Hershey, PA – In advance of Toy Fair 2016, Whole Wide World Toys announces its initiative to donate one World Village Playset to low-income schools for every nine sold, strengthening the key 21st century skill of cultural understanding and broadening children’s worldview right from the classroom.
This initiative dovetails with the mission of Whole Wide World Toys to inspire curiosity and respect for people of all cultures.
What is World Village Playsets?
World Village Playsets are fun and engaging educational toys that immerse kids, ages 4-10, in fascinating cultures with storytelling play. They are heirloom quality and richly detailed for hours of imaginative play. World Village Playset China retails for $59.99. World Village Playset Ireland will launch in late 2016.
Each playset includes:
Whole Wide World Toys will showcase World Village Playsets at Toy Fair 2016 Booth #4869L. For more information, visit our Toy Fair Online Press Kit.
What has the reaction been to World Village Playsets?
Since the launch in April 2015, World Village Playset - China has been lauded with awards citing its play value, social responsibility, beauty, and quality including Tillywig Brain Child Gold Award 2016, Dr. Toy's 10 Best Socially Responsible 2015, Dr. Toy's 100 Best Toys of the Year 2015, Parents’ Choice Silver Honor, Creative Child 2015 TOY OF THE YEAR Award, Kids Playsets and Creative Child 2015 PREFERRED CHOICE Award, Kids Playsets.
Tillywig opened their review with “This fun, distinctive children's product provides as rich and varied a play and learning experience as parents are likely to find.” While Parents’ Choice began with “Right out of the box, the beauty and quality of the World Village Playset - China is inescapable”
Why is World Village Playsets Important?
Fast Company’s 20 Predictions for the Next 20 Years foresees that a) Diversity will deepen, b) China and India will dominate and c) We will all be family, emphasizing that “our increasing knowledge of and intimacy with one another leads to greater understanding and opportunity for all.” In 20 years, today’s children will be young adults.
Scientific American asserts that diversity results in better problem solving (How Diversity Makes Us Smarter) giving hope to the possibility of solving difficult world problems with better cultural understanding as the reason.
Travel is ideal but is time consuming and expensive. World Village Playsets bring the world into the homes and classrooms of children so they can play and learn.
Founder, Laura Barta, lived in Germany, Egypt, and India while working and traveling to many countries. This transformed her worldview from the abstract world “out there” to a mosaic of delightful cultures and people.
“It’s exciting for us to offer toys to schools that kids love and teachers find useful. We hope that World Village Playsets will be the spark that encourages kids to get out there in the world and make life better.” said Barta.
“Families and teachers who understand the importance of cultural understanding for their children, realize that everyone benefits from human understanding. We think they’ll want to support this effort.”
Travel, technology, and diversity bring the world increasingly into people’s everyday lives, from the goods we buy, the people we meet at home or while traveling, to the jobs we seek. Cultural flexibility helps kids succeed in our changing world. This initiative to donate World Village Playsets to low-income schools gives more kids that opportunity.