Family founded and run since 2014, we believe in creativity, imagination, care and connection. And it’s been a great road trip so far!
The idea
Waytoplay was born from a family passion for playing with toy cars in sun and sand. Father, inventor and designer Sybren created waytoplay for his son Joep, way back in 2003. That led down a road of evolution to the unbreakable weatherproof road for everyone to enjoy today.
Crowdfunded
Did we say family business? Yep. After an initial crowdfunding in 2014, Marise, Sybren’s wife and Lex, joined the team, to help drive the transformation to a real business. The first 250 sets were sold in the blink of an eye. We had found an audience.
Scaling up
Waytoplay is driven by people. At our hightech partner, in the Netherlands, skilled specialists make our road segments. Looks simple? Trust us, it’s not. The segments are then printed and packaged in The Netherlands. They provide sheltered employment, regular work for people with little access to work. This makes us happy and proud.Â
Meet the team!
We are family. Even those that technically aren’t. Our team is devoted to remaining approachable to customers, partners and retailers. We foster a family spirit of connection, care and commitment to what we love.
Sybren Jelles
CEO and Founder
As a child, inventor and designer Sybren Jelles loved playing with toy cars. He created waytoplay for his son Joep - The unbreakable, weatherproof road set that is waytoplay.
Marise Jelles
Co-founder
Together with Sybren she forms the heart and soul of the brand. In atelier waytoplay Marise creates beautiful hand-painted back&forth cars, does in-house product photography, propagates and grows plants.
Lex Avis
Sales and Logistics
Lex knows about distribution, logistics, and retail sales. He can assist you with purchasing waytoplay for your toy business.
Stephanie Scholte
Operations and Finance
Stephanie tells the world about waytoplay. From beautiful Paris, she reaches out to parents and children.
Mirco Leardini
Marketing and Sales
Mirco also knows the route in retail and he will help you with purchasing waytoplay. Â
Sarah Forster
Brand Ambassador and Social Media
Sarah is our brand satellite in the USA and you can reach out to her with ideas and collabs.Â
Cedric Duperray
Sales
Cédric gladly answers all the questions you might have about our toys, company, and deliveries. Hiking, woodcarving, and scuba diving are Cédric’s way(s) to play in the outdoors.
Eline van der Ploeg
Design
Eline is our creative force. She came up with the new style of waytoplay.
Janine Terlouw
Design & Social Media and Content
Janine creates beautiful motion design & content for our website and social mediaÂ
Ramon de Iongh
Product development & toy safety
Our 3D mister nice guy
Sam
Barking Manager
The road ahead
Waytoplay is now sold in over 60 countries. Our fans on social media share their creative experiences daily. And the road ahead is full of excitement, new places and adventures. We’re looking to increase the sustainability of our product and its lifecycle. It won’t always be easy, but we believe there’s always a way: Imagine, create, play.
