quality but lower-priced series. "The Favorites series has far exceeded our expectations, with six titles charting in Billboard's Kid Audio Top 100 in 2002," says Sherman. The introduction of tiered pricing in 1998 has increased the company's revenues each year by a dramatic 35%.

Founded in 1985 by CEO Leib Ostrow, the company began as a mail order catalog with the primary goal of developing children's recordings that enhanced and expanded their musical experiences. Despite its remote northern California locale the company has garnered worldwide acclaim, sold in excess of 7 1/2 million units and received over 160 industry related awards, including numerous Parents' Choice Awards, American Library Association Notables and three Grammy® Nominations. MFLP has consistently produced award-winning children's recordings for nearly two decades.

This year also has the company releasing its 100th album! With renowned artists Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Buckwheat Zydeco and a host of others, MFLP continues to expand the boundaries of children's music Their ability to produce entertainment of the highest quality while maintaining a commitment to culturally diverse values is evident in each release.

"Once again, we're grateful to our distributors, our retail buyers and our consumers for this honor," said Ostrow. "It is because of their loyalty and support that we have achieved this welcomed status."