Published on September 15th, 2019 | by Admin
Wonky Fruit & Vegetables Review
So what exactly are Wonky Fruit & Vegetables? At their core, they are toys for children aged 18 months or older, however there is a powerful social message embedded into their existence. These toys are a clever initiated of a Dutch social enterprise called Kromkommer who wants to change the way Western society views “ugly” vegetables and fruit that never make it to our shelves but are perfectly edible. According to Kromkommer, about 10% of all fruit and vegetables are wasted because they aren’t pretty enough.
Also joining this company are Plan Toys that in collaboration with Kromkommer have created these wonky fruit and vegetables made from wood in order to help normalise the appearance of these foods so that eventually society as a whole becomes more accepting of them. Inside the box of Wonky Fruit & Vegetables is a brown paper shopping bag that contains a collection of foods that don’t look like the ones you would normally see at your local grocery store or supermarket. Okay… they actually look cuter!
These “wonky” fruit and vegetables include Adam Apple, Carl Carrot, Peter Pear, Curly Cucumber and Tammy Tomato Heart plus a wooden knife to cut them in half or pretend to peel them. Each of these wooden toys have Velcro pieces in the middle to hold them together as children use their imagination to cook a wide variety of foods with these wonky fruit and vegetables. They are also quite sturdy toys and very colourful, including excellent paint work.
Keeping with the sustainable theme of these toys, all the wood has been responsibly sourced from Thailand with its by-products and surplus wood used to create the Wonky Fruit & Vegetables and even the power the factory and villages from where they come from. The box also contains a brochure on how the toys are made, including a fun story about Carl Carrot that while his appearance denied him a spot at the supermarkets, Kromkommer is striving to ensure that he ends up at the same place as his “perfect” brothers and sisters.
So the question is… what did our testers think of the Wonky Fruit & Vegetables? From the pictures… I guess we can say they were a smash!
Final Thoughts?
The Kromkommer and Plan Toys are not only fun but a very clever idea that will hopefully start a revolution around the world. Furthermore, there is a powerful message on diversity and by targeting children at an early age, the aim is to reduce the stigma of fruit and vegetables and reduce worldwide waste. What a wonderful concept!