corkolores: Sustainable juggling balls made of cork!
Our new product line made of cork leather
"Corkolores" includes sustainable juggling balls made of cork, which are manufactured in Germany. These juggling balls are the result of our efforts to develop an almost 100% natural product. The surface is made of cork and cotton, the threads are made of cotton and the colors are of natural origin. The balls are filled with bird millet from local cultivation (from Franconia).
Our juggling balls are suitable for both beginners and professionals. They are the ideal size and weight enough to be easy to catch and throw. Each ball is unique and has been made with attention to detail. The natural materials ensure a pleasant feel and durability and with the enclosed instructions you can easily learn to juggle!
corkolores juggle
€44.90*
Discover the art of juggling with the Corkolores Juggle juggling balls! These high-quality balls are perfect for beginners and advanced players!Product details:Content: 3 juggling balls (red, yellow, green) in a pretty gift box including instructionsDimensions & weight: Diameter approx. 6cm, approx. 100g per ballMaterial: Cork on a cotton carrier, filled with millet. 100% plastic-free!Recommended age: from 12 yearsFeatures:Material: Natural cork, biodegradable and environmentally friendlyDesign: Eye-catching colors and natural texture for a better gripWeight: Optimal for precise throwing and catching techniquesUse: Suitable for indoor and outdoor activitiesAdvantages:Beginner-friendly: Easy to control, ideal for learning three-ball jugglingSustainable: Made from cork and millet. Filled and hand-sewn in Germany.Durable: Durable coating ensures long durability and dimensional stabilityPromotes dexterity: Improves hand-eye coordination, concentration and motor skillsWhy corkolores Juggle?Corkolores Juggle offers a high-quality juggling set for environmentally conscious people. Whether as a gift or for personal development - this set stands for sustainable fun and at the same time promotes important skills: Juggling not only improves motor skills such as hand-eye coordination and reaction time, but also increases cognitive functions such as concentration and problem-solving skills. It promotes self-confidence and can also reduce stress and contribute to relaxation.
corkolores juggle4kids
€39.90*
Let your children discover the magic of juggling! corkolores Juggle4Kids is a juggling set specially developed for children that combines the joy of movement and play with an environmentally friendly approach. The set is ideal for young beginners who want to delve into the world of juggling and offers a safe and sustainable way to promote motor skills.Product details:Content: 3 juggling balls (red, yellow, green) in pretty gift packaging including instructionsDimensions & weight: diameter approx. 4.5cm, approx. 65g per ball (light and ideal for children's hands)Material: cork on a cotton carrier, filled with millet. 100% plastic-free!Recommended age: from 6 yearsSustainability: completely natural product, hand-sewn in GermanyFeatures:Material: Natural cork, biodegradable and environmentally friendlyDesign: Attractive colors for good visibility and natural texture for a secure gripWeight: Easy to control, ideal for children's handsUse: Perfect for indoor and outdoor activitiesAdvantages:Child-friendly: Easy to handle, ideal for learning the basics of juggling, including illustrated instructionsSustainable: Made from renewable cork material without damaging the cork oaksDurable: Durable coating ensures long durability and dimensional stabilityPromotes development: Improves hand-eye coordination, concentration and motor skillsWhy Corkolores Juggle4Kids?Corkolores Juggle4Kids offers a high-quality juggling set especially for young artists and/or environmentalists. Whether as a gift or to promote personal skills - this set stands for sustainable fun and at the same time supports important development processes in children.Juggling not only improves motor skills such as hand-eye coordination and reaction time, but also increases cognitive functions such as concentration and problem-solving skills. It promotes self-confidence and can also reduce stress and promote relaxation.
In addition to the "Juggle" juggling ball set, we have also developed a new game: Roule! This game is an innovative and sustainable version of the classic boules game. Due to the new design, the "balls" can not only be thrown, but also rolled and stacked. There are various game ideas for how to play for points. Roule can be played indoors and outdoors and is suitable for all ages.
corkolores Roule
€89.90*
corkolore's "Roule" an update of "Boule"The corkolores Roule is an innovative and environmentally friendly game of skill that offers fun and excitement for the whole family. Made from high quality, sustainable cork, this game combines traditional elements of the game of boules with modern design and a colorful touch.Product details:Material: 100% natural materials (cork & millet)Diameter of the roules: approx. 7 cmWeight per roule: approx. 200 gRecommended age: from 5 yearsSet contents:6x roules in 3 different colors1x target1x storage bag1x instructionsGame principle:The aim of the game is to place your own roules as close as possible to the target thrown. The players take turns throwing their roules, trying to either hit the target or touch or stack the opponents' already placed roules. The game promotes skill, precision and strategic thinking.Environmentally friendly and sustainable:Corkolores attaches great importance to sustainability. The cork used comes from controlled harvesting of cork oaks, with no trees having to be felled. Cork is biodegradable, recyclable and a renewable resource. By purchasing Corkolores Roule, you not only support the environment, but also sustainable forestry.Design and quality:The roules impress with their natural grain and vibrant colors, which give each set an individual character. The smooth surface ensures a pleasant playing feel and easy handling. The robust nature of the cork makes the game durable and resistant to external influences such as moisture or shocks.Versatility:Corkolores Roule can be played both indoors and outdoors. Whether in the garden, on the beach or in the park - the light weight and the practical storage bag make it the ideal companion for trips and trips.Fun for everyone:This game is suitable for young and old alike. It enables playful competition between friends or family and is therefore perfect for birthdays, barbecue parties or simply as a leisure activity.Educational value:Corkolores Roule not only promotes motor skills such as coordination and fine motor skills, but also social skills such as fair play and team spirit. Children learn to estimate distances and improve their throwing technique in a playful way.Conclusion:With the Corkolores Roule you get a high-quality toy that combines fun with ecological responsibility. It offers a great way to spend active time with family and friends while contributing to environmental protection. Whether as a gift or for your own use - Corkolores Roule stands for hours of fun with a clear conscience!
With "corkolores by TicToys" we show that it is possible to manufacture high-quality products in Germany. We believe that sustainability, quality and fun can go hand in hand. We are proud that we can take a small step towards a more sustainable future with our juggling balls and the Roule game.
To finance corkolores we had a crowdfunding campaign on the Startnext in October 2023. We are delighted that 153 supporters contributed 13232€ to make corkolores a reality!
Corkolores Juggle - Premium juggling balls
Our juggling ball sets "Juggle" and "Juggle4Kids" are the result of extensive research and development. They are specifically tailored to the needs of adults and children aged 8 to 12.
The "Juggle" juggling ball is perfectly sized for adult hands. Its weight and feel have been optimized to ensure a pleasant and effective juggling experience. Whether you are a beginner who is just learning the art of juggling or an experienced juggler who wants to improve your skills - the "Jugg" is your ideal companion.
For our younger jugglers we have developed "Juggle4Kids". These balls are smaller and lighter to suit the smaller hands of children aged 8 to 12. Despite the smaller size, "Juggle4Kids" offers the same excellent juggling properties as "Juggle", making them the perfect choice for young beginners!
Both Juggle and Juggle4kids are available as a set of 3 in the exclusive gift box with detailed instructions for learning to juggle. Both versions of our juggling balls have been tested and optimized many times to ensure that they are not only environmentally friendly, but also functional and durable.
corkolores Roule as a new variant of the classic game Boule
"corkolores Roule" is an innovative reinterpretation of the French classic game Boule (Italian: Boccia). In contrast to conventional Boule games, in which balls are thrown, the "balls" in corkolores Roule are designed so that they can be rolled, similar to a bowling ball.
Another highlight of corkolores Roule is the possibility of stacking the rolls on top of each other. This unique design opens up a whole new dimension of the throwing game and enables a variety of new game options. The enclosed instructions present different variants of how to throw for points and stack towers.
corkolores Roule is made of the same high-quality materials as our Corkolores Jugg. The rolls are comfortable to hold and are suitable for both children and adults. They are soft, silent and pose no risk of injury, making them an ideal indoor leisure game.
Corkolores Roule is also great fun as an outdoor game.
The action-packed game of skill brings family and friends together and guarantees hours of fun in the park, on the beach or on the lawn - experience a completely new type of throwing game!
Sustainable toy design: Why corkolores is almost completely natural
Our journey to creating truly natural juggling balls began with choosing the right material. We were particularly excited about cork because it embodies the idea of sustainability in its purest form: cork is obtained from the bark of the cork oak, which grows back every nine years without the trees having to be felled. This protects the forests and promotes biodiversity. In addition, cork oaks bind large amounts of CO2 as they grow, which helps reduce greenhouse gases. Cork is biodegradable and can be composted at the end of its life. Most of the cork is grown in Portugal, which ensures short transport routes and fair production conditions within Europe.
Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that the reality is often different. Our enthusiasm for the so-called "cork leather" (cork textile) turned into disappointment when we discovered that often only a wafer-thin layer of cork is glued to a polyester carrier material and then coated with polyurethane (PU).
We see this as greenwashing: a natural material is pressed between two layers of plastic and sold as ecological.
Our search for alternatives led us to inspiring projects such as the Bag Affair label by Ronja Nielsen, who shared her experiences in developing truly natural cork leather products. But we also came across plastic that looked like cork and cheap cork leather from China, where the cork is sent all the way around the world for processing.
Ultimately, our research trip (by bike! - click here for the blog post) took us to Portugal and Spain to a Spanish manufacturer who made it possible to produce cork leather on a cotton backing and without PU coating exclusively for us! Not using a coating allowed us to use our own, ecological toy paints, which we apply in our own toy workshop in Leipzig. To ensure moisture resistance and prevent paint abrasion, we also use a high-quality natural resin-oil mixture made from natural raw materials.
When making our balls, we chose a durable cotton yarn that brings us one step closer to our goal of completely avoiding fossil materials. As a filling material, we rely on a tried and tested classic for professional juggling balls: millet. Unpeeled millet offers an ideal filling shape, feel and weight for so-called "bean bags" and has always been used to fill such balls. Although we experimented with various other natural materials, we ultimately decided not to reinvent the ball, especially since we can source the millet from a local farmer in Franconia.
Now for the inevitable compromises and obstacles on the way to a completely sustainable toy: Our cork leather is also glued to the carrier material, which is unfortunately not possible without fossil raw materials at the moment. Our hard oil coating against moisture and abrasion also contains a residual amount of non-organic PU. Therefore, our balls are unfortunately not - as originally planned - completely natural and therefore not biodegradable. However, we will continue to work on achieving this goal and are open to all advice and suggestions along the way!
Another problem that we unfortunately cannot avoid is the use of a cotton carrier. Cork is too fragile as a material to meet the stability requirements. Cotton is criticized in particular for its high water consumption, and even organic cotton has a poor ecological balance. Nevertheless, the choice of a natural raw material over the frequently used synthetic carrier material polyester was crucial for us. We even tested linen as a carrier material, but this was too stiff for our application and also not affordable. However, we promise to keep up with developments in this regard, because our goal is to continue to create biogenic products, preferably from locally grown raw materials.
Design process and manufacturing in Germany
Manufacturing in Germany is a huge challenge, especially in an industry where most production processes have been outsourced to China to take advantage of lower labor costs there. Making our juggling balls requires a lot of manual labor and attention to detail that goes far beyond what is required to make a T-shirt, for example.This high-quality craftsmanship comes at a price. Just sewing a single ball costs us €2.50. Added to this are the costs for the cork leather, the dyeing, the millet filling material, the filling and sewing, the packaging, as well as the instructions and the packaging itself.
For comparison: A complete juggling ball set, which is also hand-sewn, can be bought on Alibaba for less than €2! This drastic price difference highlights the working conditions in China, where low wages and less strict environmental and social standards lead to such low prices.
We are aware that our juggling balls cannot be offered at dumping prices in Germany due to the high costs of high-quality materials and fair wages. With this project we also want to draw attention to the global inequalities in terms of living and working conditions.
Comments (4)
Rutger
November 21, 2023 20:08Hallo, kaufen kann man corkolores Roule noch nicht oder?
Matthias
November 22, 2023 09:58Hallo Rutger, corkolores wird ab Dezember in unserem Store erhältlich sein! Liebe Grüße, Matthias // TicToys
Amelie
January 16, 2024 05:48Hallo liebes Tictoys-Team, könnt ihr mir 3 eurer Corkolores Juggle - Premium Jonglierbälle zusenden? Ich möchte mit dem Jonglieren beginnen und mit euren wunderschönen Bällen wird mir dies gelingen :-) Danke vorab für eure Rückmeldung! Viele Grüße, Amelie
Matthias
January 18, 2024 10:14Hallo Amelie, die Jonglierbälle kannst du ganz einfach hier bestellen: https://tictoys.de/corkolores-juggle/ Liebe Grüße und viel Erfolg beim Jonglieren lernen! Matthias