Concord Mom Creates and Designs Innovative Line of Toy Houses

Storytime Toys on April 9 announced that just one day after launching its Kickstarter campaign to fund the first full production run of its collection of three toy house and storybooks sets based on classic fairy tales, its funding goal has been reached.

The Kickstarter campaign, which will run through May 6, will continue to raise additional funding through the end-date, during which time Storytime will invite backers to participate in choosing a fourth story to be developed into a toy house and storybook. Storytime also received the high honor of being selected as a Kickstarter Staff Pick in the product design category.

Concord mom Kara Meredith Dyer, who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a BS and MS in mechanical engineering in 2001, and received her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2007, utilized her training and expertise in engineering and business to concept and design a better dollhouse.

“Toy houses are fantastic for kids to play with to develop their imaginations, but when I was shopping, I was disappointed with the options,” said Dyer, who conceived the idea for Storytime Toys after she became frustrated when searching for a quality dollhouse for her 3-year-old daughter, Mae. “Either they were low-quality and not very interesting, or they were big, expensive and elaborate, taking up a ton of space.”

After refusing to settle and coming up empty-handed, she set her sights on creating a well-engineered, fun and beautiful toy house line that provides a happy medium between the two extremes. Dyer thought that toy houses could – and should – offer a lot more.

“When I started this process, I thought a lot about what could make a toy house really great for young children and their families, and designed the products around those specifications,” she said. Dyer wanted her line to appeal to parents and children alike – it should be affordable, provide a foundation for children to base their play, and be easily assembled and taken apart so children can pack it away neatly when finished playing.

Dyer’s finished product is an entertaining and well-rounded collection of toy houses based on classic fairy tales (“Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “Hansel and Gretel” and  “Three Little Pigs”). Each comes with a storybook, characters and furniture. As a set, the houses and books work together to provide children a foundation for pretend play while encouraging them to develop their reading skills. Each house can be easily assembled and taken apart by a young child (ages 3-6) without any tools or screws, and stored in a portable carrying case with a handle and secure closure. When full, the case is light enough to be carried by a child and easily storable on a bookshelf, preventing clutter. Parents will also appreciate the affordable price point ($30-40 SRP), thanks to a low-cost manufacturing process.

To perfect the look of the houses, Dyer brought on longtime friend and Rhode Island School of Design-trained illustrator Sara Argue as art director. Argue, who graduated from RISD with a BFA in illustration in 2005, created beautiful, hand-painted artwork for each of the houses and storybooks.

“With so many toys these days the artwork is an afterthought. We wanted to create artwork that appeals to both girls and boys, which is why we settled on classic fairy tales as the basis for our collection,” Argue said. Argue decided watercolor was the perfect medium for creating timeless illustrations for the beloved stories, and she incorporated many tiny details, from the candy on the Hansel & Gretel house to a swing and tree house for Baby Bear in the Goldilocks tale, to stimulate kids’ imaginations and build an interest in art and design.

Dyer and Argue were able to keep their development cost low by doing all of the engineering, design and prototyping themselves. To place its first full production order, they turned to Kickstarter.

The online campaign invites potential backers inside the evolution of Storytime Toys, from conception and early sketches and first prototypes to its mini-production run. For a donation of $40 for one house or $100 for a neighborhood of all three houses, backers can support Storytime’s efforts to create affordable, well-engineered, fun and portable toy houses that encourage children to read and play.

After reaching its initial goal of $20,000, Storytime is ready to place its first full production order for the first three houses in the collection. Due to the campaign’s overwhelming success, Storytime Toys will continue to raise additional funding through May 6. Throughout the remainder of the campaign, Storytime will post sketches, models, images and story options for the next house, which will be decided on by its Kickstarter backers. For a minimum contribution of $40, backers can vote on which of the additional options will become the fourth toy house and storybook in the Storytime Toys collection. It’s an opportunity for potential backers to be part of the process from a development perspective.

To see the campaign, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/760374600/the-storytime-toys-fairytale-house-collection.

According to its website, Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects – from films, games and music to art, design and technology. It is host to ambitious, innovative and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others. 

About Storytime Toys

Founded in 2012 by Kara Dyer, Storytime Toys is a boutique toy design and manufacturing company that creates toys for children. Our toys are completely original designs that are colorful and engaging – just like your favorite story.   We design our toys with children in mind – filling each one with beautiful, detailed artwork that draws them in, sparking new ideas and ways to play.  We also design with parents in mind – none of our toys use batteries, all are safe and environmentally friendly, they encourage literacy, creativity and imagination.