Our First Plaything!

"...one thing was evident: our new pikler triangle had tremendous play value."

We built our very first prototype of the PlayBox - Indoor Wooden Climber back in February of 2020. This was pre CNC machine so we used a jigsaw to cut out our profiles, and of course this was pre COVID lock down as well!

Although almost everything about that first prototype was wrong - it was too big, the ladder rungs were improperly spaced, the toy box was a child finger eater, none of our edges were rounded, and the mouse hole was awkward - one thing was evident: the product had tremendous play value. We were on the right track designing something that children loved.

From there we connected with friends who were willing to test and play with the 2nd prototype in their homes and the next insight became apparent. While the wooden climber needed to be great for kids it also needed to be compatible with the home. We went back to the drawing board on how to minimize the footprint of the PlayBox and modified the tunnel to receive the Toy Chest when not in use. This has now become a design tenant for us to uphold as we continue to design new products.

A big thank you to our wives and kids who have supported us as we pursued this project into the wee hours of many nights. We love you and couldn't have done this without you.

-AC