Here’s the secret we’ve been working on for quite some time now. A new project that invites international artists to celebrate the synergies of play and art by creating tools for play. The result of the collaborations are a series of physical toys that encourage imagination and self-expression. First out is NY-based tattoo artist Virginia Elwood, creating an exclusive collection of temporary tattoos based on characters from our apps. We proudly present to you: Artist Play Series and first out is Toca Ink!

So what’s the story?
Toca Ink was created in collaboration with Virginia Elwood, a renowned Brooklyn-based tattoo artist. Inspired by the bold graphics of Toca Boca’s characters, Elwood created six temporary tattoos that feature characters from apps such as Toca Kitchen Monster and Toca House, allowing kids to imagine what it would be like to have a real tattoo by one of the world’s most skilled tattoo artists!

“As a tattoo artist for over 10 years now, I regularly see how tattoos spark kids’ curiosity. Kids always want to touch a tattoo, ask questions about them and even have one drawn on them. Creating the Artist Play Series temporary tattoos was a fun way of making Toca Boca tangible for kids in the real world. I spent a lot of time playing the apps to understand the character’s personalities to transfer them to a temporary tattoo design.”

What’s the Toca Boca vision then?
Jens Peter de Pedro, Play Designer here at Toca Boca, is one of the people that worked closely with Virginia during the project.

“At Toca Boca, we are always exploring new ways of delivering fun play experiences that celebrate creativity and spark the imagination, even beyond the digital screen. With play and art so inseparably intertwined, we are excited to launch the Artist Play Series, which gives Toca Boca a unique opportunity to work with artists in their own fields to create kids’ tools for play.”

About Artist Play Series
Play and art are inseparably intertwined. The work of an artist who does not play is unbearably boring. With the Artist Play Series, we asked some of our favorite contemporary artists from around the world to create tools for play that encourage imagination and self – expression. Toca INK is the result of the first collaboration we did with the tattoo artist Virginia Elwood. Totally Toca Boca style.

Now when you’ve read all this, are you feeling inspired to get inked? We for sure are. The tattoos will be available in our webshop from today! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for more products from the Artist Play Series. Yes, it’s a promise – there’s more to come!