The best childhood memories refer to playing with dolls or soccer balls. After all, which girl has never been the mother of several dolls at the same time while playing with her little house friends? And which boy never called himself the best player on his favorite team? Impossible to deny … Everyone has been there and, as much as technology comes and the millennium turns, today’s children continue to play the same way, sharing the same enchanted world of yesterday’s fantasies and dreams.
Today, when talking about toys, we understand technology and cutting-edge materials capable of making any child’s dream come true, especially when it comes to babies. They are dolls that imitate children’s idols, as well as balls, teethers, strollers, slots, inflatable dolls, buoys, doll houses, slides, scales, robots, kitchen utensils (children’s), among others. The enchanted world of children has no end, especially when combined with all of these, they have one very valuable thing: imagination. However, no imagination and technology are enough if at the time of making these toys there is no raw material capable of making these dreams increasingly real. Softness, texture similar to that of human skin, pleasant touch, safety, resistance and atoxity.
“PVC (or vinyl) caresses babies and children of all ages. The sensation of the touch is as pleasant as the plush”, says J. Eduardo Pañella, director of Toyster, a company that uses PVC in the production of its toys. “Transformed PVC is used in our main lines aimed at children, which corresponds to 1/3 of the total business”, explains Pañella.
The Bda line, for example, is made of vinyl and comprises 25 products for babies from three months. “The quality of the material allows us to produce soft and washable toys, in addition to being non-toxic. They are also colorful, lightly scented, delicious to bite and have a different design”, he points out.
The Flooty line, of inflatables, has a range of 16 products, including buoys, ‘Teimoso’ dolls and inflatable boards. “The norm for toys is very strict. We never break it. If it changes, we modify our product so that it fits with it”, comments Pañella.
Located in Recife and a pioneer in the Northeast in the manufacture of PVC balls, since 1968, Vinilplás produces from 500 to 700 thousand units per month of the most varied types, colors and size of balls. “PVC allows us this variation”, comments João Tobias de Melo Peixoto, commercial manager, who is launching flavored PVC balls on the market. “The ball is still the cheapest and most purchased toy today,” he says. “Until two years ago, we had to import raw material, today it is no longer necessary”, he adds. Of the total toys manufactured in the country, 80% are made with plastic raw materials. Of this total, 30% refers to PVC.
The annual sales of the toy industry total approximately R $ 1 billion. The production of dolls, a major consumer of PVC, accounts for 25% of all revenue and because it is a durable, resistant material, easy to clean and chemically inert, it can be safely placed in the hand of children.