A TOTY Win and Tariff Troubles Are Part of the Journey
In 2023, Courtney Peebles and her husband, Daniel, were struggling to find developmentally appropriate toys for their sons. Their older son was ready for more complex toys that weren’t safe for kids his age, and their younger son had developmental delays that also made it difficult to find good toys.
“A lot of the toys in the market are specific to developmental stages, and at their age, it just wasn’t working,” Peebles says.
So, Peebles, who was already looking for a way to stay at home full-time to support her younger son, started designing toys specifically for her kids and launched Solobo Toys. The Learn and Drop playset, for example, was designed for Peebles’ son with cerebral palsy.
“We went down the entrepreneur path, and we launched the first two toys in March 2023,” Peebles says. “Within three months, we were featured in Forbes, and everything kind of snowballed from there. Our community and our customer base are really built organically. We have a strong community on Instagram, and we have really loyal customers who have helped us get to where we are.”
Solobo Toys' Emotional Baggage took home the TOTY for Best Plush this year. | Source: Solobo Toys
Courtney and Daniel Peebles launched Solobo Toys to design toys to support their two sons. | Source: Solobo Toys
Two years later, Solobo Toys won The Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award for Best Plush for its Emotional Baggage playset. The set features eight plush stress balls, each representing a different emotion. Kids can store these plush stress balls in the included canvas drawstring bag.
“I did not expect to win,” Peebles says. “We had Ms. Rachel in our category, and I was like, ‘She’s going to take it.’ I was just there enjoying the food, and when they called our name, I was like, ‘I’m not prepared for this.’ I was really blindsided. It took a while for it to actually set in that it happened.”
As Solobo Toys looks to the future, the company is preparing for the impact of tariffs by increasing production of 3D-printed toys, like the company’s new Emotion Friends, 3.5-inch figures featuring different emotions, including happy, sad, scared, silly, and more. Solobo Toys currently has five 3D printers running to create the company’s new designs, but it is also preparing to launch 3D-printed versions of existing toys that are currently made out of wood.
“I’m a planner by nature,” Peebles explains. “I couldn’t just sit around and hope that things were going to be fine.”
With roots in a personal need and a mission grounded in inclusivity and accessibility, Solobo Toys continues to grow with purpose. As the company scales its business and navigates a shifting global market, Peebles remains focused on the reason she started it all: creating toys that every kid can enjoy, no matter their age or ability.
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A version of this feature first appeared in The Toy Book‘s 2025 Specialty Toys & Gifts Issue. Click here to read the full issue!
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