Sea Shepherd + Fred & Farid Shanghai launch the Pollutoys to teach kids about plastic pollution

Every year, one million marine animals die from plastic ingestion. Yes, we could fight plastic pollution with shocking images. But we chose another option, to educate.

That is why Sea Shepherd launched a project created by Fred & Farid Shanghai, thereby creating a brand for children, and proposing an innovative new vision of engagement, as well as a new tool to educate kids.

VIEW THE CONCEPT

The Pollutoys are much more than simple plush toys. It’s a solution. Pollutoys is a powerful and fun way to teach our kids to respect the oceans and care about our planet.

Plushies with a twist

Pollutoys is a series of 8 adorable plushies teaching kids about the plastic pollution issue with a special twist. Meet Mark the shark, Pelle the pelican, Martha the ray manta, Willy the whale, Penny the Penguin… Adorable, right? These lovable plushies were designed in collaboration with early childhood teachers, and behind their cute faces lies a sad reality…There stomach is full of trash: a plastic bag, plastic bottle, plastic soda cup, straw, plastic cutlery, balloon, cap and all the other plastic junk that animals tend to eat.

A successful educative tool

They teach kids to protect the environment and develop an ecological conscientiousness.

“The kids in our class LOVED their Pollutoys! The simple fact of opening an animal belly and discover all the trashes, children were surprised first but they kept talking about it for weeks… Pollutoys are best toys to get their attention, to touch their heart and to open their imagination to find solutions together. It’s a perfect combination. Teachers and parents will love it!”, says Emilie Perier, an early childhood teacher from Orange Panda in Shanghai, who used Pollutoys in her 2-5 years old children class. Pollutoys are already used as an educative tool by the international organizations “CompaNanny” and Orange Panda” with dozens of pre-schools.

It takes passion …

The Pollutoys were born with the passion and the undefeated willingness of 4 partners:

The talented designer

Andrea Vida, a toy designer based in Budapest, has been designing animals since she is old enough to hold a needle. From her studio, she is crafting plushies with personalities and is selling them online to her fans around the world. She, amongst many, knows how kids love to cuddle their plushies and travel the world riding their favorite animals. She designed the 8 Pollutoys and hand crafted them with extra care and love in her studio.

The innovative educators

Teachers and childhood educators of CompaNanny (in Europe) and Orange Panda (in China) believe in children emotional intelligence, creativity and empathy. They are always exploring new ways to engage and educate kids. They know that learning through toys can help improve memory retention by 77% between 3 and 5 years of age. They proudly support Pollutoys by using them in classroom to raise kids awareness about our planet and oceans.

CompaNanny

Founded in 2003, CompaNanny is an early education organization based in the Netherlands. Its mission to make a positive contribution to new generations. They are specialized in the development of children, nurseries and after-school care.

Magnolia Kindergarten

Magnolia Kindergarten is an international kindergarten in Shanghai. Its main mission is to offer an international focused high level teaching to young children.

Futher education organisations are planning to bring Pollutoys in their class. For more info, contact us at info@pollutoys.com

The “never-give up” activists

Sea Shepherd’s mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. ‘Sea Shepherd‘ works to ensure their survival for future generations. Sea Shepherd supports the Pollutoys initiative.

People can donate online to support Sea Shepherd’s actions here.

The 3 partners know that Pollutoys might just be a drop in the ocean but it’s the ripples that matter. Pollutoys, the cutest way to save our oceans.

Credits –

Assistant Digital Producer: Adrien Salome