RETAIL RUNDOWN
TOYNK NAVIGATES A VIRTUAL WORLD WITH MERCH FOR EVERY FANDOM.
Set Porcelain Tea rauder’s Map k yn To : Harry Potter Ma ce ur brand | So Robe Factory from Ukonic’s
BY JACKIE CUCCO, SENIOR EDITOR
W
hat happens when the little kids who dressed as Cinderella and Belle at their magical Disney tea parties grow up? If Toynk has anything to say about it, they keep the tradition going. While owning a Disney Princess tea set or a Star Trek lunch box might seem childish, Toynk is making them cool again for the grown-up geek in all of us. Toynk began in 2001 when three friends hatched a plan to dump the corporate grind and create a company centered around fun products. The brand has come a long way from selling toys out of a small apartment in Chicago. Twenty years later, Toynk has more than 200 employees; a retail store in Addison, Illinois; and a website where people can purchase fandom-inspired home goods, office supplies, apparel, games, collectibles,
and more to add a touch of geeky class to their homes. “Toynk is fun, it’s geeky, it’s nerdy. It’s a colorful, bright, happy brand in the business of bringing people things they love,” says Toynk’s Public Relations and Media Coordinator Summer Grinwis. “We connect with people on this really fun and intimate level because we’re tapping into their passions. And sometimes these are the passions that they don’t always talk about unless they’re around like-minded people. We love matching people up with those fandoms that fit them just right.”
Years ago, the company used to deal primarily with toys and costumes, but it now focuses largely on home goods, apparel, and jewelry after finding a lack of high-quality, fan-focused products for adults. “Those fans started out 20 years ago and now they’re adults. They want practical things so they can bring a little bit of that magic back home and use it on the regular,” Grinwis says. Some of Toynk’s most popular items include a Star Trek whiskey decanter set, a Millennium Falcon carpet, an Iron Man gauntlet desk lamp, a Harry Potter Marauder’s Map porcelain tea set, and Disney Princess dinnerware. “Fans don’t just want to let their collections sit and collect dust: They want to show them off,” Grinwis says. “Being able to wear a Star Wars T-shirt or host a Disney Princess-themed dinner party allows our fans to show off their nerdy side in a fun and functional way.”
EMBRACING A VIRTUAL WORLD Ukonic is a supplier for Toynk, designing exclusive Robe Factory products for the brand, including the aforementioned Disney Princess dinnerware and the Star 16 | Issue No. 9 2 | THE POP INSIDER
Toynk_Issue9.indd 16
Star Trek Whiskey Decanter Set from Ukonic’s Robe Factory brand | Source: Toynk
3/17/21 10:53 AM