Wholesaler Baby Brands is launching Japanese educational toy brand Artec to the Australian market.
Artec has been around for 60 years and is a well-regarded brand in Japan, with many of its educational products used in schools.
The initial range of paper kits will include the vacuum cleaner, lie detector, metal detector, eco-lantern, talking coin bank and shock game, which teach children how to build working models based on real scientific principles.
Although Baby Brands began as a baby product distributor, managing director Sean Richardson says the Artec range, which is aimed at children eight and over, is a good addition to the company’s portfolio because it is educational.
“Our goal is to provide inspiring products for children at each stage of their development,” he says. “Of course we have a wide range of products for babies and infants but our Discoveroo, Twigz Gardening and Putty Peeps ranges cater for older kids. Artec will fit in nicely above these brands in age profile.”
Richardson discovered the brand while on holiday in Thailand and immediately recognised its potential for the Australian market. “I saw the vacuum cleaner product and found it to be so clever. It teaches a valuable scientific concept in such a simple and affordable way.
“We have been looking for a science range for some time to complement our growing educational portfolio. When we made contact with Artec in Japan, it was a natural fit for both businesses.”
In addition to the Artec range, Baby Brands will also launch a new wooden construction range—including a helicopter, plane, police car and bike—from Discoveroo that Richardson says will appeal to young kids and their parents.
“Normally wooden construction sets are difficult for little ones and the result is usually a disappointment. With Discoveroo Build-a, kids can make amazing toys by themselves and be proud of the result.”
The new products will be available from July.
