A text by Marie (GRIMM'S)
How and when did the idea for GRIMM'S products in neon colours come about?
Elke: The idea for the Neon Collection had been slumbering in my mind for a while, but finally became concrete at the beginning of 2023. The winter had been long and gray and seemed to have no end. I was in a museum on a gray Sunday afternoon and stood in front of a canvas by Rupprecht Geiger, a German artist whose art is known, among other things, for his vibrant colours. The luminosity of this colour, which shone at me with such positive energy, simply touched me and stuck with me. I realized once again how strongly colors can influence our emotions. A short time later, when I stumbled across the quote by Wassily Kandinsky: "Colour is a power which directly influences the soul," I knew we needed neon colors at GRIMM'S! This quote has now also become the guiding principle of our neon campaign.
What do you want to achieve with the Neon collection?
Marco: With our GRIMM'S X NEON collection, we want to emphasize how modern and contemporary classic wooden toys can be. Children love bright colors, and we especially love the contrast between the warm naturalness of the wood and the particularly bright colors.
When our company was still in its early stages, wooden toys were very niche and tended to be somewhat harshly labeled "eco-toys." And even though the values and quality behind them spoke for themselves, they simply weren't particularly hip, and awareness of sustainability wasn't yet very widespread among the majority of society. Our goal has always been to appeal to everyone with our toys, thus spreading the free play that our products represent to the world and demonstrating how valuable it is for children's development. Fortunately, wooden toys are now becoming increasingly popular and are no longer niche products.
Furthermore, with these captivating colors, we simply want to contribute to a positive feeling, which is urgently needed in times when so much is happening in the world and is good for mental health.
What were the reactions of the employees at GRIMM'S when they heard about the Neon products and saw the first prototypes?
Marco: The entire team was actually very enthusiastic and worked hard on the implementation of the new collection with dedication and a lot of positive vibes. Since we absolutely wanted to launch the collection as quickly as possible, because we were all so excited, there was a lot to get done in a short space of time. But we managed it, and we're incredibly happy about it! Many thanks again to all our employees!
How did the color combinations come about?
Elke: I'm fundamentally drawn to playing with opposites—to uniting seemingly opposites and creating something new. In this case, the modern coolness of the colors and the primal warmth of the material. The color combinations are simply 100% Elke. So I can't explain why so many arcs of the rainbow are in neon colors, soft colors, and wood tones, as they ultimately turned out to be. This was simply the most beautiful and harmonious way for me. First, I had the pink color scheme, and then I felt the need to add cool neon tones to the warm neon tones. This is how the neon green color scheme emerged.
What is special about the new colors?
Marco: We're especially proud that we've succeeded in using neon colors with a glaze technique for the first time. This is an absolute first in the field of color application in wooden toys and thus a significant milestone for us! The familiar GRIMM'S feel remains the same, and the colors are, of course, just as tested and safe as all the other colors we use.
Is the Neon collection a limited edition? Will there be more products in neon colors?
Marco: We can't answer these questions with any certainty at the moment. We'd love to have more neon products, but ultimately, of course, it's up to the customers to decide how much they like the colors and whether we'll include the collection in our product range and expand it, or whether it'll just accompany us for a nice summer.
What are your favorites from the collection?
Elke: My personal favorites from this collection are the Neon Pink Rainbow and the Neon Pink Disc Tower. These warm neon tones really appeal to me.
Marco: During the photoshoots with the kids, they grabbed all the products and played with everything. Within a very short time, all the colors were mixed together, and we discovered that the warm and cool neon tones shine even more brightly when combined than they already do. So, I don't have a single favorite from the collection, but I particularly like the blend of the two color worlds.
Do the neon colors glow in the dark?
Elke: No, our neon colors are daylight fluorescent colors, which means that their pigments reflect sunlight particularly well. However, they don't store light like night-glow colors do, and therefore don't glow in the dark.
What size is the neon rainbow?
Marco: The neon rainbow consists of 10 pieces, making it two sheets smaller than the large rainbow and the same size as the Numberland rainbow.
How did the new branding come about?
Elke: We've repeatedly received inquiries in the past about whether older products that families had at home were genuine GRIMM'S items or not. Even though our products can usually be identified by their unique look and feel, it becomes difficult to prove this with 100% certainty once the GRIMM'S stickers are no longer on them. We want to avoid these uncertainties in the future and have taken a closer look at laser-etched branding, finally implementing it for the first time in our Neon collection. We want to demonstrate that this is 100% GRIMM'S, and you can expect everything our company stands for! We're super happy with it!
What do you say to the criticism that some people would have preferred to see new products instead of new colors?
Marco: Fortunately, the vast majority of reactions to the neon items have been very positive. Many people seem to sense the positivity of the colors and appreciate the modern touches we've added to wooden toys. Of course, we knew you can never please everyone—especially with such striking, statement colors. But we were, and still are, so convinced of the colors that we wanted to focus on them and enhance the contrast by giving GRIMM'S classics a new look. So we consciously decided against new products for the neon collection.
However, we can already assure anyone who's hoping for new products that we have no shortage of inspiration and ideas, and we'll certainly fulfill this wish soon. So stay tuned ;)
What do you mean by #NotJustForKids?
Elke: #NotJustForKids is actually a long-standing dream of ours: to design toys that not only appeal to children and fulfill all the principles of free play, but that also appeal to adults in terms of quality and appearance, and therefore find their place wherever the family comes together and life is full of excitement. We want toys that the whole family loves and enjoys – our Neon collection, with #NotJustForKids, emphasizes the win-win situation for all ages!
And at the same time, it's also a very conscious invitation to all adults to play again themselves and thus be completely in the here and now. We all too often forget this in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and children are simply masters at it and our greatest source of inspiration!
