Bigjigs Toys

How it all began

The business began in Peter Ireland’s garden shed in Kent, England in 1985. Peter hand crafted wooden jigsaws which he and wife Liz sold at craft fairs all over the UK. Liz and Peter were both teachers by profession and so have always had child development and education at the heart of what they do.

Keeping it in the family

The business has grown enormously since then but remains family run, with Liz and Peter’s two son’s, Sam and Tom also becoming Directors in 2017. Grandchildren Arthur and Edith even get involved with testing the toys! It really is a family affair.
 

It just keeps on growing

The company operates from a large warehouse in Folkestone, Kent and distributes toys worldwide to 93 countries. We currently employ 39 people in the UK and continue to go from strength to strength.

Our mission: To deliver quality, safe and affordable products which are responsibly sourced and complement childhood development through fun, exploration and learning.

Responsible manufacturing

We work closely with a number of production facilities in the Far East who are regularly visited by our Managing Director Liz. Liz takes great care to ensure that the facilities are operating ethically and are committed to the quality that we expect.

Right from the source

Our directors visit the sites where our wood is sourced to ensure environmental criteria are being met. The majority of our products are manufactured using Rubberwood. Rubberwood is a byproduct of the latex production process. Rather than the wood being discarded at the end of its useful life, it is harvested from replenishable forests and used in our toy production. It is a solid hardwood, perfect for producing quality, hard wearing toys.