PLAYPRESS TOYS
“History of Playpress
As a child, I loved playing with Playmobil and Lego. As I thought back to that time, I wondered if I could make a buildable toy with which you could create worlds and stories, but which was designed to be less harmful to the planet and more affordable.
I spent many hours trying different shapes and materials, taking inspiration from wooden model kits. I decided to make the pieces interconnectable offering the same kind of play experience but at a much lower cost and made out of natural materials.
I teamed up with my older brother Peter who, with his design talent and experience, helped develop the concept to where we could take it to market, and Playpress was born. After much research, we came across a specialty board which is totally recyclable, which we call ‘Playboard’.
By bringing on board Mike, a good friend and a very talented artist and animator with a background in kids TV, we took the business to a whole new level. We spent many weekends marketing the product in Portobello market in London, where we sold our first sets and got feedback from parents and children. We continuously improved the product and expanded our range.
In 2018 we went to our first trade show, the London Toy fair. When my dad, Melvin, became part of the team, his talent for business strategy and wealth of experience proved to be a real boost to Playpress. Playpress has been able to work with some amazing brands and charities and continues to grow its range and places where it is sold.
While Mike has decided to follow other passions, he will always be part of the founding team.
We are very excited about the future and really believe in what we do. My passion has always been in creating and making things and with Playpress we get to build an entire world!
What playpress is made from.
Inks
We use food safe water-based inks that are vegan and ocean friendly.
Glue
We use a water-based adhesive that is food safe, biodegradable and ocean friendly.
Board
The core section of Playboard is made from solely from virgin fibres from trees from sustainable forests in Finland. It is OBA free and conforms to the European toy safety directives.”
