Orchard Toys have been around for more than 40 years and focus heavily on creating educational games and puzzles.

Let’s take a closer look at the Orchard Toys brand.

Who Are Orchard Toys?

Orchard Toys are a leading manufacturer of educational puzzles and games – both here in the UK and around the globe. The company was formed more than 40 years ago, and started out by making blocks and stencils for a local nursery school. Their company slogan is “Learning Made Fun.”

The company is based in Wymondham, in Norfolk, where they design, produce, and pack all of their toys and games. On their official website, Orchard Toys state that:

“With a reputation for quality and durability, we pride ourselves on creating products that can withstand the wear and tear of little hands, whether this be at home, in a childcare setting or in schools.”

Orchard Toys also say that their brand has been passed down through the generations. With customers who were given their toys as youngsters now passing them down to their own children and grandchildren.

The brand has won various awards over the years, such as the Mother & Baby Gold Award for Shopping List, and the Toy Fair Best New Toy for Where Do I Live.

Creative Learning

As we’ve already discussed, the main aim of any game or puzzle created by Orchard Toys is to educate. The company work with teachers, nursery professionals, and even children themselves to ensure there is a perfect balance between play value and learning. Skills focused on include:

• Social skills.
• Hand-eye coordination.
• Counting.
• Colour recognition.
• Turn-taking.
• Literacy.
• Memory.
• Observation skills.
• Shape recognition.

The team at Orchard spend plenty of time play-testing new ideas. They do this through prototypes and observation as the children test out their new creations. This helps them to check that the gameplay works, is educationally beneficial, and aimed at the correct age group.

With their puzzles, the creative team ensure that they feature detailed illustrations and colourful characters – this helps children to enjoy learning as they solve the puzzle. Each illustration is hand-drawn by Orchard Toys’ design team, who include attention to detail, added value, and discussion points cleverly embedded into the design.

A Brand That Cares!

Orchard Toys have been supporting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice (EACH) for several years. Throughout the year they organise fundraisers to try and raise as much money as possible, such as cake sales and bike rides.

Shop Orchard Toys

We’re delighted that Orchard Toys have joined the Toy Street family. Take a look through our collection today and pick out some games and puzzles for your little ones!

Editors note: This blog was originally published on October 11th, 2018. Updated on December 1st, 2021 to improve the information available.