Get Inventive with ToyVentive – an Eau Claire-Based Toy Company
Chippewa Valley business creates educational, interactive wooden toys
When it comes to picking out a toy for your kiddo, how do you know you’re picking the right one? The choices are overwhelming, but ToyVentive – an Eau Claire-based children’s toy company – believes that when it comes to getting the right toy, less is more.
Tomi Stoyanova, owner of ToyVentive, opened her online shop in 2018 and has since worked to create products that “encourage creative thinking and empower kids through innovative educational toys” by adapting traditional wooden toys to modern-day children’s play.
“I was inspired by the timeless and natural look of the wooden toys,” Stoyanova said, “and the more I learned to use them as learning tools, I realized the bond that formed between me and my child.”
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I was inspired by the timeless and natural look of the wooden toys, and the more I learned to use them as learning tools, I realized the bond that formed between me and my child.
TOMI STOYANOVA
TOYVENTIVE FOUNDER
After having her first child, Stoyanova learned more about early childhood development to find new ways to add educational elements into playtime that would help her child grow.
ToyVentive’s most popular toy is their Wooden Block Activity Cube – ranked No. 3 on the best toys list for 1-year-olds according to The Today Show. It’s a five-in-one playing cube that includes counting beads, clock hands, sort the shape, turning gears, and more.
And recently, ToyVentive has been working to create a new activity cube that is larger than the previous one with different activities. Not only that, but each cube comes with an interactive book for parents to use alongside their child to enhance play through educational instruction. “Not all parents know how to incorporate education and encourage imagination through play,” Stoyanova said, “(so) it was my goal to share that with other parents and their children.”
Stoyanova hopes that one day she will be able to open a new, in-person toy store here in the Eau Claire area.
Check out their toys at toyventive.com or on Amazon. The Learn & Play Blog (toyventive.com/blog) has information on educational choices for parents. Find them on Facebook (@ToyVentive), Instagram (@toyventive), and Pinterest (@toyventive).
