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Sensory play is a type of activity that stimulates a child’s senses. These play materials stimulate touch, sight and hearing. I’ll be honest, even as an adult, I’m also attracted to some of these toys, like pop-it toys and clay, that can be molded into miniature sculptures.
Over the last year, I’ve seen a lot of stores on Instagram and Shopee that sell children’s toys, e.g. messyplaydontcare and hand-box.my. Homemade Play-Doh, slime, sand and rice are usually the items.
Alison, who created it GureJolas Egunkaria (OPD), is not highly graded by market competition.
“When I started doing this 9 years ago, people were skeptical,” he told the Vulcan Post. Alison was asked why she allowed her children to play with rice in a confusing way.
“But look at the market now,” he noted. “It takes so much time and effort to create the perfect play tray. In fact, there is competition in this market, I saw it happening! ”
Although she did not leave her job as a geophysicist to start the OPD, the positive feedback and appreciation she has received for her play materials are the factors that have pushed Alison forward.
Changing priorities
Alison was a committed geophysicist for 9 years, the day before her first child, her son, gave birth. “I enjoyed my job, I traveled by boat and worked on construction sites, and the SMART Tunnel was one of them,” Alison said.
“It was a wonderful place to work and I miss it so much. My boss had a place for me to leave after many years, but my priorities changed.”
At the same time, OPD started using Alison’s personal Instagram account as a way to record her children’s play. She made all the toys for her son after seeing that the activity could help young children get to know the different sensory textures of nature. It was something the son was going through hard.
“As a young child, it was difficult for him to get his feet in the sand because he could not enjoy the sand between his toes. Going to the beach was a nightmare, ”Alison recalled. But frequent exposure to various sensory tissues helped. At the age of 3, he overcame this problem and enjoyed drilling into the sand.
While living in Singapore, Alison decided to join a children’s art festival to showcase and sell her home toys. There, his PlayDough quickly ran out.
Alison realized that maybe she could start a business around her craft. Returning to Malaysia, he created the right Instagram account for OPD in December 2018.
“The nervous start was slow, but I couldn’t believe it when someone made a request, I’ll always remember it. I also delivered it by hand, ”Alison said.
Freshly made toys
Because parents tend to be wary of the materials commonly used in the products they handle for their children, the OPD explains in a transparent way the processes and components used in its sensory materials. For example, OPD lemon is made with the basic ingredients of regular school glue and salt solution (used to clean contact lenses).
“It simply came to our notice then. No secret, ”Alison said.
The ingredients are sourced from specialist shops, which is why they can cost between RM15 and RM182. She prepares and consumes her family’s non-exhaustive raw materials for play, so it’s a waste of a minimum.
OPD’s Shopee page also says that all products are made to order, and I found this remarkable because the focus on the freshness of an item is usually in the F&B category as food is lost.
But looking at the products sold in OPD, you can see that most products are made with food-based ingredients such as Play Potion, Sensory Pasta, Rice and Salt.
With the order being placed, OPD toys are also expected to have a limited lifespan. For stretching, Alison recommends playing with clean materials and a clean surface.
“And storing them in our jars after playing guarantees a duration of 3 to 6 months or more,” he added. “Here’s a secret OPD: You can resurrect a dry PlayDough by adding a few drops of water at a time and giving it a good knead, just as good as new.”
Alison also shared her two cents with parents who may be worried about the disorder after playing with sensory materials.
There may be a deterrent to cleaning up after playing, which can be a deterrent, but cleaning up is a learning process. [the kids] involved. They will learn the reactions, the limitations and how to manage them, and the confusion will be significantly less.
Alison Joseph, founder of OurPlayDiary
Making a profit is not a priority right now
Although Alison did not disclose how much capital was invested in the OPD, she shared that the business was up and running. In terms of OPD sales, it has reportedly leveled off over the past 12 months, with its PlayDough, Sensory Pasta and Rice being the best-selling in the business.
“The OPD has been growing organically in recent years. Our profits are subjective and not the driving force behind education and new product development, ”Alison said.
For now, being profitable isn’t the goal for Alison, as she hopes to grow a community of parents who are in favor of the sensory play method. “Actually, after selling thousands of units, I see business and potential in the market. We will soon change the brand and analyze the profits,” he added.
And to achieve profitability, the entrepreneur hopes to receive more bulk orders.
Having already delivered its gaming material nationwide, the OPD is looking to expand to more SEA countries, New Zealand and the US in 2022.
Meanwhile, Alison teased that a website is up and running for making OPD premium play materials. “The dream is to open the most colorful physical store where kids and parents can touch, feel and choose their favorites,” Alison hoped.
- You can learn more about our PlayDiary here.
- You can read more about other Malaysian startups we’ve written about here.
Featured Image Credit: Alison Joseph, founder of OurPlayDiary
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