It all began with a simple conviction that felt obvious to us. Children need space, freedom and movement to grow fully.
They need to play without rigid boundaries, to imagine without limits, to build with their bodies as much as with their minds. Play is an fundamental driver of their development.
By observing children, the desire was born to create a toy truly designed for their needs, one that sparks imagination and encourages movement.
A toy that supports motor, cognitive and emotional development. A toy that fosters joy, autonomy and confidence. A toy for both body and mind, without screens or pre written scenarios. A sustainable toy, full of meaning and values. A simple, open ended and evolving toy, designed to help children enjoy growing up.
And that is how inöuqa was born, quite simply.
Welcome to the world of inöuqa! We are delighted to welcome you. “We”? That's Camille and Benoit, the co-founders. Two adults who are still a little childlike, curious, and playful...
Since we were children, we have loved telling stories and inventing things.
Today, aware of the prevalence of screens, the decline of imagination, and the decrease in children's physical activity, we decided to take action. Guided by our vision and values, we support the power of imagination and the importance of movement.
At inöuqa, every choice make sense.
From ideation to delivery, we wanted to build a project driven by values and positive commitments. A dose of sustainability, a touch of eco design, a desire for proximity, a strong sense of inclusion and a commitment to social responsibility.
This is our recipe for supporting childhood and creating a positive impact on our planet.
15 units
20 units
We have the answers...
inöuqa was born from a simple observation: children are spending more and more time in front of screens, playing less freely and sometimes lack opportunities to fully develop their imagination and motor skills.
As involved parents, we wanted to offer a playful, creative, and sustainable alternative that encourages autonomy, movement, and the joy of building together.
A toy inspired by our childhood memories, designed to help children grow through play, simply.
Since the first player, we have been driven by the desire to preserve the carefreeness of the youngest and to offer them the path of imagination and movement. To guide them towards the paths of lightness, fun, and escape. To give them the desire to be curious, to be inventive, to share… To remain a child above all.
inöuqa is a game for them, but above all a sustainable, useful, and inclusive solution from the perspective of parents and professionals in care and health, concerned about their well-being, development, and flourishing.
They are within us and form the foundation of inöuqa. They seep into the products we imagine and develop as in our human relationships, with our clients, our partners, our team. We hold them dear and will often make our choices with them in mind. These are our four pillars:
Since we want to inspire the imagination of the youngest, we might as well be the first to set an example, right?
The starting point is the desire to personify our game, to give it a little name, so that children can make it their own and see it as a true companion: "Can I play with inöuqa?"; "Can we take inöuqa to grandpa and grandma's?"; "So inöuqa, what are we building today?"… These are the kinds of phrases we hope to hear.
Our initial idea was also to not create boundaries with the name. Our toy is transferable to all the children on our planet, and the name needed to be as well. That said, it was the creative process that then took over… A combination of vowels, consonants, and syllables orchestrated and organized to achieve this beautiful sound:
In short, it’s a pretty mix that’s a bit quirky and fun, with a touch of exoticism thanks to the characters brought back from our travels, like the "ö" from Scandinavian and Germanic countries. Take a good look at it, and you’ll see a surprised smiley staring back at you. And you might regularly find it in our visual universe.
There you go, you know all the secrets of our name. We hope you like it.
It’s a bit strange to say, but in fact we are creating a toy to consume fewer toys…
There you go, this is our approach, it’s the choice we are making in any case. This global approach reflects our desire to reconcile positive impact, quality requirements, and social responsibility. We hope this resonates with you…
