• 11/06/2022
  • By wizewebsite
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Most children's products are based on the marketing of silly fairy tales, claims the creator of the Zoe doll, who says enough of useless toys - CZECHDESIGN<

Czech brand ZOE8 enters the market with the slogan "I wear green glasses", what do we mean by that?

STEPÁN: We were looking for a password that would describe everything correctly. Both the project itself and our customer or fan. And the slogan "I wear green glasses" describes it all perfectly. We are all focused on building a healthy symbiosis of the planet and people. We look at our every move through "green glasses" that will show us if it is green enough.

What role does the Zoe doll play?

STEPÁN: Zoe is the face of the brand – she is a forest fairy who came to show us, the people, the right way.

It also introduces us to the beauty of its natural world. Zoe is the kinder and more reasonable one, I'm too radical.

The slogan "I wear green glasses" hides a strong ecological focus that respects the symbiosis between the planet and people. | Source: ZOE8

You are behind the founding of the Antonie Emma brand. Why did you decide to devote yourself to a new project and still remain in the production of children's products?

ŠTĚPÁN: The Antonia Emma brand is doing well and I enjoy working with it. But I felt I was mature enough to build and run something all by myself. I have created all my previous projects with at least one other partner.

Now I'm experiencing something different and I feel more free. With the ZOE8 project, it probably wouldn't have been possible otherwise, because it's quite a controversial and daring project, where I would have to defend every crazy idea of ​​mine. This is how I freely realize myself and thereby only threaten myself. AE is different from ZOE8. Every company is interesting and unique in its own way, and that's what drives me.

And why do I stick with children's products? You know, I had such a dream. Create the ideal company of the future. One that could be beneficial to everyone and with its activity would create only good around itself. Is it even possible, I thought.

Before founding AE, I was looking for a gift for my first daughter. It was supposed to be an ecological doll, which I couldn't find anywhere. It was there that I first had the idea that I would like to produce it one day. And now, five years later, I'm coming back to this idea, which is amplified by my second daughter. I just developed it more with the other aspects of the company of the future. And this is how the ZOE8 project was born.

The first product of the Czech ZOE8 project, which is behind Štěpán Malý, is the Zoe wooden doll. | Source: ZOE8

What is wealth to you?

STEPÁN: True wealth is not money, but free time. Thanks to this, I can bring the ZOE8 project to life. And I have been following this motto in my business for several years.

I always try to do things faster and more efficiently so that people can go home earlier. The ZOE8 project will allow people to work shorter hours and thus have much more free time. People from ZOE8 communities don't even go to work.

What exactly is wrong with the current approach to toys?

ŠTĚPÁN: The biggest evil is that a lot of shipping containers are brought to Europe from Asia. And whether it's plastic or wood, the transport is pointless. Then we have a big mania for fairy-tale characters. Most children's products are based on the marketing of often silly fairy tales, which do not convey much to the child.

Children are bought too much. We teach them to be consumers, not to value things. Such a proper toy must last at least two generations, which means not only that it will not fall apart, but also that it will also entertain the next generation of children. Each of us remembers the Merkur kit, Lego or perhaps the game Racing and betting.

Most children's products are built on stupid marketing fairy tales, claims the creator of the Zoe doll, who says enough to useless toys - CZECHDESIGN

In addition to the Zoe doll, there will also be another series of toys from a wooden car, to an airplane and a submarine to a dinosaur collection, which will be ready for next Christmas. | Source: ZOE8

On the other hand, what do you think a meaningful toy should fulfill in addition to ecological and local production?

STEPÁN: A meaningful toy should be produced and designed by people with the necessary senses.

People who know children and the world we live in well. Such a toy should convey something to the child. Whether it's a taste and feeling for design, a piece of nature, imagination, skills, or new knowledge. Above all, the child must enjoy it and want to play with it. Such a toy that only attracts dust is useless.

In your opinion, should the child's parent be responsible for the choice of toys?

ŠTĚPÁN: Certainly yes, the parent is there to guide the child in the right direction and help him orientate in this saturated world. To explain what is good and what is bad, and explain it calmly over and over again. Parents should give the child a good foundation and leave the rest up to him. My children already know very well what advertising is. At every turn there is an advertisement with the best goods that you must have. They know what is behind the product they see in the store. Either good or evil is behind it. Most people on the planet are on autopilot mindless shopping. And this is what I want to teach my children - to be able to turn off such autopilot.

Zoe doll's hair is made of organic cotton, the dresses are hand-sewn, and there are sparkling stones for eyes. The body is made of certified solid beech. | Source: ZOE8

I teach them that money is the converted energy of people. And it is up to each of us whether we want to turn that energy into evil or good. Every day, our shopping behavior determines good and bad. There are companies that only stir up evil around them, and there are companies that help the planet and people. We ourselves create the world we want around us.

The Zoe doll is your flagship product. What genesis of creation preceded it, who is the author of its form?

STEPÁN: Yes, the doll is my darling and the fulfillment of a dream. It's quite simple. I wanted to give my daughter an ecological doll for her first birthday. I really wanted a wooden one, because the fabric ones are great, but it's not the real walnut one. My wife and I couldn't find anything online, let alone offline. Finally, we bought a cloth doll. So my task was clearly given. I collaborated on the design with our developer Ondra Bělík, who is the head of the ZOE8 production community in Liberec. My wife supervised us aesthetically.

And how did you deal with all the materials and their location in this case?

ŠTĚPÁN: Wood is not a problem, we have plenty of it in Europe. I dare to say that in every EU country I could get local wood, or at worst wood from its neighbors. Wood is the best material precisely because of its local availability, easy processing, of course sustainability and thousands of other reasons, because a forest in the right place is top. Glass stones are a clear choice to enrich our toys with an interesting element. Children love when something sparkles, they are like little magpies.

The ZOE8 project wants to fundamentally change the world of toys, which leads to an efficient and ecological way of producing wooden toys at home. | Source: ZOE8

I was in a tight spot when developing the doll's face. I didn't want to use pad color printing and just a lasered face was boring. This is how I once complained to my friends around a campfire in the mountains of Albania. They said without hesitation – put the beads in there, so I thank Sáv and Marcela. So I then bought all possible beads from Czech manufacturers and tested both shapes and colors. And finally, I showed different dolls to the children to confirm the correct choice. There were dolls with colorful faces, including the one you see today. Well, the children also enthusiastically chose it themselves.

What are the responses to the Zoe doll so far?

ŠTĚPÁN: Zoe definitely arouses emotions in everyone, among children, adults, lovers of eco toys and consumers of evil toys. It is something completely different, and for some even strange. We couldn't ask for a better flagship product.

Can you tell us what the efficiency of the production of your wooden toys is?

ŠTĚPÁN: Honestly – we didn't invent anything new, we just combined historical customs with modern technology. Previously, home production was commonly applied, and especially for children's toys. We put together modern machinery to create a production line suitable for a home environment. Quiet, dust-free, safety sensors, automatic fire extinguishers, remote control of the machine via mobile phone, etc. The only limitation is the size of the products. Within two months we can double production capacity and within three months we could bring together a ZOE8 production community anywhere in the EU. But the most interesting thing about all this is that thanks to it we can offer work to those who could not otherwise afford it. We mainly want single mothers in the team, they usually sew dresses or do the final assembly of toys. We also have a disabled parent in the community.

The Zoe wooden toy offers a natural and meaningful toy alternative. | Source: ZOE8

Everyone adjusts their work according to their time options. Someone goes to work, has solar panels on the roof of the house and one automatic machine for making 3D shapes from wood from us. The machine earns him money to pay the mortgage on the house, and dad can go home early from work to visit his family. It is also important to say that the rewards are from 200 to 650 CZK per hour. We can afford this because we do not manage any own or leased buildings.

In practice, the woman spends about two hours a day working, and earns an extra CZK 10,000 per month. Which is usually more than the parental allowance including alimony. And that's the good I'm talking about here. The ZOE8 stands for nothing but goodness, and that is the main difference between our toy and a toy from Asia.

Ondřej Bělík, who is the head of the Liberec production community ZOE8, is behind the design of the Zoe doll. | Source: ZOE8

Do you intend to expand your product portfolio? How?

ŠTĚPÁN: We are constantly working on expanding the portfolio. We just want to have every toy perfected to the last detail. We developed the doll for eight months. But it must be said that it was the first product and quite complicated to begin with. Now one toy is a matter of weeks. After Christmas, we will deploy the entire collection of ZOE8 toys. There will be a car, a plane, a submarine, but I am most looking forward to the whole collection of dinosaurs, which will be ready for next Christmas.

What would have to happen for you to consider your ZOE8 mission a success?

ŠTĚPÁN: Large chains of toy stores have not changed at all since my childhood. That is why the first milestone is change in the Czech Republic. Among us - there are already very successful toy stores, but there are still few of them. Of course, the biggest part of this is the customer who is looking for evil toys. So our mission also includes a certain education of the market.

Second milestone: there will be at least one ZOE8 production community in every EU country. In addition to our own products, we can also offer OEM production for other companies that still use plastic for their toys and import them from Asia. Zoe will fight against the evil toys as much as she can.

The Zoe doll is designed to impress at first glance. It evokes emotions. The greater the reach, the greater the chance of a change in the current approach to children's toys. | Source: ZOE8

The article was created as part of paid cooperation.