The journey of Imagination Playground
by Wendy M. Grant
Jim Stallman, the CEO of Imagination Playground, is serious about play. Imagination Playground transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary playgrounds and inspires young minds through creative play. As Imagination Playground enters its fifteenth year, the organization is not just celebrating a milestone, but hitting its stride with renewed excitement and innovation. The company created its iconic Big Blue Blocks in 2009 for a single park project in New York City, and today Imagination Playground products can be found in every U.S. state, in Puerto Rico, and in more than 70 countries around the world. After winning an international design award, Imagination Playground is planning exciting new products and initiatives, proving that the best is yet to come.
New blocks win a bronze trophy
Imagination Playground’s flagship Big Blue Blocks are made of a lightweight but durable foam. The blocks come in sets of 55 or 105 pieces that include 17 different shapes: chutes, gears, channels, noodles, and, of course, blocks. Many of the pieces are two or three feet long. Stallman says, “Drop a set of Big Blue Blocks on the floor and kids will gravitate to them and instinctively begin working together to create mazes, castles, creatures, and anything else they can imagine.”
Stallman and his team continue to innovate by observing how children use their products and evolving based on customer feedback. Since children often build vehicles from the Big Blue Blocks, Stallman tasked his design team with creating transportation-themed blocks. This new set of 102 pieces features shapes like wheels, wings, and seats, making it easier than ever for kids to build boats, planes, motorcycles, and more.
The transportation set recently won a bronze trophy in A’ Design’s 2024 Playground Equipment, Play Structures and Public Park Design category. The A’ Design Award competition is an international contest where a grand jury composed of a panel of experts from around the globe recognize the most innovative designs, architecture, and creative works. The Bronze A’ Design Award is given to products, projects, and designs that demonstrate exceptional creativity and practicality.
Stallman says that the Imagination Playground team is thrilled by the trophy. “Everyone is so fired up about the award,” he says. “Last year’s gold winner was a 120-acre park, so we weren’t sure we even had a chance to win. It’s really an honor to be recognized in such a prestigious competition.”
The Bronze A’ Design Award acknowledges the dedication and skill of Imagination Playground’s design team, highlighting their thoughtful development and innovative use of materials in creating a product that enhances children’s lives. The award is particularly significant when you consider that originally Stallman’s team was solely a supplier of a product that was the brainchild of acclaimed architect David Rockwell.
From Rockwell roots, a new business grows
Rockwell’s firm, Rockwell Group, is known for creating spectacular designs for everything from hotels and cultural events to schools and residences. In the early 2000s, Rockwell was inspired to create a new type of playground. Rockwell Group partnered with KABOOM!, a nonprofit playground installer, to create a portable playground that would spark children’s imagination and encourage them to collaboratively build and play.
Eventually, Rockwell and KABOOM!’s president at the time, Bruce Bowman, turned to Stallman, who was then the president of Eco-Global Manufacturing (a role he still maintains). Stallman recalls, “I remember going to David Rockwell’s offices and seeing the original Styrofoam prototype of what would eventually be known as the Big Blue Blocks. He and Bruce knew that the final product needed to be made out of a more durable material. ‘Can you do it?’ they asked.”
This request was quite different from Eco-Global’s usual automotive and medical products. But Stallman immediately said, “Sure!” He explains, “I had young kids at the time, and I believed in the concept from the start.”
It took time to develop the perfect foam. Eventually Eco-Global came up with a cross-linked, closed cell, polyethylene foam that was both soft and waterproof. Eco-Global also developed all the cutting techniques and machinery to make the pieces.
The flagship Imagination Playground park, featuring Big Blue Blocks, opened to the public in July 2010 at Burling Slip in the South Street Seaport area of New York City. Over the years, demand for Imagination Playground products began to grow. Stallman says, “We’d make a set of blocks and ship them out. Then another order would come in and we’d do it again. And then the orders sped up.”
As demand increased, a management team suggested moving manufacturing overseas, but Rockwell and Stallman wanted to maintain control over the quality, the production, and the design. In 2018, based on this shared vision for growth of the brand, David Rockwell sold his interest to Stallman, and Stallman became the proud owner of Imagination Playground.
“That was a key moment in Imagination Playground’s history,” Stallman says, “because we weren’t just a supplier anymore.”
Innovative designs maximize creativity
Once Stallman took the reins, he put his team to work to expand Imagination Playground’s products. “Throughout our 15 years in business, we have continued to take note of what is exciting and engaging for children, and our products have evolved to reflect that,” he says.
For instance, in addition to blocks, Imagination Playground now makes bones. Dinosaur bones, that is. The concept grew out of a collaboration with the Boston Children’s Museum. After all, as Stallman points out, “Kids love dinos!” The bone sets include arms, spines, legs, horns, ribs, tails, and more, empowering kids to design dinosaurs, aliens, or insects up to four feet long and six feet high.
When customers shared that the only problem they had with Imagination Playground products is that kids didn’t want to stop playing at closing time, Stallman decided to create table- top sized blocks that kids can use at home.
While many customers appreciate the mobility of blocks that they can bring indoors, take outdoors, or move to any available space, other customers want to create a permanent play space. In those instances, Imagination Playground can build custom walls out of the same material as the blocks with strategic cutouts that fit the block set. Additionally, they can sculpt the client’s logo and custom shapes from foam and incorporate them into the permanent space.
For example, Dig It, a construction-themed family entertainment center in Torrance, California, requested a 15’ x 15’ custom wall that included their logo, their “Play to Learn” motto, and unique shapes like a stop sign, dump truck, and hammer. The custom wall not only serves as a fitting backdrop for Blue Block play, but kids can also build off the wall and into it, taking their creations to new heights.
Currently, Imagination Playground is completing a custom installation for Providence Children’s Museum, close to where Imagination Playground is headquartered in Rhode Island. Stallman is excited to be working on a local project, hinting that the installation will incorporate Ocean State themes of waves and water.
Taking play seriously
Rebecca Tortello saw how much fun her kids had playing with Big Blue Blocks in New Jersey. When she became an Education Specialist for UNICEF Jamaica, she advocated to bring Imagination Playground there. In an article for UNICEFUSA.org, Tortello wrote, “Play is how children learn to navigate the world. … Play can also be a form of much-needed psychosocial support, helping to relieve stress and anxiety and mitigating the effects of violence and other traumatic experiences.” As part of its commitment to facilitating safe spaces to play for families and communities across the globe, UNICEF recently brought Imagination Playground to Kingston, Jamaica.
“Kids need safety, shelter, food, and water, of course,” Stallman shares. “And then they need to be able to play and experience joy. My heart breaks for kids who are in dire situations, like war-torn regions, or places that have been hit by natural disasters, like Hurricane Beryl that mostly spared Kingston but devastated other parts of Jamaica.”
Stallman’s personal mission is to figure out how to bring Imagination Playground to more kids who need the opportunity to play. “I’ll make it happen,” he says. “I will absolutely make it happen.”
Looking ahead to 15 more years of fun
As Imagination Playground celebrates its 15th anniversary, the company is focused on innovation and expansion. “We’re going to continue to lead in this open-ended, imaginative world of play,” Stallman states. “We are excited to continue transforming spaces and inspiring young minds with new products and initiatives on the horizon.”
Stallman remains dedicated to manufacturing all products in the USA. He also maintains a focus on environmental sustainability, ensuring Imagination Playground blocks are not sent to the landfill. After years of play, they can be returned to the company to be repurposed into other products. Stallman notes that Imagination Playground’s manufacturing arm is ISO 9001:2015 certified, which means that it meets or exceeds the highest worldwide standards for quality management systems.
But most importantly, he says, “Imagination Playground is a family business. Many of our founding employees are still with us after 15 years. And they love this product just like I do.”
Thinking back over the past 15 years, Stallman can’t help but smile. “It’s been fun,” he says. “We look forward to producing more designs and working with new customers and our international distributors to get our blocks to more kids. There’s more fun to come!”
The next chapter for Imagination Playground promises continued growth and innovation, building on a strong foundation of creativity, quality, and a deep understanding of the power of play. As the company looks to the future, it remains committed to providing children worldwide with the tools to imagine, create, and grow. •
Play in person!
Imagination Playground participates in numerous trade shows throughout the year. “One of the best parts of going to a trade show is hearing stories of how much people love Imagination Playground and how important it’s been to them and their children,” Stallman says. You can visit the Imagination Playground booth at the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Annual Conference in October (Atlanta, Georgia) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference Expo in November (Anaheim, California).
Imagination Playground website: https://imaginationplayground.com
International distributors:
- UK: https://hags.co.uk/en-gb/home
- Korea: https://www.ssnrt.kr/
- Japan: http://www.kompan.co.jp/
