Toy Company KiwiCo Sees Children as 'Young Innovators'
*By: Madison Alworth*
Many toy makers may feel imperiled by the closing of Toys 'R' Us, but KiwiCo seems to be doing just fine.
The company, which sells kits that encourage kids to build and create their own toys, says sales have grown at an annual rate of about 60 percent a year since its founding in 2011.
"This year we are approaching $100 million in sales," said Sandra Oh Lin, the company's founder and CEO, in an interview with Cheddar.
KiwiCo took in a round of financing to the tune of $10 million early on. It started producing STEM-based toys, but evolved to sell crates of materials to build toys for everything from engineering to art to more.
"In a few weeks we are actually launching a new line called Atlas Crate, which is all about geography and encouraging kids to see themselves as global citizens," Oh Lin said.
"We are really about encouraging kids to see themselves as young innovators. We want them to embrace the thought that they are makers, that they have innate creativity. What we are trying to do is instill that creative confidence as well as the tools."
The crates are available as stand-alone products and through a subscription service. A [monthly subscription](https://www.kiwico.com/) starts at $19.95 but goes down in price if customers sign on for longer periods.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/kiwico-subscription-services-for-stem-toys)
Caleb Silver, editor-in-chief of Investopedia, joined Cheddar News to discuss the rising credit card debt that Americans hold as high-interest rates and continued inflation affect households.
For the first time on the unofficial cannabis holiday 420, cannabis enthusiasts in New York State can purchase their products legally. One of the first licensed adult-use dispensaries across the state was buzzing with business early in the day.
Eric Lynch, managing director of Scharf Investments, joined Cheddar News to discuss Thursday's market session as stocks closed lower, dragged down by Tesla's earnings miss, amid economic fears.
This time it’s for real. Many of Twitter’s high-profile users are have lost the blue check marks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.
Lauren Forsch, founder of Popped.nyc, stopped by the Cheddar News studio on 4/20 — a date known to many as Cannabis Day — to discuss the health and wellness benefits of CBD-based products.
One of the last major players in the DVD rental business has expressed interest in purchasing Netflix's mailing division, which is now set to be shut down. Bill Rouhana, CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which owns Redbox and its network of DVD kiosks, told The Hollywood Reporter that "I'd like to buy it," and that he's reached out multiple times about an acquisition.
