Fair Trade
Qukel toys are made in India, for a fair price. Qukel toys are responsibly sourced and ethically produced. In Bandipur, a village near Calcutta, about a dozen of men and women are in employment because of your purchase. We use materials that do not harm the earth such as biodegradable dye and pure cotton.
Who is behind Qukel
Machteld Burema-Pijzel (child psychologist and market researcher), Aafke Sprundel (communication specialist and anthropologist) and Gerard Krijger (clinical radio chemist and biologist), are the founders of Qukel toys. But Qukel actually began with the birth of Gerard’s first son Ivar. One of his first thoughts was:“How do I find out what really goes on in the head of my little one?”. He started to study Developmental Psychology of 0-3 year olds, by Dr. Ewald Vervaet.
Together with Aafke and Machteld, they came up with the idea to combine the knowledge of the development of small children together with a toy line for parents with young children. Mainly because there are no toys out there that really stimulate the interaction between parent and child.
After much research and conversations with parents the idea was to focus on fathers. Mothers and their children get a lot of attention after birth whereas fathers are stuck with a lot of questions. This is also why you will find ‘did you know’ and playing games on the packaging of each toy. Fathers like facts, where mothers often act intuitively.
Using Dutch Design in Development (DDiD) they found the designer Annemiek van Wees (Dutch Kimchi). She visited India together with Aafke to guide the production process of the first designs and prototypes. Through DDiD they came in contact with the current supplier CRC Export.
Product
This led to a beautiful toy concept with a great story: Toys for fathers and their little ones aged 0-3 that stimulates interaction and is especially fun to play with. By giving away tips and facts on the packaging and toys they are even more attractive for fathers. All Qukel toys have lovely prints made of biodegradable dye. The soft and gentle colours, makes the toy extra attractive for the little ones.
Speelmaat BV
Qukel is a trademark registered under SpeelMaat BV Overtoom 379, Amsterdam 1054JN, The Netherlands.
