Honest answers for parents
What my toys are actually made of
Before you buy something for your kid, you probably want to know what it is. Fair enough. Everything I sell is printed by me on my own printer, out of one material, and I would rather tell you the real limits than pretend there are none.
Made in my room, in Aotearoa New ZealandThe filament
One material: PLA
PLA stands for polylactic acid, which is a mouthful for something pretty simple. It is a bioplastic made from plant starch, usually cornstarch or sugarcane, rather than from oil. It arrives at my desk as a long spool of coloured string about as thick as a shoelace, and my printer melts it and lays it down in thin lines, one on top of the other, until the toy is there. I picked it because it prints cleanly at low temperatures, it does not give off a strong smell while it runs, it holds fine detail like a dragon's scales or a panda's paws, and it is the material most commonly used for hobby printing worldwide, so it is well understood.
PLA is not magic, though, and it has real limits I want you to know before the toy is in your house. It softens at around 60 degrees Celsius, so a parked car on a hot Auckland afternoon can genuinely warp it out of shape. It is not dishwasher safe for the same reason, and hot water will do the same job as a hot car. It is also a hard plastic, not a teething toy, so it is not for a child who still puts everything in their mouth. If you keep it out of heat, off the dishwasher rack, and away from very small children, PLA holds up well for years of ordinary play.
The short version
Plant-based plastic. Great for detail and everyday play. Keep it out of hot cars, off the dishwasher rack, and away from mouthing toddlers.
The specs, in plain words
These are the settings I actually print at. They are the same for every toy in the shop.
- Material
- PLA bioplastic, made from plant starch. No paint, no glue, no coatings.
- Layer height
- 0.16 mm — fine enough that scales, rivets and smiles show up properly.
- Infill
- 20% honeycomb inside, solid walls outside. Light to hold, sturdy to drop.
- Print time per toy
- Roughly 4 to 9 hours, depending on size. The Tiny Tug Boat is quickest, the Mini Robot is slowest.
- Finish
- Matte, with faint printed layer lines you can feel. That is the handmade part, not a flaw.
- Recommended age
- 3 years and up. Not suitable for children who still mouth their toys.
Sizes vary a little between toys — each product page lists its own measurements.
Colours I print in
Six colours I keep on the shelf, picked because they print cleanly and look good on a bookshelf.
Dragon Red
Deep and warm, the colour the Pocket Dragon was born in.
Harbour Blue
A strong sea blue. Hides fingerprints better than any other colour I own.
Sunset Orange
Bright and loud. Easiest colour to find when a toy rolls under the couch.
Mint Green
Soft and pale. Shows fine detail better than the dark colours do.
Cloud White
Plain white, and my favourite for animals. It looks like a proper little sculpture.
Midnight Navy
Almost black in the shade, clearly blue in the sun. The robots suit it.
Colours on a screen are never exact — expect a small difference from what you see here.
Safety, straight up
I am a kid who makes toys for kids, so I would rather over-explain this part than under-explain it.
Ages 3 and up
Some toys have small parts like horns, fins and antennae that could be a choking hazard.
Not for babies or toddlers who still put things in their mouths, however cute they look.
No sharp edges
I round off corners in the 3D model, then hand-check and smooth every toy before it is packed.
If one ever reaches you with a rough spot, tell me and I will replace it — that one is on me.
Non-toxic material
PLA is a plant-based plastic with no BPA, no phthalates and no solvent-based paint on top.
The colour is in the plastic itself, so there is no coating to chip off in little flakes.
If a toy breaks
Printed plastic can snap if it is stood on or thrown hard. Bin any sharp fragments straight away.
Then email me a photo. If it broke in normal play within 90 days, I will print you a new one free.
Looking after it
Four small habits and these toys will outlast the phase your kid is in right now.
Wipe, do not soak
A damp cloth with a drop of dish soap is plenty. Dry it off afterwards.
Keep it cool
No dishwashers, no hot water, no leaving it on a sunny car dashboard.
Handle the thin bits gently
Wings, tails and antennae are the slimmest parts, so they are the first to snap.
Give it a shelf
Stored on a shelf rather than at the bottom of the toy box, it will stay sharp for years.
Waste and packaging
What I do about waste
I print to order, not in bulk. When you buy a Sleepy Panda, that panda does not exist yet — I start it that week. It means you wait a few days longer than you would for something sitting in a warehouse, but it also means I never make a hundred of something and throw away the sixty nobody wanted. Nothing here is produced on a guess.
Prints still fail, and support structures still get snapped off and binned, so there is offcut plastic either way. I keep all of it in a box and drop it into a filament recycling collection rather than the rubbish. Packaging is paper-based: a cardboard box, paper padding, a paper sticker, and a note I write by hand. I am not going to tell you this is carbon neutral, because I have not measured that and I would be making it up. It is just the least wasteful way I have found to do it so far.
PLA
Still got a question?
Ask me anything about the plastic, the printing or the safety bits — I answer my own emails, usually the same day.