Announcing Play Press: The New World for Little People

When I think about my childhood, I remember a lot of make believe and imagination. My sister and I would sit and play for hours in imaginary houses or build with lego and create a house which would stay constructed for a few days and then be demolished for reuse another time. Now, so many children do not stretch their imagination to what it is capable of… why would they when anything and everything they could possibly imagine is handed to them on a tablet/pc/phone and I just think that surely there must be a happy medium! I look at my little one sat on the floor in her little house talking away to no one in particular and carrying out tasks that only she knows about and I think “God, I hope her imagination lasts!” Well, I think I have found something that is going to help with that…

New London-based toy startup Playpress aims to create the most fun and accessible play world available for kids. Co-founder and Chief Play Maker, Matthew Wright explains: “I was inspired by lots of amazing toys as a kid and wanted to create something as inspiring which was not only super-fun to play with but also something I would have been able to buy with my own pocket money”.

“With our play world, boys and girls can play any stories they can imagine with our houses, parks, skyscrapers, airports, shops, farms, pets, and characters. The sets are fun to put together and even more fun to play with”, Matthew continues.

Playpress sets are made from sustainably sourced and 100% recyclable board, which allows the company to sell them at pocket-money-friendly prices. “As well as playability, eco-friendliness, and accessible pricing, Playpress has set out to consciously avoid gender stereotypes within its characters and sets by keeping them gender-neutral. Matthew and his team

design and manufacture the toys in London, he explains: “Being eco-minded, we wanted the toys to have as few air-miles as possible, so working from our base in London we get to support other local London businesses who are helping us with our production and distribution”.

After spending two years prototyping and testing their sets, Playpress are launching their first range of five sets on crowdfunding website Kickstarter. “Having spent a lot of time testing and learning how to produce the sets to the highest standard possible, from different materials to designs, we’re ready to go and are launching on Kickstarter to give us the best possible footing for our startup. We’ll be able to reach an audience who can buy directly into what we’re doing, help us with our final tooling and production costs, and literally kick-start our second range.

“The rewards available on Kickstarter range from £1 to £500, with a 33% discount on limited bundle sets for early-bird backers and the more we raise the larger the Playpress universe becomes! Every backer will also have their name included on a page on the Playpress website to commemorate the Kickstarter campaign. The finished sets will be created and sent out in time for Christmas this year perfect for a new, unique, and very playable gift for the children in your family.

Playpress also aims to create a digital-extension to the physical play world, Matthew explains: “As well as playing with the toys they have, by propping up an iPad kids will be able to extend their play world and interact with new characters and scenescapes through our website”. Playpress are looking to raise £25,000 via the crowd-funding website to help kick-start their business. The Playpress Kickstarter campaign launched on Wednesday 3rd August and will run for 30 days, ending on Friday 2nd September. Playpress sets are available individually priced from £3 to £35, with a 15% discount on bundles, and a 33% discount on early bird bundles.