Image: Alex Schelbert/wildcard.de
The world’s biggest toy fair, Spielwarenmesse, saw a footfall of 58,000 retailers and buyers from 128 countries.
Irish start-up HoloToyz has been recognised in Germany for its “outstandingly innovative” augmented reality-based tattoos and stickers.
The Dublin-based company won the prestigious Start-up ToyAward at Spielwarenmesse, the world’s largest toy fair. The multi-day event hosts trade visitors, journalists and selected guests in Nuremberg every year.
HoloToyz was particularly commended for its use of new technologies, easy-to-use app and the cost of its products.
CEO and co-founder Kate Scott said HoloToyz, which is an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up, was selected from a pool of 584 new products registered at the event.
“We believe that our ‘Awesome Reality’ technology will revolutionize the toy industry, and we’re proud to be leading the way with our innovative and kid-friendly products,” she said.
HoloToyz was founded by Scott, sales director Declan Fahy and Paul Cosgrave in 2020. Soon after, the start-up secured major licensing agreements with Nickelodeon and Sega and launched a series of tattoos, stickers and books for the popular Paw Patrol series.
A former SiliconRepublic.com Start-up of the Week, HoloToyz is on a mission to help children play and learn in a safe, augmented reality environment. Its many products come to life, so to speak, through its app that incorporates state-of-the-art 3D animations and graphics.
The latest win at Spielwarenmesse is a big boost to HoloToyz’ goal of leveraging new technologies to enhance children’s play and learning experiences.
“Winning the toy award gave us significant exposure at the world’s largest toy fair and put us on the radar of some of the world’s largest toy distributors, further solidifying our position as a leading player in the industry,” said Fahy, who is the company’s sales director.
HoloToyz also unveiled a host of new products at the toy fair which will be launched to market by 2024. These include jigsaw puzzles, t-shirt activity sets, cube puzzles, wall decals, books and collectibles that all come to life using their ‘Awesome Reality’ tech.
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