When did you start up and why? Clockwork Soldier was founded in 2010 from the back bedroom of founder, Rob Dakin's flat.
What prompted you to launch the business? The original ranges were born from a need for beautiful alternatives to traditional toys, particularly to fill the gap in the market for creative kits aimed at boys.
Tell us about your product offering. Over the years the brand has developed to include holistic learning themes and the use of sustainable materials. Our offerings have covered gardening kits, stationery sets, puzzles, games, and novelty gifts. Now we focus on creative kits that encourage building or making which can also be used to decorate a bedroom wall or desk.
What are your most popular products? Our T-Rex Head and Giant World Map are always very popular.
How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? Our products are carried by a huge range of stockists including garden centres, visitor attractions and farm shops. The needs of our customers are always part of our development process and ranges like our pocket money collection cater to a desire for eco-friendly rainy day and stocking filler products, perfect for picking up at the till.
What sets you apart from your competitors? Each kit contains a project to build or create, something to use, play with or display. They also include engaging activities and interesting facts to learn along the way. Educational icons on the back of our packs show the learning benefits of each product. Our impact on the environment is very important to us, so we only use FSC certified recycled paper and card. We also design for minimal waste with many of our kits using only a single piece of card for both packaging and product.
Are you active on social media? How is this important for the business? We love creating reels that show off the character in our products and the people behind the business. They include anything from digging for a Giant Dinosaur to trade show setup!
What can we expect in the future from the company? We are excited to launch our AW23 products including a brand-new birds, bees and butterflies. This eco-friendly range celebrates the amazing diversity of British wildlife. Create a buzzy bumblebee, rocking robin, super stag beetle or your own lovely ladybird.
CLOCKWORK SOLDIER
T: +44 (0)7936 434 894
www.clockworksoldier.com