Danbury, Connecticut — Luke’s Toy Factory, a Danbury based, bootstrapped startup that manufactures award-winning educational toys for kids aged 3+ has launched a Kickstarter campaign to make available for pre-order its newest line of sustainable toys made with upcycled organic materials such as walnut shells, rice hulls, flax fiber, and coconut shells. Incorporation of such materials in the manufacturing process marks a first in the $89 billion global toy industry.
According to the company’s namesake founder and toy designer, Luke Barber, “Adding organic fibers strengthens the toy by binding the plastic resin with the fibers. The result is a more robust toy that can stand up to an active 3 year old. These fibers replace up to 30% of the plastic that would have been used in the toy, and gives the organic materials a second life instead of being incinerated.”
The company has named their new lines, “Naturals” and “Hybrids”.
Founded in 2014 by two father/son pairs, Luke’s Toy Factory has been an innovator in the toy industry since its inception. It’s newest Natural toys incorporate all five organic fillers with no colors added, while the Hybrid line incorporates some parts with color to add interest and contrast to the natural materials.
The company is featured in Kickstarter’s Environmental Resources Center for the durability it has designed into its toys.
Jim Barber, Luke’s father and the startup’s Managing Partner added, “We are excited to be recognized as an innovative company by Kickstarter and the Environmental Defense Fund, and we’re incredibly proud to work with American suppliers, which supports local jobs and enables us to ensure the highest quality and safety of our products for our customers. We look forward to bringing these new products to market with the support of the Kickstarter community.”
