Japanese minimalist designed toy and gift brand kikoi+ & gg* has appointed Axis Toys & Gifts as its Australian and New Zealand distributor.
The brand had been brought in previously by a retailer during Covid who decided to distribute it but as of last year wanted to focus back on her interior design business and had let it lapse, explains Paula Opfer, co-founder Axis Toys & Gifts .
“So under mutual agreement Kaz from kiko & gg approached us to distribute,” she adds, “and we’re delighted to be representing this beautiful range.”
Founded 15 years ago by two Japanese toy designers, Kaz and Novi are focused on making nostalgic eco-friendly toys that spark creativity and a child’s imagination, saying that “toys should be a communication tool for both kids and parents”.
They work closely with both international and Japanese designers to reinvent and transform disposable plastic toys that are nostalgic childhood favourites into wooden heirloom pieces, which suits Axis Toys & Gifts’ sustainability philosophy perfectly.
“Our focus is on classic and sustainable but kiko+ & gg* takes this a whole step further with every piece offering a little something extra to keep that sparkle and fun in favourite play pieces.
“We think the range is a good fit for the Australian market based on our customer’s love for aesthetic pieces and for us because of the nostalgic and sustainable approach. It has a novel but familiar appeal which is very attractive.”
Each piece under the kiko+ label has been created with a fun, functional design in mind whether it is a wooden gum ball machine, kaleidoscope, water game, retro pay phone or wooden pull-back car, while the educational and open-ended games under the gg* banner such as their blocks and magna doodles present a fun twist in a logical presentation.
