When Daniel Grossman founded Wild Planet in 1993, his goal was much larger than to simply make toys. The the idea for the company was really twofold. One was to create a social purpose organization. I was part of the Social Ensure network and there was a lot of focus on values. The second was. Based on my experience in a previous Tour Company where we identified that parents had a tough time relying on brands for their school aged kids once they left the preschool area.” So we wanted to create brands that they could rely on as being good for their kids, but also cool for their kids.” Cool is important to Daniel, in fact, he is so passionate about toys. That he still has many from his childhood on display in his office. In a world where children are mostly entertained by cable TV, computer and console games, he saw an opportunity as an entrepreneur to put a modern spin on some of these older toys, thus inspiring creative thinking and active play. To achieve this, he had to establish a corporate environment that was nimble, creative and highly responsive. 

The toy industry requires constant innovation, as do many other industries. There are very few products in the toy industry that year after year are exactly the same product. When they come to market, the buyers and the retail want to see change. Kids want to see change. Parents want to see change. So if we always try and stay creative by being in a constant creative brainstorm mode, that can be a brainstorm in this office or something out by the Bay thinking about ideas for new toys or new marketing concepts. They also stay close to their ultimate customer kids for both. Inspiration and feedback. We have been involved constantly since inception with kids in in literacy programs and ideation programs where we're working with them and and building off their creativity.

What did you see from Daniel Grossman and Wild Planet that has helped them compete with the larger, more established toy makers?