Happy Planet Toys | Brand
Happy Planet Toys
Reviews
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25.01.2022 What’s the point of having eco-friendly toys if kids aren’t interested in playing with them? That’s why quality designs and functionality are at the heart of what we create. Did you know that every person in our design team is a parent too? At the start of our design process, we carefully watch how our children interact with toys, particularly the colours and functionalities that they engage with. ... When we designed the Reef Express, we didn’t initially have the little spots that each character snaps or slides into. But we realised pretty quickly that the characters would need to stay in position when kids would push the submarine under the water, hence why they now have their special spots. Plus with colourful characters, a fully removable lid, and a spinning propellor, it’s genuinely a toy that provides hours of entertainment.
25.01.2022 Happy Easter! We hope the Easter Bunny came to visit. Don’t forget to recycle that Easter egg foil (just combine and roll it into the size of a golf ball first!)
24.01.2022 Mouldy bath toys This is the most commonly asked question I get about our toys - does mould build up in them like so many other bath toys??? ... Simple answer? No! As parents, we know how important this is, so this was a big factor in our toy designs from the very start. There are two key ways we avoid this: 1. Our toys are dishwasher safe so you can give them a good, deep clean from time to time. 2. Secondly (and probably more importantly), our toys have been designed with larger drainage holes so they drain and air out more easily, which avoids water retention, and subsequent mould build-up. See more
24.01.2022 National Recycling Week As part of National Recycling Week, Clean Up Australia has profiled us alongside some really innovative and interesting brands creating products from recycled materials. Head to the link below to read the article, which highlights some of the big challenges but also some huge benefits of creating products from recycled materials.... National Recycling Week is a great opportunity to build the conversation around circular economies - recycling is so important, but we need more products made from recycling to truly realise its value, which is something I talk more about in the article. https://www.cleanup.org.au/buying-recycled
24.01.2022 This is another statistic from SYSTEMIQ Ltd. 'Breaking the Plastic Wave' report, and a more positive one than the last one I shared. It was so interesting to read that it's not a lack of technical solutions preventing us from addressing plastic pollution, but inadequate regulatory frameworks, business models, and funding mechanisms. With a strong commitment from Governments and businesses to reduce the demand for new plastic, and find better ways to reuse and recycle it, it's heartening to see the reduction in ocean plastic that could occur.
23.01.2022 What a buzz!!! I was so fortunate to be invited by Channel 10 to take part in ‘Business As Usual When Nothing Is Usual’ which aired today. It was an incredible opportunity to articulate my ‘why’ with an Elevator Pitch for our business. I’ve included the link below to see my pitch, and also highly recommend watching the full show on 10 play to hear from other small businesses and business experts on pivoting during this extraordinarily challenging year. ... Thanks to James who snapped this shot during filming! And thanks again to Channel 10 and Dell for the incredible opportunity. https://10play.com.au//seaso/elevator-pitch/tpv200903bgzol
22.01.2022 In a year that has been so tough for so many, a shining light would definitely be the incredible support being shown for small, local businesses. Every day I see celebrities, influencers and the media shouting out small businesses doing it tough, and whenever a business owner posts on social about how tough it’s been, the comments are filled with how can we help?. It’s that sense of Aussie mateship - that we know we’re all in this together, and it’s just another reason why ...we’re so lucky to live in this amazing country. I talked about this in my recent interview with Buy Aussie Now - a platform which has been created to support local, Aussie-made businesses. Check out the link below to read more! https://www.buyaussienow.com.au//meet-the-maker-miranda-da
22.01.2022 A snippet from a wonderful review we received this week. Receiving feedback like this is undoubtedly the best part of this job, and always appreciated. It reinforces that our toys are more than just an eco-friendly alternative - they’re high-quality, classic toys that kids love to play with and can be passed down through generations.
22.01.2022 And just like that, we’re 1! This week marks our first birthday, as we launched to the public this time last year. And what a year it’s been, definitely worth celebrating with a little . I promised we would do something special to celebrate, and we most definitely will. We’re just going to hold off until next week when (fingers and toes crossed ) we’re going to have some more exciting news to report. ... Thank you SO much for your support over the past 12 months. It’s been an incredible ride and we can’t wait to bring you more of our very special toys in the years to come. Ps, I couldn’t resist sharing the second pic - gotta love how seriously kids take candle blowing out responsibilities!
21.01.2022 Octo-buoy update We are getting so so close! Our tooling is now complete which is a mammoth job. Thanks to our Melbourne manufacturing team, who have been working so hard for us, under very challenging circumstances with the lockdown. We are now trialling and testing the tools to make sure everything is working as it should be. Once we know everything is working as planned, the next step is safety testing, which we’re hoping will take place within the next week or so. ... The support for our new toy has been overwhelming for which we thank you SO much as well as a massive thank you for your patience. What we are working with is very very different to standard plastic manufacturing unfortunately, so it takes a lot of testing and trialling to make sure the end product is 100% perfect. So we completely understand that it feels like it’s taking forever, but stick with us, and we can’t wait to bring you our fun new toy that we hope you’ll love as much as our Finn does!
21.01.2022 Colouring sheets Have you seen our free, printable Reef Rescue Crew colouring sheets? We send them to you when you join our mailing list, but they’re also available on our website right now, as we’re very aware of the need for different entertainment options for little ones at the moment. Head to the link below to download them, and have fun colouring our super-cute eco-warriors - Dave, Barbara and Tilda! ... https://happyplanettoys.com.au/p/reef-rescue-crew-colouring
18.01.2022 We just realised we haven’t shared a recycling tip for awhile! And we think this ones a goodie! While we all try and avoid paper bills and correspondence as much as possible these days, the odd one will slip through the cracks. So it’s good to know those pesky window faced envelopes can go into your kerbside paper and cardboard recycling bin. While the window unfortunately can’t be recycled and will go to landfill, the recycling machines can separate the window from the paper envelope so at least the paper section can be recycled correctly.
18.01.2022 Did you know that our toys are made from our recycled milk bottles and nothing else? That means there are no bolts, screws or adhesives used. Instead, we use innovative design techniques to hold the pieces together. Why is this important? It means our toys can be recycled in kerbside recycling bins as it’s the extra bits and pieces in toys that make them very tricky to recycle! ... Ps, how cute is this throwback pic of my 2 year old Jack checking out Barbara the Butterfly Fish!
16.01.2022 We’re slowly easing back into the working week after a lovely relaxing Easter long weekend. We hope yours was a good one too, and as relaxed as Jack having a bath here.
14.01.2022 Throwback Thursday! This photo was captured exactly one year ago. It’s me (Miranda ) at our manufacturing site with our first pallets of stock ready to go, a couple of weeks before we officially launched. I cannot believe that our first birthday is next month. I think we’ll have to do something fun to celebrate! ... I don’t think anyone can truly prepare you for what it’s like to run your own business. It’s been a mammoth year, but so rewarding, and I’ve learnt a mammoth amount. Ps. Very aware of the not-so-eco plastic wrap around our pallet of stock, which keeps our toys in-tact for transportation. It’s definitely not ideal, but we’re looking at ways around this, and our team make sure there is no single-use plastic or packaging materials inside the boxes. See more
14.01.2022 If you were ever wondering how important small businesses are to the Australian economy, this says a lot. We may be small, but collectively, we have a big impact! Small businesses are classified as those with 20 or less employees. And they’re most definitely the lifeblood of our country. Now, more than ever, it’s critical that we #supportsmallbusiness as much as possible.
14.01.2022 Oh how amazing a beach holiday would be right now! This beautiful photo comes courtesy of @days_with_deardaughter , captured on Perth’s stunning beaches. Want to know a fun fact about me? I may be Melbourne born and bred, but my family is all from Perth so I was lucky enough to spend most of my childhood summers on the beach over in WA.... If you’re planning a trip for when we can finally travel again, I highly highly recommend heading west!
13.01.2022 Thank you so much @smile_sweet_elliot for creating this beautiful video of Elliot playing with the Reef Express. He has the most beautiful smile - watch to the end to see what I mean. What a little ray of sunshine.
12.01.2022 We started this business with the goal to upcycle plastic that could otherwise end up in landfill. So our first birthday was the perfect time to take stock, and calculate what impact our toys have had. And we are so excited to report that we have used more than 20,000 milk bottles so far. ... Did you know that only approximately 9% of plastic currently recycled? While plastic is highly recyclable, there aren’t enough products made from recycled materials (especially in Australia) which close the recycling loop. That’s why we’re so proud to be providing a small solution to this problem.
10.01.2022 Hip hip hooray for Spring! That change in the air and the thought of warm days ahead with lots of time outdoors... There’s not much that can beat it! Thanks for the beautiful @avalee.and.us
10.01.2022 Wow what a few weeks it’s been... A couple of big things have dropped into place for us which means we’ve been able to start working on a couple of very exciting new projects! Our team are also working so hard on Octo-buoy, which I’ll share an update on next week. And we’re busily filling orders from our wonderful stockists as the Christmas season approaches (seriously, how is it almost that time of year ).... All in all, we’re just so grateful for all the support and positive feedback we’re receiving, especially considering the year it’s been for everyone. Thank you the beautiful capture Stories from the Smiths
09.01.2022 Can you believe sea turtles have been around since the dinosaurs? Yet many species are now extremely endangered, with plastic pollution being one of the major reasons. According to @wwf more than 50% of marine turtles have ingested plastic waste, often mistaking it for food. Our Tilda the Turtle is inspired by the sea turtle - we just love these majestic creatures and want to do what we can to remove plastic waste entering our oceans and posing a threat to all marine life.
08.01.2022 Do you get frustrated by unnecessary plastic packaging around toys? Us too! This is something that is so important for our brand, and why our packaging is completely plastic free. It’s taken lots of trial and error to get the packaging right, but we’re really proud to have packaging that is colourful and engaging, but also eco friendly. Check out the gang all together
08.01.2022 What makes toys eco friendly? As the gift-giving season is well and truly upon us now, I wanted to share a blog I wrote a few months ago, on the topic of eco-friendly toys. So many of us want to shop for eco-friendly products, but how do you sort through the green washing?... Head to the link below to read the blog I wrote on this topic, with four key things to look for if you’re shopping for eco-friendly toys. Think of it as your eco-checklist! https://happyplanettoys.com.au//what-makes-toys-eco-friend
07.01.2022 These are my three munchkins - Teddy, Jack and Finn. As well as being our chief toy testers, they’ve developed some firm, favourite toys over the years. At this time of year, it can be difficult to come up with ideas for toys to buy your little ones for Christmas, especially if you’re conscious of not having too much waste. We all want to get our children something they’ll love but that’s high quality and won’t quickly end up in landfill. So in our latest blog (link below)..., I’ve provided a list of toys that our kids have loved, and a few favourites from their friends too. Hopefully it provides a little inspiration if you need it this festive season. https://happyplanettoys.com.au//top-tips-for-toys-that-won
06.01.2022 We talk about the benefits of circular economies all the time, but what if we don’t start that transition? This global stat from the Ellen McArthur Foundation just highlights the importance of making the change from linear economies (resource extraction-> consumption-> waste) to circular economies (re-using and designing out waste) starting right now.
03.01.2022 Octo-buoy update We manufacture our toys in Melbourne, so we weren’t sure what impact stage 4 lockdown was going to have for us. But we can definitely count ourselves lucky - our amazing team confirmed they are able to continue working during the lockdown, albeit with a few changes to how they work. Which means we are working towards having Octo-buoy ready in September, although we are prepared there could be small delays - that’s just the nature of things at the moment,... and we’re so grateful our production continues despite everything else going on around us. More updates on Octo-buoy to come very soon (with a healthy dose of our divine little Finn to come with it ).
01.01.2022 Last night, James and I were so thrilled to attend the Victorian @premiersdesignawards as our Reef Express Bath Toy Set (proudly designed and manufactured in Melbourne) was a finalist in the Product Design category. We unfortunately didn’t win, but we were up against some phenomenal products across a very broad range of industries. We were just so honoured and proud to be a finalist amongst a group of incredible innovators and see our Reef Express in the lineup.
01.01.2022 Just a fun little fact for your Monday night! It’s awesome to see how intelligent and self-aware these beautiful creatures are. It makes us love dolphins, and our very own Dave the Dolphin, just that little bit more.
