When my wife, Amy told me for the first time that she is pregnant with our son and I recovered from the shock, I couldn’t wait to take her to the place I adore and miss so much….my home - Prague, Czech Republic.
It’s a magical place, just like from a fairytale. Rich in history, with stunning architecture and historical landmarks that date all the way back to the 9th century, that you'll find all throughout the city and country.
It isn’t surprising to me that this small country is one of the most popular to visit in the world and also in the top three countries to live in. The beauty of Czech Republic is just magnificent, but why is it so impressive and why do people from all over the world just want to keep coming back? The reason is actually pretty simple. Czechs are well known for being hard working, perfectionists with a strong eye for detail and craftsmanship - traits that we share with our German neighbours.
To this day we cherish our talented craftsmen and are trying as hard as possible to keep production within our homeland to support our people and their skills, rather than moving it offshore to countries such as China. This would surely see the end to the quality of work and the skills that have been acquired by our people and kept alive for centuries.
After WWII and the occupation by Russian Federation, a lot of these small family owned and operated businesses were stolen, damaged or shut down due to so much political pressure. Thankfully we never gave up, and after the velvet revolution when democracy returned, we reunited and together we took back what was taken from our people and came back better and stronger than ever!
A lot of these businesses also managed to pass on the secrets, skills, tools and machinery to the next generation who are to this day, helping to keep these traditions alive and maintain what we have been well known for, for centuries.
It is an unwritten rule that anyone who visits our beautiful country, must take home something special with them as a souvenir, like our handcrafted musical instruments, clocks, kitchenware or traditional Czech toys…yes, toys are what I REALLY wanted to talk to you about!
Czech Republic is now one of only a few countries that are still producing handmade traditional wooden, tin and crochet toys using only the best sustainably sourced materials, traditional tools, machinery and designs, which date back as far as 120 years ago.
When I took Amy to Prague’s Old Town Square and she saw these beautifully made toys for the first time, she couldn’t believe that they still exist! She was amazed by the design and quality which is what made them something really special that she had to have for our son. All these toys have such character that makes them so uniquely different and something to cherish forever.
When we returned home from trip and shopping spree, the idea that sparked the desire to start our toy business in the first place was born. It all began with a toy that my grandad played with when he was little which he then passed onto his son, my father, who also played with it and then passed it onto my sisters and me. So by the time I got to play with this this toy, it had been loved and cherished by more than four members of our family! So much history and so many memories it had shared.
In recent years, I found this very special box of toys and was reminded of the story by my mum who then passed the toys onto my sisters children who are still been playing with them to this day. It made me realise what incredible value this toy has and how it has become an heirloom that will be treasured dearly, along with all the memories that it carries with it.
That is why we both believe in sourcing beautiful, quality pieces with simple, durable designs that are loved and will be for generations.
Thank you so much for reading!
Vojta.