Parents, let me paint you a familiar picture.
You're at the food shopping and you walk past the kids' toys. Your 3-8 year old lights up.
They ask for everything!
The squishy that looks like a cat
The small plastic dinosaur that has movable legs
The mini skateboard that comes in a plastic egg with 50 different designs to collect.
You're stuck, telling them that that £5-15 toy is either not worth it because it will be at the bottom of their toy basket next week. Or you tell them you'll add it to their birthday, Christmas, or the next gift-giving event.
If they're under 5, they will most likely forget the toy that they had to have so desperately the moment they see something else bright, shiny or branded to their favourite Storybook/TV or youtuber.
It’s not their fault, or yours. These things are designed to catch their attention long enough to plead for it and then once the limitations of its play have been met (or it breaks) they're ready to spend your hard earned money again the following week.
The problem is manufacturers love this.
They want you ready to move onto the next big thing, but only after you have collected 50 of the previous ones. Add in a few ‘rare’ blind bag options and you have crying kids when they don’t get the toy they want, scalpers buying whole boxes to rip live on ebay and stupidly high prices for something that costs about £1.50 to make.
As a business owner I know there is more to it than the cost of the materials. There is production, packaging, marketing, safety checks and batch recording. The list is endless.
Which begs the question. If so much is going into something that is only going to last some kids a few weeks, what are companies doing to help clean up after the toy is no longer wanted?
The truth is nothing - they don't care. They have your money and they are done.
Now this is the part where I have to do some self promotion.
I’m not a big toy company. I’m a mum who came up with a small game to help keep kids busy and since then it’s grown.
But I have done my time in the city, worked for some of the biggest brands in the world and hate how a lot of them do business without a care for what happens after the purchase.
Change has to start somewhere.
So Duck and Dragon is committed to being different.
We recycle waste, we offer free replacements to missing/lost toys (just pay postage).
We release free games (even if you don't have the figures) on the website for anyone to download and play.
Working with other organisations. We are hoping to work with some brilliant people. Companies who like us believe that games matter for kids' development and enjoyment. And shouldn't be restricted to just include the majority without thinking about the minority.
Game play between generations is hard. The games a 5 year old, a 15 year old and a 30 year old want to play are all very different. Not to mention including the grandparents!
As a result games tend to be limited to events like Christmas - when they can have so much more to offer.
Don't Get The Duck is a great little game for all. We have had 4 year olds teaching it to 60 year olds. They love that they understand it, can share it and can be in charge!
So consider following us, in the digital age it really does help us!
And if you're interested in a copy of Don’t Get The Duck check out our website.