Bamboo E-Racer- 06.19.09
On fun eco-friendly toys i stumbled upon while toy shopping recently (and then had to buy to share!) ~ Check out this E-Racer (the name is also hilarious) ~ made from cut bamboo tubes, it’s cute to see how closely it keeps its form! It claims that it is “Naturally fun” and made with bamboo, water based colors, and renewable materials (i assume they mean the metal screws and the plasticy exhaust, and rubbery wheels)… the packaging was horrible, so if i ever end up gifting one of these to a kid, will definitely unwrap it first! See an unboxing and more close up pics of these adorable eco-race cars on the next page!
Unfortunately the HaPe International site works, but the Bamboo Collection one doesn’t!
Design by italian group, IDKID, designer Adam Shillito…
I stumbled across your site by chance and found your reviews of my product. I’m honoured that somebody is talking about my work! I agree about your comments about the rubbery wheels, packaging and plastic components. It was a big push to launch even a half eco friendly product as this was the first product I designed for Hape. Since then we’ve been working with eco friendly substitutes for the plastic parts plus we’ve redesigned the packaging. 100% eco friendly toys will probably never exist (excluding sticks, stones etc) as there will always be some form of power needed for the transport and production (fuel, electricity). That said, we are doing our best to change the market and take the first important steps towards sustainability, but it’s not easy!!!
Thanks for your work
Adam Shillito (E-racer’s Dad)
----- Adam Shillito 18.10.09 11:41