What Does It Mean To Be Included?
Toys that endorse children's individuality and their sense of belonging and acceptance in the world.
The Inclusive Toy Company creates fun and beautiful toys that acknowledge and uplift children of all backgrounds, through conscious business practices that cause no avoidable harm.
What We Do
The Inclusive Toy Company is in the business of planting the seeds of love and peace- from the inside out. We believe all children deserve to be reflected in their toys and books, so they feel safe enough to honor, and brave enough to express, their identities, backgrounds, and beliefs.
Why Does It Matter?
When children recognize people like themselves presented in inspiring ways in the images they see on screens, books, and toys, they absorb these positive messages and are uplifted. This positivity fuels them- from the playroom, all the way to the boardroom.
“I didn’t expect to find much, and my expectations were met.”
Founded by a mom in 2021, The Inclusive Toy Company started with the search for a puzzle for her puzzle-loving daughter. A Diwali puzzle, to be precise. Though the search itself was lackluster, it set in motion a series of events that resulted in the creation of a space where the reality of her daughter’s experience was reflected. But we don’t want to stop there. After all, not everyone celebrates Diwali.
Today we seek out the unrepresented (or under-represented) and say, "We see you". Because having that opportunity to be seen, acknowledged, and accepted is something every child should experience.
To all those kiddos we say, keep your chin up and puzzle on!
xo
Medha
Why Play and Why Puzzles?
Play Matters
As a company, we want to do something that matters. Play matters. It holds the key to unlocking the human potential, enlivening families, and bettering lives.
Academic Primer
Children see the puzzling task to completion through discipline, focus, and persistence. They learn to center on the process rather than the outcome. These aptitudes are required for academic achievement.
Instills Pride
Puzzling activates analytical abilities and instills pride in having tackled age-appropriate challenges.
It's Just Fun!
Our puzzles depict delightful and colorful scenes that children will instantly recognize and relate to, to provide a fascinating and fun play experience.
Family Love
Puzzling is a cozy, screen-free family activity to slow down, connect, converse, and strengthen love bonds in "the great indoors". Our toys inspire parents to get down on the floor and play with their kids!
Channels 'Flow'
Puzzling facilitates the state of mind in which kids are energetically absorbed in an activity, grounded to the present. Superfluous distractions fade away, facilitating relaxation, rejuvenation, and restoration of mind.
Cultural Practice
Observing familiar cultural puzzle scenes unfold is a wonderfully supportive way to connect with community, commemorate special occasions, and celebrate cultural festivals!
Our Guiding Principles
Build the Best Product
Our criteria for excellence depends on:
- Function: How fun and engaging is it?
- Durability: How long will it hold up in little hands?
- Purpose: Does it clearly affirm, inspire, or strengthen through play?
- Efficiency: Did making and selling it generate minimal waste and harm
By building the best product, we ensure that it will provide value and have a long life, both good for our planet.
Celebrate the Individual
We seek out the un(or under)represented and say, "We see you". So that when children find that they belong to a story where people look, eat, live, celebrate, and love differently, they find a point of connection with our toys.
Inspire Strength and Kindness
Affirmation fuels self-worth, which propels children to bravely meet their life challenges in an increasingly unstable world. The ultimate purpose of all our toys is to embolden children by bolstering the key attributes that will aid them in their journey: creative problem-solving, mental fortitude, patience, and cooperation.
Consider the Whole
To be truly inclusive, we must affirm the truth of our interconnectedness to each other and the earth. We commit to causing no avoidable harm by:
1. prioritizing quality to create a long-lasting reusable product,
2. thoughtfully selecting raw materials like recycled paper and vegetable inks,
3. employing sustainable manufacturing, and
4. minimizing packaging and the use of plastic.
