Kids seem to have the attention span of fruit flies when it comes to toys. They fall in love with anything new, until the next new thing grabs their attention and affections. (When I was a lad we’d be happy with a tin can, a piece of string and a stick to rattle against the railings. Well perhaps not, but you know what I mean).
The important thing is that it’s new to them, which is all that matters – they’ll play for hours with other kids’ toys as happily as a newly unwrapped christmas gift. So I’ve wondered for ages when someone would work out the logistics for renting out toys as a business.
The ingeniously named rentAtoy seems to do precisely this. Think of DVD rental companies like LoveFilm or NetFlix but for toys. You get some, play with them, then send them back for the next batch. The toys are cleaned and checked each time and they’re all educational which is another nice touch.
Seems obvious doesn’t it. Far more sustainable to re-use Vs. produce new, less clutter in the home, cheaper and the kids still get to fill their boots with fresh toy experiences.
How much of a success this business this turns out to be remains to be seen. But it’s a great example of what Green Thing friends / advisors John Grant and Jules Peck wrote in their excellent pamphlet ‘Hope & Glory‘ last year: “Product to service business model shifts will thrive as reuse and share will mean producers need to become services.”
Meanwhile, the thought of re-used, rented toys under trees all over America this Christmas leaves me with the same warm feeling in my tum as a pint of freshly mulled wine.
http://www.dothegreenthing.com/blog
