Flexo’s Mark and James Stolten on the key to unlocking creativity in all of us
When it comes to nurturing imagination, Flexo's toy bricks do it all – from flexible construction to flexible crafting, the creations are endless.
Designed to appeal to both boys and girls, Flexo allows children to express their creativity in limitless ways.
There is a little creator inside each of us- that's something we believe in deeply. And giving that little creator the environment, the tools and most importantly the confidence to express themselves is what Flexo is all about. Where are our little creators? Who are they? And what can we do to help them keep up with their imaginations? This is where our BNZ Supersize SME workshops have proven invaluable.
With firm guidance from our mentors, we have been able to roadmap our future products and develop some exciting IP. Most exciting of all though has been gaining an even deeper understanding of just who our target demographic is. It sounds simple right?! We are a toy, so surely kids are the market, right?
Typically the construction brick market has been skewed quite heavily in favour of boys when it comes to just who is doing the creating - 80/20 is the generally accepted figure within the industry. Construction as a concept and the rigid boundaries it traditionally sticks within perhaps resonates with boys more than it does girls. It certainly has done for more than a couple of generations now for LEGO. And while newer initiatives and sets like LEGO Friends appeal to girls to a degree, it's still quite stereotypical to assume that every girl loves horses! We have always held the philosophy that both genders merely express their creativity in different ways. We want to help boys AND girls get their ideas out of their heads and into reality!
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Some of the most amazing Flexo creations have been designed, built, played with and shared with us by girls, and we get to observe some amazing trends whenever we attend brick shows around the country. Our Free Play table is always a 50/50 split of both boys and girls - and a lot of the time the girls have better stickability and show greater intuition than their male counterparts. Flexible construction is something young girls have taken a shining to, and we couldn't be more thrilled to nurture that.
Feedback from some happy parents of girls has included "a birthday party of 11-year-old girls were silent for an hour while they made their Flexo models" and "my daughter usually doesn't like LEGO but she loves Flexo!". There's something about hearing those stories that get's us really excited and inspired - and when we're inspired new ideas seem to flow!
Bendable cute creatures and curveable geometric shapes resonate with kids, who develop a narrative and story around the playability of them - while at the same time developing their fine motor skills. In that regard, Flexo is the sugar that hides the medicine of critical childhood development. Play is crucial to learning and growing in confidence, and we've now really turned our focus to developing a range of products which extend kids, challenge kids and excite kids - of both genders.
The world of flexible construction to one child, is perhaps a world of flexible crafting to another. Where one child sees tank tracks, perhaps the other sees a headband or a conveyor belt. All are equally plausible and completely possible. This is the beauty of Flexo - it is the same product but viewed through two very different developing lenses. And as a product which seeks to enhance existing brick collections in homes all over the globe as well as nurture imaginations and ideas, we couldn't be happier about our place in the market for ALL little creators.
