The Toyish Story
Toyish is a play studio that makes toys to spark imagination.
We approach each project with the understanding that play is how kids learn about the world. Curiosity, imagination, experimentation, and re-do’s are all part of our DNA. Then we add the TOYISH touch. How can we make each toy personal? What will make every play experience more fun? Asking hard questions and finding unexpected answers keeps us at the top of our game.
The idea for TOYISH was hatched in October 2011 during play workshops at the Polo Grounds Center in Harlem, NY. At first it looked as though kids were just building toys. But gradually the toys took on a life of their own. Like Pinocchio’s Geppetto, the makers gave their toys names, super-powers, personalities, and adventures. They described the toys they had always wanted. The stories kept coming, and the play kept happening. It was an aha! moment for Assaf. He realized that physical toy customization was the white space in an over-digitized world. Recognizing that today’s kids want to be makers, hackers, inventors, and in control of their space, he created a platform that combines construction, crafts, and story-telling. Many prototypes, kids, and, of course, stories later, TOYISH was born.
