When you hold a Crateit set in your hands, someone has shaped the parts, assembled them and put them in the box. It is not a machine on the other side of the world, but people in sheltered workshops around Denmark.
We develop more than toys
Crateit was founded in 2021 by Tonny and Martin, two students with an idea: wooden toys that both stimulate children's cognitive development and provide meaningful employment to people often overlooked in the job market. As we put it ourselves: we develop more than toys, we develop people.
What is a sheltered workshop?
A sheltered workshop is a workplace for people who, for various reasons, cannot work on ordinary terms in the job market. The work is organised so there is room for each person, and it gives a daily life with tasks, colleagues and something to be proud of.
Hands, heart and action
- Hands. Every single part is shaped, assembled and packed by people. Not machines.
- Heart. We build identity, community and pride. One toy at a time. Our production happens close to the people it helps.
- Action. We create meaningful work in Danish sheltered workshops.
The numbers behind it
Since the start, Crateit has created more than 100 meaningful jobs, worked with more than 20 sheltered workshops and produced more than 50,000 pieces of wooden toys that are played with in 15 markets.
Designed in Odense
Everything is designed with us in Odense. This is where we draw new sets, test how the parts click together without glue, and make sure everything can be taken apart and built again. The toys are tested to EN71-3, the European standard for toy safety.
What does it mean for you?
When you choose Crateit Town, Roomies or our markers, your child gets toys made to be played with and coloured again and again. And you help create work for people who are often left outside.
Why not just produce more cheaply?
It is a question we are often asked. The answer is that the production is the idea itself. Crateit is not only about the toys that end up in the children's room, but also about the people who make them. For many who work in a sheltered workshop, a task with a finished product that you can see in a shop is something special.
When you can point at a set and say "I helped make that", it means something. That is the pride we mean when we write that we build identity, community and pride, one toy at a time.
From drawing to box
A new set starts as an idea in Odense. We draw the parts so they click precisely into each other without glue, and so the set can be taken apart and built again. Then the parts are shaped, assembled and packed at the workshops. Each step is organised to suit the people doing it.
Toys that can be played with
The fact that the toys are made by people does not mean they should sit on a shelf and be looked after. They are made to be played with, coloured and coloured again. The sets come in bare wood, and our markers are made for the wood, so the children choose the colours themselves.
A local story
Crateit is a company from Odense, and we are proud of that. But the workshops are spread across the whole country, and that is exactly the point: production happens close to the people it helps. When you buy a set, the work goes to Danish workshops and not to a factory on the other side of the world.
What can you do?
You do not need to do anything special to support the idea. The most important thing is that the toys get used. When a set is played with, coloured and passed on to the next children in the family, the work that went into it has been put to good use. And feel free to pass the story on when you give it as a gift. Many people are glad to hear who made it.
You can read more about who we are on our front page.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Crateit made?
Crateit is designed in Odense and made in sheltered workshops around Denmark, where every part is shaped, assembled and packed by people.
How many workshops does Crateit work with?
Crateit has worked with more than 20 sheltered workshops and created more than 100 meaningful jobs.
Are the toys safety tested?
Yes. The toys are tested to EN71-3, the European standard for toy safety.
