Kids don’t usually like to share, but the founder of Pley is betting she can change that. When an overabundance of toys was “turning [her son] into a little monster,” Elina Furman launched the LEGO-rental company to give all those little plastic bricks new life.
Once you join Pley, you can choose a monthly subscription of $15, $25, or $39, depending on how fancy and expansive you like your LEGO world. In the same vein as Netflix, your kids (or you — no judgment) get to play with one set at a time, ship it back for free, and then eagerly await the next set in your queue. Both germaphobes and recycling junkies will admire Pley’s cleanliness routine, writes Fast Company:
Cautious parents need not fear the downside of many tiny, bacteria-laden fingers on the bricks. The company says that 15 million bricks have been washed and dried in Pley’s eco-cleaning solution, a strategy that’s reduced waste by eliminating 90,200 pounds of ABS plastic from our landfills.
Pley adds that by preventing all that plastic from being made, the company has kept 3.9 million pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. And each of its LEGO sets saves a tree, the company claims, although Pley doesn’t explain how, and we suspect its shipping needs might even all this out a bit.
But on the whole, the company seems awesome. And if you want to pass on your kids’ LEGOs that have lost their novelty, Pley will give you a $5 credit for every pound of bricks you send in. Now we just need to get more toys on the sharing bandwagon. Anyone want my old Jem dolls?
