The Story of Scümpa
Scümpa™ is not just a brand name. It is a quirky, imaginative approach to play, and a downright serious commitment to designing and re-designing toxin-free toys for healthy kids and a clean planet.
Scümpa™ was founded in 2006 by Christina Gressianu. A tomboy as a kid, and geeky artist in high school, Christina double-majored in Computer Science and Studio Art at NYU, and went on to work in the toy industry as a graphic designer and product developer.
Developing toys was Christina’s dream job. Tasks like keeping up with the market and testing product take on a whole new meaning when it’s about toys…
Having never really “grown up” Christina was just plain good at making toys. But there was something about the whole process that bothered her.
Perhaps it was the wastefulness that goes on in corporations, the disregard for anything that didn’t factor into the bottom line. Little things like not recycling, and big things like sourcing harmful materials and cheap labor. And the fact that common materials like plastic, EVA foam and paraffin wax crayons are all made from petroleum, and all become poisonous during their production and during their use.
What bothered Christina was knowing the truth: the toys she was making were damaging the planet, poisoning factory workers, and potentially harmful to children.
Christina had always walked the path less beaten. Just because she wanted to. And, well, she’d had enough of this toy industry. It was time for something new, an alternative to toxic toys. It was time for Scümpa.™
Vision
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” said Mahatma Ghandi. Although Gandhi was speaking to individuals when he said this, we at Scümpa™ have adopted his idea, and made it our corporate agenda. We will consistently be aware of how our practices affect more than just our profits. We take great care in selecting materials used in our children’s products, and hope that the rest of the industry will soon follow our lead.
Maybe one day, all toys will be made with their full life-cycle in mind, so that when their useful life is over they do not continue to occupy space as waste. Maybe toys will be made with nothing but chemically safe materials. Maybe the rates of illnesses and cancers will drop and maybe the world can be a little cleaner.
This is Scumpa’s wish for the world, and a challenge we will do our best to fulfill, with the hope of inspiring other companies to do the same. Because our children take us into the future, and “because the future is precious.”™
