Give a baby a plastic bottle or a child a cardboard box, and they can be entertained for hours; so it's surprising that someone hasn't created a line of packaging toys before this. Born out of IDEO.org Amplify challenges, these packaging toys are exactly how they sound: toys made out of packaging. Educational and eco-friendly, they were created with underprivileged children in mind.
The packaging toys come in a few different forms. For instance, Bottle Stack turns short bottles in blocks that come together to learn numbers or spell words. Although many of the designs don't allow for companies to push their own brands, Maurizio Bricola, a Netherlands-based designer, says, "If they feel like they already have strong brand recognition, they may feel like this can make them stand out even more."
What's Driving This Trend
- Packaging Toys
- Creating toys out of packaging materials presents an opportunity for eco-friendly and educational play.
- Educational Packaging
- Designing packaging that doubles as educational tools can enhance the learning experience and reduce waste.
- Brand Recognition
- Brands can use packaging toys to stand out and strengthen consumer perception of their products.
Who This Affects Most
- Toy Manufacturing
- Toy manufacturers can explore the production of packaging toys and tap into the demand for eco-friendly and educational playthings.
- Packaging Design
- Packaging designers can incorporate educational elements into their designs, offering innovative solutions that benefit both the consumer and the environment.
- Branding and Marketing
- Branding and marketing professionals can leverage packaging toys as a unique avenue for promoting brand recognition and differentiation.
