‘Shumee’, a toy brand created by a mom named Meeta Sharma Gupta, is making playtime safer and more eco-friendly.

Started in 2016, the toy venture is an attempt towards helping kids develop their cognitive and motor skills while they play.

Meeta recounts her journey from the portals of Harvard University to Delhi where she launched the brand.

Meeta, as a young mother, struggled to find toys that were both eco-friendly and beneficial for her youngest child’s learning and thinking abilities.

“The toys here were either made from plastic or had small parts that rendered them unsafe for little kids,” she says.

On the trips that she continued to make to the US, while she was working with IBM, Meeta started bringing back toys for the kids.

It was during this time that Meeta realised if she couldn’t source the right toys in India, why not create them? The prospect excited her.

“Even though I did not have the technical training to design toys, I wanted to come up with a brand that would produce toys of good quality and at affordable prices,” she shares.

And that’s exactly how Shumee was born.

Elaborating on the range of bestsellers at Shumee, Meeta says there are several, each catering to a different age group.

“The rattles for babies are made out of neem wood and the colours are done with cloth fabric. They double as teethers too,” she says.

Meanwhile, the paediatrician-approved push walkers made out of neem help to develop the child’s motor skills.

One of the most fascinating toys, however, is the 5-in-1 activity triangle. The triangle-shaped toy has: – Abacus-coloured beads which help in colour recognition and counting – Alphabets that help with uppercase and lowercase association – A clock that helps with time recognition

In addition to this, kids can choose from a range of numerous puzzles and board games, which are based on traditional stories, but have a twist in the way they are represented.

She says the toys at Shumee are safe and made out of different kinds of plant wood — neem, mango, and birch being the most popular options.

Meeta adds that the colours are certified non-toxic paints and all the materials are certified by Indian, American, and European standards.

From a simple idea to a multi-crore brand, Shumee has grown in leaps and bounds. “Play is a child’s superpower. There are wonders that can happen with the right toys,” says Meeta.