Summer is fast approaching and with it comes endless possibilities for kids to get creative. It can be hard to find different crafts and activities to entertain your little ones all season long, but Creative Kids has the solution.
The Toy Book sat down with Daniel DeLapa, chief marketing officer for Creative Kids, to hear about the brand’s collaborations and its new line of sensory toys.
The Toy Book: Creative Kids is on a mission to help harness the creativity and self-expression in every kid. Tell us about Creative Kids’ goals and how they’re reflected in the brand’s products.
Daniel DeLapa: At Creative Kids, we pride ourselves on our people. Our team puts love and care into every product, and our mission to help kids express their creativity is at the core of everything we do. The craft/activity business involves loads of fun and unique components — we make sure that every component in our products brings value to the creative process, resulting in a fantastic creation. Our goal is for our customers to experience a “I really made that?” moment. That’s the springboard that will encourage kids to explore, build their confidence, and harness their creativity. We feel proud that kids use our products to express themselves and we take that responsibility very seriously.
TB: This year, Creative Kids is growing with its brand partnerships! Can you reveal what brands Creative Kids is working with?
DL: We believe in the mantra “If you want to go far, go together,” and our new partnerships with Hasbro and Moonbug reflect that. When we look at brands to work with, we look at the content and audience to see where the synergies are. But most importantly, we look at the teams running the brands. Both Hasbro and Moonbug have incredibly entrepreneurial cultures. They’re able to find an almost perfect balance between assessing opportunities and protecting the brands, which gives us confidence in the longevity of these partnerships. A great example of longstanding partnership is our strategic alliance with Paramount Global’s Nickelodeon. We’ve had the opportunity to work on almost all of their house character brands, as well as their partner brands such as Baby Shark.
TB: Creative Kids already has several brand partnerships for kids to choose from! What’s it like working with brands such as CoComelon and Blippi?
DL: In short, incredibly fun! I have young kids at home that enjoy the shows so having my own focus group has been great and rewarding. I think the idea of having so many key stakeholders in the production process really helped Creative Kids evolve as a company. Having this incredible opportunity to steward some of these brands made us more diligent and purposeful about how we go about product opportunities. It’s also pushed us to raise the bar internally, touching on everything from process to product.
TB: What are some of the new toys that Creative Kids has in store for this year?
DL: We are incredibly proud of the new products our team has put forth into the market this year, from our Sense & Grow product line to new innovations in our STEM range, Science To The Max. One of my personal favorite lines from this year has been Miracle-Gro Kids. The products from the line allow kids to take the garden indoors with fun themes like Dinosaur Garden kit or Root Viewer. A big push for Creative Kids has been to encourage our teams to focus on patentable products that will disrupt older stale categories. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that the compound space will never be the same again.
TB: Creative Kids recently launched Sense & Grow, a line of sensory toys that helps young kids unleash their creativity and boost their logical thinking. Can you tell us more about the line and how it helps kids achieve these goals?
DL: This was a passion project that the team was able to put a lot of thought into. I think it really shows through in the world-class execution we’ve accomplished on product and packaging. We knew there were plenty of players in the market capitalizing on the fidgety or impulsive nature of sensory play, but no one was filling the needs of people looking for true sensory play products that improve lives. Sense & Grow is a line built with purpose and a foundation of quality. The brand has innovative themes that help moms and dads looking for products with beneficial attributes for their kids — and in many cases, adults as well. Intention is everything and we believe the market is rewarding us for the good intent we set out with for this line.
TB: Is there anything else you would like to share?
DL: I’m very grateful to be in an industry that focuses on kids. When we are growing up, we’re told that we can change the world. With the platform we’re building at Creative Kids, we have the opportunity to do exactly that. Thank you to the industry for helping make dreams a reality and for giving purpose to tens of thousands of dreamers out there that want to make the world a better place.
Creative Kids products are currently available at creativekids.com, Amazon, Walmart, Learning Express, and other retailers across the U.S.
