PlanToys Greece

“Vaios Kourkakis always had a weakness in children, the future of the world.”

In 1990, after many years of research, during his trip to Nuremberg, he discovered PlanToys, a company of wooden ecological toys, made of aged rubber trees, designed by the architect Vitool Viraponsavan.

In 1991, he became the main representative of PlanToys in Greece, developing a network of 150 points of sale of ecological toys across the country. Rubber trees after 25 years of life do not produce rubber (latex). These trees would be cut and burned. No one could understand what the rubber tree is and how it can be utilized after its basic use. This is a divine gift, as the founder of PlanToys says.
PlanToys’ philosophy is based on education, ecology, health and entertainment for “better kids, better world”.

PlanToys embraces and respects Mother Nature. It chooses ecological and environmentally friendly materials. It has established the use of specially treated wood without bacteria and microorganisms. To assemble the toys, they use organic pigments, water-based dyes, and non-formaldehyde glue, while using eco-fibre paper and soy ink for printed materials.

Since 2008 and for the next 10 years, PlanToys has been offering free of charge to State Institutions and Special Schools worldwide the first series of ecological toys designed for children with special needs, all made of 100% natural materials, following strict environmental criteria. These toys are an example in the gaming industry and their educational value has been recognized by the most notable international award organizations.

vkourkakis

Kourkakis Vaios

“The goal is to set the sun as the limit.”

Graduate of the Pedagogical Academy, Educator, Entrepreneur, Thinker. He comes from Georgiko of Karditsa, Greece.
He researched and studied life-long the philosophical and pedagogical thinking of all Greek and foreign thinkers.
His passion and love for children has always been the driving force behind every great decision in his life.

“In 1973 I got the degree of the pedagogical academy and in 1978 I opened a modern bookstore where I merged children’s books with educational toys.
In 1991 I began as Jonathan Livingston Seagull (without any knowledge of the English language) on a journey to Nuremberg, in an exhibition where I saw PlanToys, became immediately impressed and decided to risk and introduce ecological toys to Greece.
I wanted to do what I love but also be useful and contribute to a better and more sustainable world.
The magnificent, courteous, genuine and imposing personality of Vitool Viraponsavan, the founder of PlanToys, as well as my fighting spirit, love and faith in offering to children defined and sealed the course of my life. I began without any financial resources and experience in the field of toys. All I had was stubbornness and a dream.

I am in favor of dreams because imagination does not mean you go into action, while dreams are usually the goals you have in life. The goal is to set the sun as the limit, as Nikos Gatsos said, something that you will never reach, but will force you to move forward to find the truth, the light.

I believe that when you have a dream, you have to work hard to make it come true. The endless hours of work, as much mind God has given me, the prudence, the wisdom and the consistency to move on steadily, identify and define my course every day.

I chose the uphill because that was where my heart was pushing me and I followed it with confidence. Because the heart, as N. Kazantzakis says, joins what the mind separates. It surpasses the fight of need and transforms the struggle into love.
Still, I would have done nothing until today if I was not like a “thick cob”, waiting patiently for the harvest. As it is commonly known, the thin cob is drifted by the wind.

The largest obstacle to man, I imagine is the lack of faith in an ideal superior to his ego. When you have faith and love in what you do then you become endless.
So, armed with all this, along with duty and responsibility, burning soul, brave, worried – because that is the only way life gets courtesy and unity – I tried, I do not know if I made it, but I opened a new horizon in the field of play and I traveled in a wonderful myth in a very beautiful vision.
What’s better than to die for a vision, for a beautiful myth than to live constantly a wasted life.

Finally, let us accompany the wise words of the great teacher Yiannis Kakridis.
“Never treat yourself with the conveniences of life. Always faithfully serve your duty, each in the place he/she might find him/herself and never forget the truth. Every man on this earth is responsible for the fate of the whole world.” “