Smol Block, a niche toy company in Goa that manufactures eco-friendly wooden toys, made waves at the recently concluded Nuremberg International Toy Fair 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany for their toys’ eye-catching minimalist Scandinavian designs.
“Despite being a small startup among thousands of companies present at the Fair, we’ve managed to spark interest and connect with numerous attendees at our stand in the StartupArea,” said Aaron D’Costa, co-founder of Smol Block, located in Porvorim.
Colloquially known as the Spielwarenmesse, the Nuremberg International Toy Fair is the world’s largest toy exhibition; hence, D’Costa was ecstatic to showcase Smol Block’s offerings to a global audience.
The Tower Build, which is a set of architectural construction blocks and the Creator Blocks, which are a set of interconnecting structure/character building blocks were two new additions to Smol Block’s diverse collection of toys that were promoted at the Fair and were a hit with visitors.
“These additions not only enhance our range but also encourage imaginative play and learning. We have also introduced variants with laser-etched features to add personality and educational value to our animal characters,” stated D’Costa.
According to D’Costa, as Smol Block utilises sustainably sourced materials like beechwood and rubberwood to craft their toys in minimalist Scandinavian designs, attendees at the Fair found the Nordic connection fascinating, which forged more business connections.
“Several visitors were quite intrigued by the Norway-Goa connection and our approach to natural and sustainable products, which stood out amongst the vast range of offerings at the event. The dinosaurs on the balancing arc toys and the characters in our new illustrated animal booklets resonated with attendees,” D’Costa enthused.
The future of Smol Block in the international commercial world is brimming with promise as D’Costa stated that “discussions with multiple online and physical retailers and distributors across Europe, the UK and the US have occurred and we are already on the path to scaling up our production operations in response to the new demand.”
Smol Block’s focus on creativity and innovation drives them to explore new horizons within the early-education space. Their vision is to create a Lego-like wooden toy universe of their own, offering limitless possibilities for imaginative play.
