Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax has launched a bespoke range of children’s toys.
The build-your-own range designed for children aged six and above has been created in conjunction with Small Machines – a Sheffield-based manufacturer of laser cut toy kits.
The aim is for the toys to inspire learning through building, making, basic engineering and construction.
Among the constructions that can be built are a tail-swishing and head-nodding lion and a miniature Zoom – a robot that appears in the museum’s exhibition All About Me.
“It has been an interesting journey and we’re really pleased we’ve managed to work with a local maker, local designers and even a local packaging company to launch our first range,” said Michelle Emerson, the museum’s marketing and development director.
“It is about getting Eureka! beyond the walls of the museum and beyond the north of England, where there are some well known brands.”
The project, which is part of the museum’s aims to establish a long-term licensing strategy, will be piloted until the end of the year. Its success will be measured by an analysis of sales figures and customer feedback, which is being collected through surveys available online and within the toy boxes.
Emerson said the museum has previously struggled to forge links with national brands and is hoping that this project will show potential partners what it is capable of.
“For bigger retailers there is a huge risk involved in developing a new brand,” said Emerson.
The build-your-own range designed for children aged six and above has been created in conjunction with Small Machines – a Sheffield-based manufacturer of laser cut toy kits.
The aim is for the toys to inspire learning through building, making, basic engineering and construction.
Among the constructions that can be built are a tail-swishing and head-nodding lion and a miniature Zoom – a robot that appears in the museum’s exhibition All About Me.
“It has been an interesting journey and we’re really pleased we’ve managed to work with a local maker, local designers and even a local packaging company to launch our first range,” said Michelle Emerson, the museum’s marketing and development director.
“It is about getting Eureka! beyond the walls of the museum and beyond the north of England, where there are some well known brands.”
The project, which is part of the museum’s aims to establish a long-term licensing strategy, will be piloted until the end of the year. Its success will be measured by an analysis of sales figures and customer feedback, which is being collected through surveys available online and within the toy boxes.
Emerson said the museum has previously struggled to forge links with national brands and is hoping that this project will show potential partners what it is capable of.
“For bigger retailers there is a huge risk involved in developing a new brand,” said Emerson.