Djeco does their creative work of designing and inventing children’s toys in Paris along a little cobbled alley way on the banks of the Seine. They consider their inventions a team effort, with input from illustrators, designers and graphic artists.
The name Djeco comes from a reference to the gecko lizard which is said to bring good luck to the homes of South East Asia.
Djeco was founded in 1954 by the mother of the current managing director – Frederic. She was working as a manager of a holiday camp and devised small educational games for her daughter, including dominoes, number games, lotto etc.
In the 1960’s Djeco became a success, winning a number of awards for its designs. Then Djeco went into a deep sleep until Frederic was all grown up and took over the family company in 1989. He was interested in finding toys from all over the world that could not be found in France. However, in his imagination there were toys that could not be found anywhere in the world. In 1997 he began to produce educational toys of an artistic disposition not found in the toy world.
He designed wooden toys, jigsaws and puzzles first, then added card games and board games. In 2004 the company began to design decorative items for children’s bedrooms. In 2006 they added craft kits to the range of Djeco toys.
The toys grew from an emphasis on graphic art, design quality and aesthetic knack, and became a hallmark of a new era in games.
Djeco have a large team that are focussed on creative design. Over half their team works on toy creation, and they have absolute freedom. This allows for the most fun and craziest ideas to be developed.
Graphic artists, designers, illustrators and inventors all share their bubbling and colourful ideas. However, the emphasis is not only on aesthetic appeal for they make sure their toys are practical, smart and above all doable.
They love innovating and are always ready to take risks to make their dreams become a reality. There is a real emphasis on quality and safety. Suppliers are audited at each stage of the process against a long list of criteria for each toy. The company employs a continual process of improvement and development in the making of Djeco toys.
You can browse our range of Djeco toys here.
To visit the Djeco website, click this link.