When I heard that the 40-year-old "Science Box" brand was shutting down, I couldn't just sit by. It wasn't just a toy; it was a memory of our generation.
Tingoland is a Start - Up founded in 2018 by CEO Ha Hyeon-ho, who previously handled branding and product planning at Young Toys (photo). Seeing the potential of the kidult market, Ha set out to start a business. The reason Ha focused on this market is clear: the main consumers of toys are no longer children.
Ha said, These days, adults buy more figures, blocks, and merchandise, adding, The kidult market has already grown to 1.6 trillion won and is expanding 20% every year.
Ha analyzed, The trend has shifted so much that people in infant toy roles are asking about changing jobs to the kidult market, adding, The generation that carries childhood sensibilities into consumption is firmly becoming the mainstream.
Tingoland began as a "recommendation-based character distribution service." It discovered character brands from around the world and recommended them to domestic consumers. It then naturally evolved into a commerce platform, and now it has set a course as a curation-centered business that combines its own brands with artist IP (intellectual property).
We're not simply importing and selling overseas brands; CEO Ha Hyeon-ho of Tingoland said we are building a structure to distribute the works of domestic artists overseas. The goal is to help artists grow not as mere suppliers but as the main agents of the brand.
Tingoland's most symbolic project is the "Science Box reboot." The educational toy "Science Box," once beloved as a science playset for children, has been on the verge of disappearing into history as it fell behind recent market trends.
Ha explained, Science Box is a representative Korean toy IP, and I believed the disappearance of this brand would be a loss for the industry, adding, We launched a project to acquire the IP and bring it back to life.
The new Science Box is not just a simple assembly toy. Ha said, Based on the technique blocks designed by artist Ji Su-hwan, it has been reborn as a new product that encourages creative making, adding, We unveiled the first product through Wadiz and are preparing to enter the global market.
Tingoland has set a concrete vision of "Korean IP back to the world." It is convinced that, following K-pop and K-beauty, K-toys and K-culture IP can also succeed in the global market.
Tingoland's core platform, LEVEL.2, is a kidult-exclusive pre-order commerce platform that covers a wide range from overseas brands to works by domestic artists. Through this, Ha aims to grow into a "Brand Builder."
He emphasized, In the United States, Sideshow; in Japan, Bandai; and in China, Pop Mart all started with distribution and grew by building their own brands, adding, Tingoland is following that path.
The company is currently preparing kidult-focused offline stores in collaboration with major domestic offline distributors. It is planning an experiential concept rather than simple display, and it is also experimenting with a model that produces joint products by linking domestic artists' IP with overseas manufacturers.