By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
The Met and Hape Toys have signed a collaborative partnership to develop an educational toy collection featuring art from the museum’s historical archive.
Designed to cater to infants and toddlers, the collection aims to promote early childhood learning through a range of licensed puzzles and developmental toys.
“We are excited to collaborate with The Met to develop a range of toys that blend our passion for early learning with the vast collection of one of the world’s most renowned art institutions,” said Hape CEO, Peter Handstein. “This collaboration represents the natural fit between the world of high-quality Hape toys and the magnificence of The Met’s heritage,” added Handstein. “It’s an exciting opportunity to infuse learning through play with an appreciation of art from an early age.”
Hape is a global company that specializes in manufacturing high-quality, durable and sustainably crafted wooden toys.
The company’s portfolio of toys and games are designed to promote the development of young minds by inspiring creativity, artistic expression, critical thinking and immersive play experiences.
“Aligning with The Met mission to foster creativity and learning about art, we are proud to announce this new collaboration with Hape,” said The Met’s global licensing head, Josh Romm. “The program will merge Hape’s expertise in early learning toys with the rich stories of 5,000 years of art in The Met collection in pursuit of inspiring the next generation.”
The licensed toys are expected to debut in late 2025.
Additional details such as product launches and upcoming exhibitions featuring the collection, will be announced soon.
The partnership with Hape Toys was brokered by Beanstalk as The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s official licensing representative.
Founded in 1870, The Met is an American museum and art gallery that provides art education and displays to the public through its extensive historical archive.
Currently operating through The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art displays tens of thousands of cultural artifacts and artistic works across approximately 5,000 years of human history.
Hape and The MET Announce Toy Collaboration
