You come from an automotive engineering background, Shannon.
We build our toys with love, so they can be passed down as playable heirlooms. Different wooden toy manufacturers each have their own focus, for example sustainability or being chemical-free.įor us, it’s about creating the highest quality, most durable keepsake – something that will be treasured well beyond its life as a toy. Over the years toys have become cheap, throwaway items, just biding their time before becoming landfill. To play it safe for all ages, we don’t use magnets or projectiles in our wooden toys.Īside from safety and playability, what else do you focus on when crafting wooden toys? Many items, such as balance bikes, sewing kits and figurines, have their own specific requirements. This, in turn, has different requirements for different age groups and types of toys.įor example, teethers and rattles have a choking hazard requirement, whereas toys for older children don’t. In terms of regulatory requirements, all toys must comply with the Australian Standard for Toy Safety. This tends to drive fairly simple shapes and objects, so our infant range includes a heart-shaped rattle with child-safe beads (to build shaking and listening skills) and a cute koala-shaped teether (designed for little hands and young gums).Īs the child gets older, the nature of the item matters a lot more, so the designs tend to become more realistic and complex, with the increased design freedom allowing for a much larger array of types of toys available. Practically-speaking, an infant won’t be able to grasp something that’s too big or too heavy, they don’t care very much about what the form represents, and they cannot play with something that may be a choking hazard. Toys for different ages have different practical and regulatory requirements.
What do you have to think about when designing playthings for babies, toddlers and preschoolers? makes toys for ages zero to one, one to three, and three plus. creates a range of stylish timber toys, and to see how they combine form, function and fun in each design, we spoke with the workshop’s founder and chief toy-maker, Shannon Ley.
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