Gander Kids debut at the 2012 London Toy Fair

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

London, UK, January 24, 2012 : Precocious new distributor Gander Kids make their debut at the 2012 London Toy Fair with an award winning range of products from the USA.

We have gone from zero to 100mph in the space of one year.

As exclusive distributors for the American company P’kolino, the UK-based toy and play furniture distributor have had an amazing first year, attracting stockists including John Lewis, Amazon and Firebox along the way. Product ranges have also featured on BBC1 and the Disney Junior Channel as well as a number of national parenting and interiors magazines.

Riding the wave of the ‘slow toy’ movement, the new kids on the block will be exhibiting the P’kolino range of award winning wooden puzzles and eco-friendly Arts and Crafts on stand G136 at the London Olympia Toy Fair. The range features;

Crayons and pencils which are coloured with food dye and angular shaped so
they won’t roll away;

A stylish wall mounted Safari elephant easel, which releases the valuable floor
space taken up by traditional easels; and

Silly Soft modular toddler seating that’s part furniture, part toy.

Also available will be the award-winning Multi Solution Puzzles, which were quickly snapped up by the London Design Museum and have proved popular with independent stores.

Gander Kids founder Maxine Lewis said: "We have gone from zero to 100mph in the space of one year." 2012 will see us launching a number of new products and the LondonToy Fair will be a great opportunity for us as a small business to reach a wider audience."

Those toys here fall under the Slow Toy category and slow toys have been defined as;
* ethically sourced
* fun to play with
* without batteries
* sold in independent toy shops
* durable
* without thousands of different functions

Products in the range have won two Practical Pre-School Awards, and a Practical Parenting & Pregnancy Magazine Award. The toy range also includes Art supplies, Easels, puzzles, rattles, tops, stackers and nesting birds.

The London Toy Fair takes place at the Grand Hall, Olympia from 24-26 January 2012 and is the UK's only trade event dedicated to toys, games and hobbies.

Gander Kids is a London based importer and wholesale distributor of quality toys and play furniture to the UK market and was listed in the 2011 O2 SMARTA 100 Business Awards. Maxine Lewis founded Gander in 2010 following a successful career in financial services and is the winner of the 2011 Best Start Up at the Mumpreneur UK Awards sponsored by Yell. www.ganderkids.co.uk

P’kolino (pee-ko-lee-no) was founded to improve play at home by two dads with a passion for creating great products. With the help of friends, family and a global network of designers, P’kolino has created play products that are beloved worldwide for their playful style and smart functionality. Their innovative line of toys, play furnishings, art supplies, décor and more offer children of all ages playfully smart solutions to improve play at home. P'kolino was founded in 2004 and is located in Florida, USA. www.pkolino.com

© 2012