Kidtech company Sandbox & Co. has acquired arts & crafts subscription-box company toucanBox, adding it to a growing portfolio of tech brands that already includes PlayKids (preschool streaming platforms and apps), Hopster (preschool SVOD operator) and Tellmewow (puzzle video game publisher).

Personalized and delivered monthly, toucanBox boxes include craft materials, instructions and an activities-themed magazine for three- to eight-year-olds. The London-based company launched in 2012 and was part of the first wave of subscription-box operators that spanned consumer products categories from beauty to toys. Its arts & crafts focus, though, became more significant during the pandemic as demand rose for education-based at-home entertainment options.

This acquisition is part of Sandbox’s broader strategy to expand its educational brands into new consumer products markets, says Guilherme Martins, president of Sandbox Experiences. Formed in June, the division includes PlayKids’ book subscription company, Leiturinha; Martins was CEO of PlayKids and director of Leiturinha before stepping in to lead the new division.

“We’re treating this as the start of a global initiative to to become a worldwide company and not just a collection of local companies,” says Martins. “Sandbox has complementary learning products, and the goal now is to connect all of these companies.”

Sandbox Experiences is focused on building inroads to the US and European markets, where global businesses like Hopster have established audiences, but Brazil’s Leiturinha, for example, doesn’t. The plan is to use subscription boxes to promote Sandbox’s other brands, Martins says.

The new division is on the hunt for other companies it can bring under its umbrella, and Martins has his eye on businesses focused on user-generated content. He’s also exploring licensing opportunities for the Sandbox brands.