Welcome to QToys – where play meets purpose!
QToys is an Australian-owned company creating beautifully handcrafted wooden toys designed to spark imagination, support early learning, and nurture a lifelong love of play. Thoughtfully made from sustainable materials in our factory, our toys combine education, nature and creativity. Thank you for supporting our Australian family business and our mission to make meaningful, eco-conscious play accessible to every child.
Our Story
From a Chilly Melbourne Street to Playrooms Around the World.
It all began on a winter’s day in 2005. High Street in Prahran was buzzing with life despite the cold, and among the crowd were Cathy, an early childhood educator, and her partner Quan. As they strolled past a glowing toy shop window, Cathy paused. Where others saw shelves of toys, she saw something more: potential — for wonder, for learning, for joy.
That very moment sparked a dream.
With just enough savings and a shared vision, they founded Qtoys — not as a business, but as a heartfelt mission. Cathy wanted to change the way children learned. 
As an educator, she believed deeply that learning should feel like play, not pressure. Toys, she felt, could be more than just fun — they could spark discovery, creativity, and connection.
So, from a small garage studio in St Kilda and a backyard workshop, Cathy and Quan began crafting toys with purpose.
Their very first customer? The toy shop they passed that night. Inside, they met Jim Wootton, a seasoned toy shop owner with over 40 years of experience. Jim became Cathy’s mentor and sounding board, helping shape Qtoys’ early designs and guiding them on what made a toy truly good for children.
By 2009, Cathy and Quan had taken the next big step: opening their own Fair Trade-certified factory in Vietnam, where their family could help bring their vision to life. Having control over every step of production meant they could uphold their values of safety, sustainability, and craftsmanship — without compromise.
Over the years, Qtoys became known for more than just beautiful wooden toys. In 2013, they introduced natural, food-grade dyes, and began crafting products from reclaimed timber and pruned branches in collaboration with local farmers — ensuring not only safe and sensory-rich toys, but a lighter footprint on the earth.
Now, two decades later, that little dream has grown into something far greater than Cathy and Quan ever imagined. Qtoys can be found in homes and classrooms across Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and beyond.
But our mission hasn’t changed.
We still believe that the most powerful learning happens when children are doing what they love most and that is through play. Every toy we design is a quiet invitation to explore, imagine, build and grow. We’re proud to support educators, parents and families around the world who value sustainable play and meaningful childhoods.
And through it all — from those first handmade toys in a Melbourne garage to today’s global community — we remain guided by one simple truth:
Children learn best when they’re having fun.
Thank you for being part of the Qtoys story.
Our Vision, Mission & Values
At Qtoys, our mission is simple: to nurture young minds through meaningful play.
QTOYS aims to foster children’s holistic development through enjoyable, out-of-school experiences.
Our products are passionately researched and designed to make learning a fun adventure, to cover a wide range of skills from motor development and color recognition to logical thinking and practical life skills.
We emphasize the significance of reasoning, critical thinking, and a self-learning mindset in today’s uncertain world.
QTOYS inspire environmental consciousness, connect young minds to nature and raise curiosity about all things natural and beautiful.
In today’s ever-changing world, we value independence, creativity and a self-guided learning mindset. We aim to raise curious, confident and capable children — all while connecting them to the beauty of the natural world.
We don’t just create toys; we create play experiences that inspire, educate and last for generations.
Our Commitment to Safety
Our Commitment to SafetyQtoys uncompromising safety promise.
At Qtoys, safety is the cornerstone of our design and manufacturing We inspire play with uncompromising safety. From concept to creation, every product strictly adheres to the most rigorous international standards, including ASTM-F963 (US), EN 71 (EU), and AS/NZS ISO 8124 (Australia/NZ). Our commitment is validated by an ISO 9001:2018 Quality Assurance certification and the use of independently-tested materials, including timber and glue.
Furthermore, we prioritize child well-being through material selection; all timber and adhesives are independently tested, and over 80% of our color range utilizes non-toxic, food-grade dyes. We don’t just meet standards—we strive to surpass them to earn your trust.
Over 250 products of Qtoys obtains the following most popular global standards of safety :
American Standards of Safety: ASTM- F963
European Standards of Safety: EN 71
Australian and New Zealand Standard of Safety: AS/NZS ISO 8124
Japanese standards of Safety
To reinforce our dedication to safety, we proudly present Q-Safe, our official safety assurance logo, now featured on every Qtoys label. This symbol represents our unwavering commitment to providing non-toxic, child-safe and environmentally responsible toys. We believe peace of mind should come standard with every toy. You can explore our full safety certifications on our website under product info.
Our Philosophy About Early Learning
The conceptual founding of Q Toys owes itself to Dr. Quan Nguyen and Cathy Dang, M.Ed. We want Q Toys to be a play-based method of early childhood education, alternative to formal schooling.
We embed our early learning philosophy in the logo Q: you will see in the logo a seagull embracing the globe and the sun shining on earth from behind her wings. A child with imagination is as free a spirit as is a seagull. Children’s imagination is powerful. Like the wings of a seagull, imagination can bring the child to seashores beyond your imagination! But as a parent, you should not worry. Children learn through imagination. Nurturing your child’s imagination helps your child to learn. Learning is like the sun rays shining on your child’s world and brightening their future. Q Toys aims to help you nurture your child’s imagination.
Growing over the years, our design team now includes artists, teachers, engineers and industrial designers. All share the passion to create toys for children to learn through play. Our expertises and experiences help us to blend the educational value of toys, fun and childhood imagination with high quality timber design.
Educational value is the strength of Q Toys products. Every design of Q Toys has a specific educational function in order to foster children’s physical and mental development.
Our Quality Craftsmanship
Our toys are handcrafted with care — and it shows.
More than 80% of our production process is completed by hand, making each piece beautifully unique. The natural grain, the smooth edges, the soft finish — every detail reflects the dedication of our skilled artisans.
We use plant-based oils, beeswax finishes, and food-grade colour dyes to ensure our toys are as safe as they are stunning. Around 90% of our range is made from sustainably sourced plantation timber, allowing us to highlight nature’s beauty while delivering exceptional durability.
Each toy is not just a product — it’s a piece of nature, designed for joyful learning and built to last.
Our Fair-Trade Practices
We are proud to produce Qtoys in our factory in Vietnam, where ethics and craftsmanship go hand in hand.
Our skilled artisans are treated with respect, provided with safe working conditions, and fairly compensated for their work. We also offer opportunities to people with disabilities, supporting them with training and long-term, stable employment.
We believe that toys made with dignity, care, and respect create more meaningful play for the children who receive them.
Our Commitment To Fight Climate Changes
One planet. One Legacy. Our Commitment.
Two decades ago, Qtoys was founded on the unwavering belief that environmental responsibility isn’t a trend—it’s a mission. Recognizing that climate change is a stark reality, we embrace a profound yet simple solution: partnering with nature to heal our planet.
Our primary commitment is to carbon drawdown through sustainable sourcing. Timber is a biological carbon capture solution; as trees mature, they absorb and convert it into a safe, long-term storage material. By exclusively utilizing plantation-grown timber—sourced from the sustainable cycle of rubber and Acacia trees—we ensure our products are actively helping to keep carbon out of the atmosphere while preserving the integrity of natural ecosystems.
Q Toys are made from plantation timber of rubber and acacia trees. Plantation rubber trees are taped for natural latex, which still supplies one quarter of rubber used in our modern world. Old plantation rubber trees are cleared to grow the young ones. Acacia trees are planted by farmers in Vietnam to prevent soil erosion and to supply the paper industry. Plantation timber gives Q Toys the natural beauty of wood patterns, while leaving unharmed natural forests
Our environmental mission is driven by circularity and waste minimization:
- Creative Resource Maximization:We achieve zero-waste innovation by giving “second lives” to agricultural surplus, such as transforming lychee trees, coconut shells, and fibers into captivating educational resources.
- Sustainable Materials:We integrate rapid-renewal resources like bamboo and loofah into our product line, diversifying our material palette.
- Responsible Packaging:We actively reduce waste by utilizing recycled cardboard for padding, employing recycled boxes, and optimizing our packaging to be functional storage post-delivery.
At Qtoys, we don’t just make toys; we craft a sustainable future, demonstrating that responsible manufacturing and inspiring play can powerfully coexist.
