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One day, children will be on their own in this world - without their moms. Because of this, everything that moms do for their children enhances their ability to navigate the world by themselves!
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As a toy manufacturer, we know what moms desire for their children, so we intentionally produce toys that embrace the concept of motherhood.

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With this said, we’re so excited to share our Mom-nufacturer’s Talk video with you all. It took the entire PlanToys team to make the production of this video successful. We couldn’t have done it without our incredible production team and executives! During the creation process, we gathered stories from those involved and thought it would be fun to share them with you while also including some tidbits about our journey through digital marketing. Let’s get to it!

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M o m - n u f a c t u r e r ‘s  T a l k

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As you know, PlanToys has been at the top of the toy industry for nearly 4 decades. However, we’ve never launched an advertisement campaign on our own. Because of this, many of our customers don’t even know that we’re based in Thailand! This is one reason why we were so excited to produce the Mom-nufacturer’s Talk video - so mothers, families and customers worldwide would better understand our brand’s mission and Thai background.
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Getting Started
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This year, we teamed up with Choojai Ka Kalayanamitr Company Limited to communicate with parents around the world about our long-standing determination to make sustainability and customer satisfaction a priority. Deciding how to intentionally communicate this philosophy to parents was our challenge. How could we best help them understand and trust that every single PlanToys product is made with their children’s safety and development in mind? Also, where do environmental, safety and societal standards come into play with our manufacturing methods? These key questions helped shape the production of this video and served as guiding points during filming.

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Just Like a Watermelon Seed

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Sorasart Wisetsin, one of our video directors, compared video production to a watermelon seed. Using his past experience for reference, Wisetsin shared that typically clients come to a production team with a small story, or a watermelon seed. With help from creative professionals, this story is developed into something bigger – a whole watermelon. However, PlanToys’ video was a little different. We presented Wisetsin and the production team with an entire watermelon, not just a seed.

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“What we are doing with PlanToys is so strange…they really do a lot, their content is huge like a whole watermelon,”Wisetsin said. “It is too big for us to present everything they do...we can only speak as little as a watermelon seed in a short video.”

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With some creative thinking and discussion, the team realized that PlanToys shares a main concern with mothers across the world: child development, safety standards, environment and society. With this in mind, these concerns became the main idea behind “Mom-nufacturer’s Talk”.

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To elaborate on this, PlanToys and Choojai conducted worldwide research by talking to mothers from several different countries to garner a better understanding of motherhood.

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“We found that most mothers had similar concerns about their children,” Kosin Viraponsawan, the managing director of PlanToys, said. “Although they had different backgrounds, we discovered that their concerns were the same as what PlanToys predicted and has been striving to fix.”

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Doing Our Part to Shape the Toy Industry
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As a toy company, child development is a main focus, but we set ourselves apart at PlanToys by creating playthings with our own signature designs and characters.
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We have also been trying to exceed safety standard requirements. Because we know that children like to put toys in their mouths, we try to use colors that are safe for children and reduce chemical use as much as we can.
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Our additional focus is on the environment, which has been a passion of ours since the very beginning. Years ago, we built a large electrical plant that made it possible for us to reuse wood scraps from production to generate electricity. This became a giant piece of our sustainable way!
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Our final key point of interest is the society. At PlanToys, we strive to impact our community and society positively; we want to make a difference! The parents that we interviewed agreed: We all have a duty to support and care for those who are disadvantaged because our world is a better place when we all work as one.
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Piecing It All Together
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Although the directors and creatives admitted that this was the most difficult project they have ever done, they feel they have also benefited from it.
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Company Founder Vitool Viraponsawan’s sustainable philosophy has changed their attitudes in the workplace. For example, Vitool always tries his best to reduce waste. He saw this video shooting as an opportunity to renovate the whole factory (including the staff’s uniform) so that the production team didn’t have to create props specifically for the video and then trash them at the end. This kind of intentional leadership would inspire anyone, we think!
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For this job, Choojai’s team couldn’t say no. “We have to do it because we could not find any company that has exactly the same philosophy as us,” Choojai said. “PlanToys is the client we have been looking for. Normal things that they do are even better than CSR activities of other companies.”
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Of course, we were thrilled to hear that Choojai’s team was on board. In partnership with them, we would have the opportunity to help reach parents worldwide and spread the message of sustainability, child safety and happiness.
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“We want to make changes for a better society,” Kosin shared. “Today, we still hope that we can create a better world through our children. We always say Better Kids, Better World because our society cannot continue to thrive if we do not build this core value. Therefore, for all PlanToys activities, we try to communicate with both parents and children to make them understand what we should do next in the future. This is PlanToys’ long-standing philosophy.”
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“Most of our toys can normally be played by up to 2-3 persons at a time, why wouldn’t we make something bigger that a group of children can enjoy together?” said Vitool Viraponsavan, the Founder and President of PlanToys.

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Thus, we created a larger scale of our toys using wood and papier-mâché in a natural wooden-brown tone. 
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“We keep the concept of sustainability in mind [during the creation process] by using 90% of leftover and recycled parts from the toy production,” Vitool explained. “We know that colorful tone attracts children; so all children were given colorful paper which allows them to imaginatively decorate the forest.”

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How can this exhibition help children? What makes it different from playing with normal-sized toys?

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“As mentioned, we want to make this exhibition a play space for children to gather and play together in order to exercise their development in all ranges,” Vitool explained.

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“More importantly, it’s better for parents to experience how important free play is. Their development stage can be more effective and you can raise a happy child by allowing them to unleash the natural instinct to play. When parents observe their children’s play habits, they will understand their nature, capability and how to support them in terms of development.”
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This play exhibition received positive feedback from parents, children and the press. The unique concept of the play space is attractive to the press, and the feeling that our unique playthings give and the wholehearted effort behind the design of them are what have captured parents’ hearts.

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This has also been a wonderful opportunity for the Chulalongkorn Art and Culture Department because both the department itself and the café nearby have increased their public exposure. In fact, the exhibition has been so popular that the department has had to request more advanced traffic control! It’s exciting to know that we are able to help other communities grow while also expanding children’s play culture.

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This exhibition wouldn’t have been successful without the help of our PlanToys’ staff. All the hard work paid off! We also want to thank our president who inspired this project, encouraged us along the way and continues to increase awareness around sustainability and imaginative play in the community. With passion and a desire for betterment, he has helped us fulfill our motto of ‘Better Kids for a Better World’ just a little bit more!

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Known for its playful features, the Buzz Bee encourages children to repeatedly pull the bee so the bee will fly back home – developing fine motor skills. Sensory and intellectual skills are enhanced with our Ballet Top as the ballerina’s spinning movement and cute look attract attention and excitement.

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Because rice is a staple food for Thais and is known as a good source of energy, we provide our staff with limitless rice everyday!

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We encourage good habits within our company, and we love that our staff makes an effort to limit food waste! By participating in this campaign, all volunteers will gain experience in growing and harvesting rice for their colleagues in the factory and will garner a better understanding of the value behind rice in Thailand!

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The ‘Classroom Model Project’ is a CSR project initiated by Golden Land, a leading residential and commercial property development company based in Thailand. PlanToys, together with a creative agency, Mana, and a group of  architects, sound engineers, lighting designers and scent designers, worked together to build the Classroom Makeover at Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind in Chonburi province. The project officially launched in May.

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PlanToys was contacted by the agency to help design an immersive learning experience for blind children. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to get involved as we had launched a unique group of toys for children with special needs a few years ago. Our goal has always been to design toys that prioritize physical, intellectual, social and language development while using materials that are safe for children and the environment; and this partnership gave our toys a chance to do their job!

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As a result, we launched a classroom full of multisensory knots to encourage children to practice using their senses! There are four subjects taught in this classroom: sight, hearing, smell and touch. Each one provides a great and entertaining learning experience!

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“One of the problems that blind children have been facing is they do not get full support from their parents or caretakers,” said Prawes Hongthong, PlanToys’ Product Design Manager. “Some do not want to take those children to special school - this results in developmental delay.” 

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“This classroom will be most effective when children have teachers or parents to teach, play and guide them along,” he added.

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We are grateful for everyone who was involved in this project and wanted to share this touching experience with you all!

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In celebration of National Labour Day earlier this month in Thailand, we want to emphasize our Toy Makers’ passion and dedication. In celebration of National Labour Day earlier this month in Thailand, we want to emphasize our Toy Makers’ passion and dedication. We see potential in everyone. Giving opportunity to individuals with special needs (e.g., visual impairment) is something we believe is very important. With help from their managers and colleagues, we are delighted to see a smile on everyone’s faces every single day.

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PlanToys always strives to find a way to make our employees’ lives happier. Several years ago, an issue about debt was brought up after we realized that many of our team members were experiencing financial stress. We started a cooperative shop and created a credit union to ease this pain and encourage good financial habits.

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“I’m happy with my work life. We have free rice for lunch, plus I’m able to own a house, a rubber tree farm and land - these are benefits from being a member of a credit union,” said Yhai Boonchuay, our employee who currently works on the Printing team in the Production Department.PlanToys is the first company he has worked with, and he is already ahead of his retirement plan! “After retirement, I’ll get a pension from what I’ve been saving,” he added.

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We are delighted to hear that our employees are happy individually because this impacts their families and their happiness too! The rubber tree farm that he owns allows his wife to work with natural rubber, and his savings can help pay for his children’s education.

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Apart from financial issues, employee pride is also a common topic of discussion for our company. Annually, we host a trip for our customers to visit the office headquarters in Bangkok and the factory in Trang province. During the journey, they learn about our Sustainable Way of producing products and meet team members behind the production of our toys.

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”I never tire of testing toy quality because I know that safety really matters here,” said Supaporn, a member of our Quality Assurance team who has been working with us since 1990. “I’m proud of my job and I love to show our customers how we create toys for children worldwide,” she said. “Even though we’re in a small district of Trang province, our foreign customers come to visit us annually. I love to see how impressed and excited they are to see the production of our products," Supaporn added.

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.We want to ensure the happiness and productivity of our employees and be their biggest supporters. We like to believe that this is the reason we received the Good Governance Award in Employee Treatment earlier this year! This also highlighted the Good Governance Award in Employee Treatment we have got earlier this year!

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Traditionally, we manufacture our toys from renewable rubberwood that is no longer producing rubber. Throughout daily rubberwood production, we produce so much leftover materials - inspiring the idea of turning sawdust we produce while manufacturing to a new material called PlanWood™. With some pressure molding, we are able to create a high-density fiber that is strong and durable.

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However, the road to success did not start off so smoothly. In the beginning, we tried to develop many formulas to get a material that fit best with children’s products. Only basic shapes could be made due to the limitation of mold design, and colors we used did not get along well with the material. After years of research and development, everything has settled down. The newly established in-house mold department has been supporting us in producing toys with a variety of shapes. Today, hundreds of our products have PlanWood as part of them!

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Are products made from PlanWood safe for children? Some people wonder about this considering this special material is different from other wooden toys. PlanToys understands child behavior. They enjoy putting toys in their mouths at a certain stage. Therefore, organic pigments and E-zero nontoxic glue are used with PlanWood toys to make sure that they are safe from toxic chemicals that are harmful to children, manufacturers and the environment.

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The uniqueness of PlanWood is that it can be formed into limitless, diverse shapes and has attractive textures. Additionally, its high density has allowed us to expand our product line to catch more customers’ hearts. We are now able to produce water-friendly toys!

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We are more than delighted to tell you the story of PlanWood as this material reflects our passion for sustainability and making the world a better place!

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Featured product: Wonky Fruit & Vegetables

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USA: http://usa.plantoys.com/wonky-fruit-vegetables.html

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All European countries: https://wonkyfruit.eu

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Thailand: http://th.plantoys.com/wonky-fruit-vegetables.html

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For other countries: Contact us! mktg@plantoys.com

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At PlanToys, our main focus is on child development and the environment. Every day, we design and manufacture toys to support the development of children while continuing to create low to zero waste through the production process. The eco-design concept was adopted as part of our manufacturing method to decrease our environmental impact.

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"One of the most prominent materials that PlanToys created – PlanWood - was inspired by the eco-design concept. PlanWood is a material made of surplus sawdust from our toy factory. Our president, Mr. VitoolViraponsavan, who realized that there was so much leftover material while manufacturing with rubberwood wanted to add value to sawdust and reduce waste. After years of Research and Development team working with professors and students from universities in Thailand, PlanWood was launched in 2011. PlanWood provides incredible functions to some of our wooden toys, allowing them to be water-resistant and sand-friendly replacing the need to use plastic in many of the toys we produce."

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The thermal process allows us to form PlanWood into many shapes. In the early  years, PlanToys made only basic shapes due to the limitation of mold design. Sort N Count was one of the first PlanWood products. Soon after, the in-house mold department was established, which enabled us to produce toys with a variety of shapes from this material. Today, there are hundreds of products that contain PlanWood parts." said Sopchock Methawuttipunya, Quality System & Lab Manager.

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The new Wonky Fruit & Vegetables set highlights our passion for recycling in multiple aspects. First, it is made of PlanWood, which is a recycled material, and it showcases the remarkable characteristics of PlanWood products– the complex and diversified shapes. Secondly, the concept behind the product is to raise awareness among children about food waste.

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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally each year, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons. Many fruits and vegetables in supermarkets are left on the shelf because people dislike their crooked appearance.

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We have partnered with Kromkommer, a Dutch social enterprise, to launch the Wonky Fruit & Vegetables playset with the hopes that we will be able to help children become aware of the situation and be consciously nurtured through play. For every set of the Wonky Fruit & Vegetables you purchase, €1 will be distributed to Kromkommer to participate in activities surrounding food waste.

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This year, we are excited to bring you the official launch of our new sustainable material, natural rubber! We have now achieved our goal of utilizing every part of the rubber tree. From latex to branches, everything is valuable to us. Our Research & Development team has been researching and experimenting with various formulae before discovering the safest material for our children, toy makers, and the environment. We are aware of children’s behaviors, knowing that they love exploring and discovering new things around them. Therefore, we make safety our top priority.

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Our rubber toys are made of 100% natural rubber. Every single drop of milky fluid is harvested from Hevea or rubber trees in Trang Province, Thailand. As well as giving us a great opportunity to provide local neighbours with employment opportunities, we can also add even more value to the rubber trees!

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Not only are we concerned about safety, but we also take a child’s development into consideration. Natural rubber helps stimulate tactile skills for children as they experience all different types of surfaces whether they are rubber, wood, or fabric. We see how important play is and want to provide children with the ultimate fun; therefore, our products are made to suit to all weather conditions and children can enjoy playing with them both outdoors and indoors!

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Most parents may encounter the same problem repeatedly every morning. In their younger stages, your little ones will be so clingy to you that they refuse to leave your side. Right at that moment you know how tough taking kids to school can be. As time passes by, and your kids grow to yet another stage, they sometimes refuse to go to school as it might not be fun for them.

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What could be the reasons behind this? Firstly, academic learning might be boring and unpleasant for them. Kids enjoy playing because it gives them limitless fun and freedom. Secondly, some do not understand academic matters adults try to teach—and that is when adults find it hard to teach kids. The process of teaching also matters. As a result, kids tend to develop an “I don’t want to go to the school.” attitude.  

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Learning is crucial. It starts from the first blink of life. Therefore, kids need strong support from their parents and teachers, especially during the first six years of life where their brains develop at a faster rate. Moreover, educational neglect can become a huge problem affecting their future when grown up.  

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The above reasons inspire PlanToys to see that “Learning is essential, and it can be fun at the same time.” In order to make learning fun and attractive to kids, we apply “Play-based Learning” to all toys. Just take PlanToys Learning & Education toys as an example. The products aim to be the best friends of toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. To support children with fine motor skills, coordination, and concentration, PlanToys also provides various shapes of blocks in our Essential Series toys, where mathematical skills play an important role. The skills include counting, sorting, ordering, sizes, and shapes.

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But how do toys actually work? Younger kids will get hands-on experiences from playing since they are not able to understand academic learning to the fullest. Trio Stacking and Ordering Blocks, the products coming with different sizes and colors of blocks, allow kids to learn ordering smallest to biggest and vice versa, as well as to categorize different colors. Acting as learning materials, toys can take a role in leading kids to a more special way of learning since direct learning might not be favorable for everyone. Encouraging them to take hands-on actions can probably create more effective results than memorization—and with more fun, too. Taking a direct math problem as an example, 2 plus 2 equals 4 might not be understandable for everyone, but adding 2 blocks to increase the amount could be more tangible.

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To sum up, learning is essential for kids, and they can get effective learning without getting stressed out since it can be interesting, fun and appealing for them!  

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Welcome our PlanToys Green Ambassadors 2018 to the great experiences of visiting Trang, Thailand!

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On May 6-10, our friends from USA, Japan, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and UK visited us in Thailand as PlanToys Green Ambassador 2018.

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During the factory trip, we guided them through eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes which drive us to be a green and sustainable company.

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Along with the Sustainable Mind we’ve been holding, we all went to the Local Dugong’s Seagrass Nursery to learn more about dugongs and seagrasses. Since these marine mammals, which have now become endangered worldwide, are found plentiful in Trang, where the PlanToys factory is located, we aim to raise awareness and concern about the threats to their survival.

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Before ending the trip, we took a journey along the breathtaking view of the sea and islands in Trang. Swimming through the Emerald Cave, the place is known to have a narrow long tunnel where visitors need to walk in a line while holding on a rope. After that we all enjoyed snorkeling to explore the underwater realm.

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We hope that the sustainable philosophy of PlanToys will inspire them in one way or another!

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Please give a warm welcome to “Ramp Racer”, the best racer so far this year who just become the winner of Red Dot Design Award 2017! Aiming to enhance child development, Ramp Racer is the ultimate product for not only hand-eye coordination and fine motor skill, but also visual tracking. This skill, visual tracking, is beneficial for child essential life skills such as reading, writing, drawing or playing sports. As well as cause and effect, the skill keeps children observed and focused and encourages them to anticipate the outcome of the action. If you want to join the race, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGiLIzv2mT8