It starts with a town
Crateit Town is designed as a town that can grow. Every set is part of a bigger whole: a station, a house, a road, a vehicle. The sets have to stand on their own, but also fit in next to all the others, so the child can build on when the game calls for it.
That is why the work starts with how the parts fit together. The roads have to meet, the houses need room for the cars, and the stations need a way in and out for the call-out.
Designed in Odense
The sets are designed and developed in Odense. The focus is on what the child feels: that the parts click precisely into place without glue, that the cars roll naturally, and that the set can be taken apart and put together again.
Take the two newest sets as an example. Fire Station has 72 parts and measures 60 × 28 cm assembled, with a fire engine, a helicopter and a motorbike. Police Station has 80 parts and measures 74 × 29 cm, with police cars, a motorbike, 12 road pieces, a jail and a lookout tower.
Made by people, not machines
Crateit sets are produced in Danish sheltered workshops, where adults with special needs handle assembly and packing. Every part is shaped, assembled and packed by people. That creates meaningful work: more than 100 jobs across more than 20 workshops.
More than 50,000 wooden toys have been made that way. Every set carries a story of craft, care and community.
Tested and ready to play
The sets are made of MDF and tested and certified to EN71, the European standard for toys. The recommended age is 5-9 years, and the sets can be used from 3 years, with an adult assembling them up to 5 years.
And then it becomes the child's
The last step is taken by the child. The sets come uncoloured, so the town is only finished once it has its colours. Crateit markers are made for the wood and go on layer upon layer, so the colours can change again and again. There are five colour families, each with a 1 mm tip for details and 3 mm for large surfaces.
That is what we mean by open ended play: the toy is never quite finished. It changes along with the child.
Why the sets are uncoloured
Many people ask why Crateit sets are not coloured from the start. The answer is that the colouring is part of the game. When the child has coloured the fire station, it is their fire station. And because the markers can be layered, the first colour is not the final one.
The station can be blue today and green with red details next summer. The toy develops along with the child, for as long as the child wants to colour it.
A town that keeps growing
Because all sets in Crateit Town fit together, the town can grow over time. Some families start with a road and a couple of cars, and build on with stations, houses and bridges when the game calls for it. The parts click precisely into place without glue, so the town can be taken apart and built up in a new way when it is time for a change.
Why it matters who makes the toys
When you buy a Crateit set, it is not just a toy for your child. It is also part of work that means something to the people who shaped, assembled and packed it. Crateit was founded in 2021 with an idea of toys that both develop children and create meaningful jobs for people who are often overlooked in the job market.
That is the story every set carries with it, from the drawing in Odense to the town on your living room floor.
So the next time your child clicks the last part into place and picks up the first marker, it is the end of a long journey and the start of a new one. The rest of the story is written by the child, layer by layer and town by town, for as long as the game lasts.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Crateit produced?
In Denmark. The sets are designed in Odense and produced in Danish sheltered workshops.
What are the sets made of?
MDF. The sets are tested and certified to EN71 and come uncoloured.
See all of Crateit Town, and keep building your own town.
