Beautifully imagined, wonderfully nostalgic and filled with unmistakable French charm, Moulin Roty has been creating toys to enchant childhood for more than 50 years. Here’s why this very special French toy maker has become such a firm favourite at Binky.
There are some toys that simply feel a little bit magical.
The kind you want to keep long after little hands have grown too big to play with them. Toys that look just as beautiful sitting on a nursery shelf as they do being carried on adventures, tucked into bed or brought out for another afternoon of make-believe.
For us, Moulin Roty is one of those brands.
Whimsical, nostalgic and unmistakably French, its collections seem to capture something increasingly precious: the simple magic of childhood.
And perhaps that is because Moulin Roty has a rather magical story of its own.
Once Upon a Time in France…
The Moulin Roty story begins in 1972, when a group of around twenty friends came together in rural France in search of a different way to live and work.
They bought an old, ruined mill, restored it little by little and created a communal home where their families could live and work alongside one another.
Their earliest creations weren't actually toys at all. The little workshop produced handcrafted lamps, jewellery, decorative pieces and screen-printed objects.
Then came a rather special little car.
Made from wood, foam and fabric, the soft car proved enormously popular at markets and trade fairs. Soon afterwards came La Douillette, an original soft rag doll.
An order for 1,500 little cars followed and, quite unexpectedly, Moulin Roty found itself beginning a new adventure in the world of toys and childhood.
Yesterday's Toys for Today's Children
One of the things we particularly love about Moulin Roty is its ability to make toys feel nostalgic without ever feeling old-fashioned.
In the 1990s, the company introduced a philosophy that beautifully sums this up: “Yesterday's toys for today's children.”
Traditional toys and games were reimagined for a new generation, giving children the opportunity to discover the kinds of play their parents and grandparents might remember from their own childhoods.
It is an idea that feels wonderfully relevant today.
In a world of screens, flashing lights and toys that can sometimes do rather too much, there is something lovely about handing a child an object that leaves room for their own imagination.
A kaleidoscope. A music box. A beautifully illustrated story torch. A wooden game. A suitcase ready to be filled with treasures.
Simple things that can become almost anything in the hands of a child.
Where Art, Illustration & Play Meet
One of the things that makes Moulin Roty particularly special is the importance it places on artists, illustrators and designers.
These aren't simply toys with a pretty pattern added at the end. The artwork and storytelling are integral to their creation.
Every new Moulin Roty collection begins with a story a world waiting to be imagined. From there, illustrators, designers and seamstresses work with shape, colour, texture, materials and character to bring that world to life.
The creative work takes place at the heart of Moulin Roty in Nort-sur-Erdre, France, where its illustrators and stylists develop the colours, materials and personalities that give each collection its distinctive identity.
Moulin Roty also regularly collaborates with artists and illustrators, bringing different creative voices into its universe. It has even worked with the wonderful French children's publisher L'école des loisirs, bringing much-loved illustrated characters from the pages of children's books into the world of play.
We love this approach because it gives the toys a visual richness that is increasingly difficult to find.
Open a Moulin Roty box and you feel as though you are opening the pages of a beautifully illustrated French storybook.
The illustration isn't decoration.
It is part of the play.
Beautifully Made, With Quality at its Heart
Beautiful design means very little to us if a toy isn't also made well.
Moulin Roty's commitment to quality is another reason we are so happy to have the brand at Binky.
Most of the fabrics used by the company are selected in France and Europe, chosen for their creativity, technical quality and non-toxicity. Manufacturing is undertaken by carefully selected workshops and factories, including partners in France and elsewhere, with Moulin Roty maintaining long-standing relationships and quality controls throughout production.
Every toy must also meet European toy safety standards and is tested through an independent approved laboratory in France.
It is a thoughtful approach to making things that we greatly value.
Because we don't believe children's toys should be disposable.
Toys That Should Never Become Landfill
This is perhaps where Moulin Roty's philosophy and our own at Binky meet most closely.
We want to sell fewer, better things.
Toys that are chosen because a child will genuinely love them. Toys that can survive years of adventures. Toys worth looking after.
And ultimately, toys that don't simply end up in landfill when a child moves on to the next stage.
Moulin Roty itself talks about creating toys that it hopes will be passed from one generation to the next.
We couldn't agree more.
There is something incredibly special about a toy becoming part of a family's story — first belonging to one child, then perhaps a younger sibling, cousin or friend, before eventually being carefully tucked away for another generation.
A beloved music box or toy piano.
A slightly worn soft toy that has travelled everywhere.
A wooden toy brought out years later.
These are the things childhood memories are made from.
And when something is beautifully designed and made to last, we think you're far more likely to treasure it rather than throw it away.
For us, sustainability begins with making things worth keeping.
A Different Kind of Toy Company
There is another part of Moulin Roty's story that we particularly admire.
In 1980, Moulin Roty became a cooperative, helping to preserve the values on which the company had originally been founded: solidarity, sharing and respect.
Those principles remain part of the business today.
The company's history hasn't always been easy. In 1988, a devastating fire destroyed its entire workshop — its stock, designs, machinery and files were lost.
Rather than bringing the adventure to an end, the team started again.
Moulin Roty relocated to Nort-sur-Erdre and rebuilt the company, continuing to develop the wonderfully imaginative children's collections for which it is now known around the world.
There is something rather lovely about knowing that behind these beautiful toys is a company that has retained such a strong sense of creativity, community and purpose.
Why We Choose Moulin Roty for Binky
At Binky, we are quite particular about the toys we choose.
We look for beautiful design, of course, but a beautiful toy needs to offer more than something lovely to look at.
It needs to earn its place in a child's world.
We look for toys that encourage imagination, creativity, curiosity and discovery. We look for quality. We look for thoughtful design. And increasingly, we look for things that have the potential to remain in a family rather than becoming another short-lived purchase.
Moulin Roty does all of this exceptionally well.
We love its wonderfully French aesthetic, its commitment to illustration and artistry, the little details hidden throughout its collections and its ability to turn the simplest childhood object into something rather extraordinary.
But most of all, we love that behind all of that beauty is a genuine understanding of childhood.
These aren't toys designed to capture a child's attention for five minutes.
They're designed to become part of their world.
Toys Worth Keeping
Perhaps our favourite part of Moulin Roty's philosophy is the hope that its toys might one day be passed from one generation to another.
Because that is exactly how we believe the very best children's things should feel.
Buy beautifully. Play wholeheartedly. Look after it. Pass it on.
More than fifty years after a group of friends began making things together in an old French mill, Moulin Roty is still creating toys filled with softness, imagination, artistry, humour and tenderness.
Toys designed not only to entertain children, but to become part of their childhood.
And perhaps, one day, somebody else's too.
Beautiful toys for little people, wonderful imaginations and childhoods full of stories.
Très Binky, indeed.
