multi-award winning business on the gro has been honoured with the best new product trophy at the my child excellence awards for its imaginabox.
the awards were announced at the baby & kids national buyers show in melbourne and celebrate the best in baby and children’s products in australia across a range of categories.
on the gro owner melanie seears – who designs and manufactures her own products – has also won the australian business award for best new product 2011 for her kush-ee mat, the redarc innovation award and the south australian young entrepreneur of the year in 2011.
she says the imaginabox – which turns a cardboard box into a working toy – was inspired by watching her kids.
“motherhood has proven to be a vital source of inspiration for me,” seears says. “not only do i get to stay at home and raise our children, but i am constantly learning from their needs and drawing upon their energy, which i then translate across my ideas and products.
“the imaginabox product is a direct example of this – i saw how much our children loved playing with cardboard boxes, decided that i could enhance a box and make it more interactive, then set about designing the imaginabox range which has proven to be a best-seller.
“the best thing about the imaginabox product is that it’s ethical too. whilst it promotes good old imaginative play in children, it also touches on the importance of recycling and reusing all its parts.”
