Toy Trunk, a Pune-based startup based by architects Priyanka Mangaonkar-Vaiude and Ajay Vaidya, is altering the way in which we perceive toys for kids between the ages of 0 and eight.
Not solely are their handmade toys designed “following in depth analysis on motor and cognitive growth of kids”, however additionally they work with conventional artisans to make them with non-toxic and sustainable eco-friendly supplies like wooden and lac.
“The experiences youngsters have in early childhood form their mind and the capability to study, get together with others, and reply to each day stresses and challenges. Toy Trunk has been constructed with a imaginative and prescient to unfold consciousness amongst mother and father and guardians about how toys can contribute to the general growth of a kid,” says Priyanka, talking to The Higher India.
“Additionally, to qualify the ‘handmade’ declare we make, some toys could require fundamental machine slicing when it comes to their base form. Nonetheless, fine-tuning, shaping the sides, colouring, detailing, assembling, and ending is all carried out manually,” she provides.
Discovering inspiration
Priyanka, a educated architect and inside designer who additionally specialises in craft and expertise, has greater than a decade of expertise within the increased echelons of Indian academia.
Again in early 2020, whereas writing a analysis paper with a fellow architect Minu Joshi for a convention at IIT Bombay, Priyanka took the instance of reviving conventional woodcraft practised within the Konkan area of Sawantwadi in Maharashtra — well-known for making toys.
“Completely different revival methods have been proposed on this paper, and each of us thought ‘as a substitute of simply discussing these, how can we implement them?’. And that’s how the concept of the Toy Trunk was initially born,” recollects Priyanka.
Nonetheless, inspiration additionally got here near dwelling.
Within the midst of the primary wave of COVID-19, Priyanka’s son had turned three. She was discovering it very tough to maintain her son away from the display through the lockdown. It was very disturbing to see her son getting hooked on cellphones, tablets, and TVs, which may severely hamper his psychological in addition to bodily progress and studying capability in the long term.
“I discovered a real lack of applicable toys which may have interaction him. This pushed me to analysis youngster growth and strategies/instruments that enable for the holistic growth of a kid in a enjoyable and straightforward method. I discovered that toys are one of the best instruments one can provide to a baby throughout their early levels of growth, as additionally they entertain,” recollects Priyanka.
Connecting the dots, she considered redesigning conventional toys made by these artisans as instruments that would assist the holistic growth of a kid. Furthermore, in the event that they have been made by these artisans, it may play some half in conserving the normal woodcraft, in locations like Sawantwadi, alive.
Ajay, an architect and concrete designer by commerce who specialises in human ergonomics, additionally observed how the appearance of on-line schooling through the pandemic had led to elevated display time for fogeys and kids, resulting in disengagement. In his condominium advanced, Ajay additionally noticed that infants and toddlers have been now not glad even by being seated in entrance of a display.
“Youngsters have to be engaged in numerous methods off-screen. When Priyanka and I joined arms with our widespread imaginative and prescient, we participated in ‘Toycathon 2021’ — a nationwide competitors organised by the Union Authorities in January 2021,” says Ajay.
Their entry made all of it the way in which to the ultimate spherical, and barely three months later in April 2021, Toy Trunk was first established. They launched their web site in Could 2022.
Using analysis to make toys
Neuroscience analysis tells us that about 85% of an individual’s mind growth occurs by the age of eight. Throughout this era, the speed at which neurons are produced within the mind is excessive. These neuron connections are the results of learnings achieved by way of expertise. Subsequently, offering the best instruments which can give the required experiences on the proper age throughout this era is essential.
Listed below are a number of the toys that Toy Trunk have that help such growth within the early childhood interval.
1) “Youngsters study to manage their physique actions by the point they’re three years previous. Youngsters between three and eight years are thought of to be studying with associates of the identical age. Throughout this time, their social expertise are growing, and therefore, offering such alternatives ensures the development of social expertise,” explains Priyanka.
“Our fake play kitchen set is among the greatest instruments the place youngsters study contemplating others’ views, language expertise, negotiations, and problem-solving skills, based mostly on the observations made by them each day. Moreover, the concept behind growing a kitchen set was sparked when my son identified that the normal toy kitchen set he had lacked the tools that one makes use of in a kitchen each day as we speak,” says Priyanka.
“This made us realise that her son’s present wood kitchen set wanted a whole lot of modification in its design and measurement in order that he can relate it with those that we use. Additionally, the information of ergonomics and human physique proportions which we discovered in structure assisted us in deriving the best measurement and proportion of every utensil for that excellent grip,” She provides.
“Whereas designing the kitchen set, we made many iterations and examined them with household and associates earlier than reaching the proper measurement. Slightly than utilizing lacquer color for its end, we determined to make use of darkish and lightweight color wooden to make it extra interesting,” says Priyanka.
2) Curiously, Priyanka sends her son to an ‘unconventional college’ the place the main target is on experiential studying, in contrast to typical colleges. “Right here they first concentrate on the event of muscle tissues from the shoulder to the fingers earlier than taking on the duty of writing,” she notes.
“On this context, what we want is a instrument that permits youngsters motion of those muscle tissues. For instance, threading exercise, which helps in growing the pincer grip, is an important talent {that a} youngster wants earlier than he/she begins utilizing a pencil. Within the case of our threading form and lacing beads toy, the kid is made to make use of each arms to weave a form. This helps them to develop the proper hand and finger actions,” she provides.
“Our threading shapes toy develops bilateral motion in addition to hand-eye coordination. It additionally teaches them to determine basic geometric shapes. This improves present threading toys available in the market that take a look at solely unilateral hand motion,” claims Ajay.
3) There are some conventional Indian wood toys out there which might be additionally developmental instruments, however there’s a lack of understanding about their goal.
“A peacock wobbler is an instance of 1 such toy. This toy could be very useful in growing the stomach time of a two or three-month-old toddler. Typically, at this age, a baby begins crying once you put them on their tummy as a result of their neck and shoulder muscle tissues should not but absolutely developed. However extra tummy time helps in growing their neck and shoulder muscle tissues which additional assist them to boost their head, roll over, sit up, crawl and stroll,” explains Priyanka.
“Having one thing which has a vibrant color and dynamic motion whereas on the stomach diverts their consideration from the ache and helps them to get pleasure from this time. We took the idea of the identical toy however improved it by modifying pointed shapes and including engaging colors, which made our toy extra fascinating to folks or potential mother and father,” she provides.
4) “Within the first three to 4 months, a baby learns principally by way of contact and listening to sense. Therefore offering completely different audio stimulation is essential on this interval. At Toy Trunk, we offer varied kinds of rattles to help this growth. We’ve got redesigned the dumbbell rattle in such a method that it’s going to not hurt the little fingers of the new child,” says Ajay.
Sustainability first
Each Priyanka and Ajay strongly affirm that “each toy at Toy Trunk is made fully with sustainable supplies like wooden or cloth, thus conserving the youngsters at bay from plastic toxins and different chemically manufactured toys.” Even the colors used on the toys are constructed from lac with pure merchandise like turmeric used for pigmentation.
“The choice to make toys out of sustainable supplies like wooden and cloth is impressed by a number of components. Moreover the apparent environmental causes, the artisans we work with have been historically utilizing these pure supplies for years collectively. Additionally, wood and cloth toys made with pure supplies are protected, in distinction to plastic toys, that are produced utilizing chemical compounds and ‘acceptable quantities’ of poisons within the manufacturing course of,” explains Priyanka.
“Wood toys have pure textures which stimulate the kid’s senses to ask them to the touch, really feel and discover the floor space. In the meantime, the essential shapes of the toys assist the event of your youngster’s hand-eye coordination,” claims Ajay.
Who’re these artisans?
“From our revealed analysis work with the College of Design, IIT Bombay, which noticed us learning the Sawantwadi toy cluster, we learnt that conventional Indian toy clusters have been dealing with quite a lot of points. So, we determined to revamp and repurpose these toys and started working with them and the Channapatna toy craft cluster as effectively,” says Priyanka.
Channapatna, a spot close to Mysore, has a toy craft cluster of over 3,000 conventional artisans engaged within the manufacturing of lacquerware constructed from vegetable dyes.
“Conventional follow entails lacquering of regionally out there ivory wooden (regionally generally known as hale wooden) for making toys, however as we speak additionally they work with different woods like neem wooden (regionally generally known as Gauda neem), beech wooden, and rubber wooden. The artisans don’t use any non-toxic colors or uncooked supplies, therefore making the toys protected for kids,” says Ajay. In 2005, these conventional wood Channapatna toys have been conferred with a GI tag.
One artisan that Priyanka and Ajay met after they visited Channapatna in September 2021 was grasp craftsman B Venkatesh of Sri Beereshwara Artwork and Craft. Since their first encounter, Venkatesh has accomplished six orders for Toy Trunk.
“We make handmade lacquer wood toys with regionally out there woods — like hale wooden (ivory wooden), gauda neem, beechwood, and rubber wooden. Historically, now we have been making rattles, tops, kitchen units, trains, automobiles, spinners, yoyos, cup-and-balls, wobblers, dancing wood dolls, and so forth. At the moment, I’ve 30 artisans working with me,” says Venkatesh.
“Sooner or later, we want to unfold and apply our leanings, and design developmental instruments in numerous toy craft clusters of India with respective supplies. We want to play a bigger optimistic position in sustaining and enriching these crafts sooner or later,” notes Priyanka.
Enterprise mannequin
“Toy Trunk at the moment makes use of the D2C (direct-to-consumer) enterprise mannequin during which we promote our merchandise on to shoppers. This contains promoting toys on-line by way of our web site and aggregator marketplaces corresponding to Firstcry and The Nestery. We purpose to be on extra well-liked e-commerce platforms like Amazon India, Flipkart, and Jiomart quickly,” says Ajay.
How do they work with artisans?
“We work with them on a per-order foundation. Once we want extra stock, we create a purchase order order with the grasp craftsman who employs these artisans. We observe this technique since it’s simple to speak the design and handle the fabric required, the supply time-frame, and so forth. The grasp craftsman pays the artisans in keeping with the order. We’re at the moment working with two grasp craftsmen,” notes Ajay.
Up to now, the bootstrapped startup has launched 24 merchandise and is trying to turn into a model with a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore by the top of the 12 months.
“Moreover fulfilling commonplace enterprise targets, nevertheless, we’re at the moment choices for incubation and funding. In the long term, we need to collaborate with extra artisans and enhance provide chain effectivity and likewise construct a sustainable and accountable enterprise,” says Priyanka.
(Edited by Pranita Bhat, Picture courtesy Toy Trunk)
