Zoovenirs
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
A couple of weeks ago I went to the zoo, not only to observe the fauna but also to browse the gift shop. I discovered a line of Australian wooden toys called Anamalz and I had to get more than one! My wife got the alligator, I got the panda and my parents are going to get the lion and tiger for Christmas - let’s hope they don’t read this post! Winner of an Australian International Design Award this year and awarded the top three-star rating by the Canadian Toy Testing Council for 2008, these environmentally friendly animals are conceived «through sketch drawings while drinking coffee and eating cake in Torquay, a little seaside town in Australia famous for surfing and surfclothing (Quicksilver and Rip Curl).» says Tim Scott, co-founder and business development manager. «We take the sketches and put them into technical drawings. I go to the lathe and turn the shapes, and attach the legs and materials according to the design. We then engage Darren Keating (Lion King 2) to do the illustrations of the faces and paintwork.» «We» refers to Tim and Louise Scott (who is at the origin of the concept and is the lead designer). Made from FSC maple wood, water based paints and fabrics made from recycled materials the toys are now being distributed by Russ Berrie. Congratulations, Anamalz!
PS : I would love to work around coffee and cake on the beach! Where is Torquay, anyway?