Toys that remember where they came from.

Sixty kilometres from Bengaluru, on the old road to Mysore, sits a town called Channapatna. It lies on the banks of the Kanva river, and it has been making wooden toys for a very long time.

The craft goes back at least 200 years, to the era of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, who invited Persian artisans to train local craftsmen in the art of lacquerware. The town became known as Gombegala Ooru — the toy-town of Karnataka.

We didn't add "non-toxic" as a feature. It was never anything else.

Protected by name

The craft is protected as a Geographical Indication, a status granted in 2005. In practice, that means nobody outside Channapatna is authorised to produce Channapatna toys — a protection designed to guard the interests of the town's artisans.

Our Story

Channapatna Toys Producer Company Limited is a unique enterprise formed under the cluster development scheme of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) specifically to empower Self-Help Group (SHG) women rural artisans of Channapatna. It produces eco-friendly, handcrafted wooden toys using traditional methods and natural dyes, and is governed under the Companies Act to ensure transparent and sustainable business practices while promoting rural artisan livelihoods.

How they are made

Wood is spun on a lathe while coloured lac sticks are pressed against it. The friction melts the lac and coats the wood in colour drawn from vegetal dyes. The finished piece is then buffed to a shine with palm leaves. The shapes are rounded, the edges blunt, the colours free of chemicals.

These are toys made to be chewed, dropped, held, and handed down.

Made slowly, on purpose

Each piece is procured, seasoned, cut, carved, coloured, and finally polished. It takes as long as it takes — which is why no two are ever identical.

Today the craft supports the livelihoods of over 1,500 artisans across Ramanagara district. Every toy you buy here goes back to that.