D AND L POLYMER and Colours Inc. (DLPC), a unit of publicly listed D and L Industries Inc., on Tuesday said it has developed a key raw material used in the Hatchimals toy sensation.
The Hatchimals toy is composed of a plastic egg that contained D and L’s especially developed material that allows it to hatch without splintering.
This material is manufactured by the company for TradeWalker Ltd., a Hong Kong-based solution provider for the toy-manufacturing industry.
The hatching process gradually reveals an interactive furry toy that can walk, speak and sing through three different life stages—baby, toddler and adult.
As a unique concept delivering a nurturing experience to children, Hatchimals became the must-have toy for 2016 since its initial launch last October.
Lester Lao, DLPC managing director, said the main challenge was producing something that was both durable and delicate at the same time.
“The Hatchimals project had very specific requirements. Essentially, we were trying to replicate the structure and texture of an eggshell. That’s where our special material comes in. It makes the egg strong enough to withstand shipping and handling but also fragile and breakable enough to hatch open,” Lao said.
During the development process, the concept had to be kept under wraps and since our customer couldn’t disclose the end-use, we just had to keep adapting the formulation,” he said.
Lao added that since the material would be used in a children’s toy, safety was a primary concern during the development phase.
“Not only did it need to be non-toxic, but the egg had to break without leaving sharp edges. It also needed to be designed so that it would hatch within a specified time frame,” he said.
Developing customized materials is in line with the company’s long-term strategy, the company said. “Our goal is to maintain our focus on innovation. Our R and D [research and development] work is an important reason why clients continue to rely on us to come up with solutions, just like what we did for the Hatchimals toy.” According to Spin Master Ltd., the toy maker that developed Hatchimals, last October, Hatchimals was the single biggest-selling toy at Amazon and Walmart in any category.
During the week of October 9 last year, the first, second and fourth best-selling toys in the United States were alls Hatchimal products.
“We intend to leverage the popularity of the initial launch to build Hatchimals into a long-term franchise driven by innovation,” it said.