Noah Ornstein was concerned that he couldn’t find toys that challenged his son Liam and that would grow with him.
The Highland Park resident, who has been fascinated with building things since he was a child, decided that he would have to design the kind of toys that he envisioned.
Ornstein joined forces with Joe Kelly, a friend he had connected with on a playdate with their children, who always wanted to start a business, and the pair launched Squaregles.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
The toys produced by the company allow children to do many things, Ornstein indicated.
“It allows for various form types and material types to be moved in and out of it, or to be attached to it,” he said. “Children can incorporate several dozen toys in the market. This can be their way to elevate or engage with things that they already have.”
The Squaregles universe also includes some fanciful little creatures. Oggs have heads that are balls, which can be attached to their bodies or rolled down ramps. Erggs roll around. There are collectible comic cards for each category of creatures.
The toys are designed to stir the imagination of kids, and allow them to play in any way that they desire.
Ornstein’s interest in toys began when the Canada native was growing up in a family where money was tight and there was a lot of strife over finances.
“Early on, I didn’t have a ton of toys,” he recalled. “I would look for an escape, which I really needed, with a flashlight under the stairs creating scenarios. All I ever really wanted to do was build and make things.”
The entrepreneurial side of his personality was influenced by seeing the movie, “Pretty Woman,” in which Richard Gere’s character’s career involved breaking down and building up companies. Ornstein was inspired to forge a similar career. He decided that would be an interesting way to channel his desire to build things.
Ornstein’s career life has taken many twists and turns, although he observed that running a toy manufacturing company, “is very much in line with everything else I’ve done.”
“I started life as an internal consultant at 19, and then went to grad school,” he related.
From there, he had a series of challenging jobs, helping launch companies, helping companies grow, working as an investment banker, practicing law for seven years, managing a venture capital fund, and more.
He currently is CEO of a company called Jayaram, which he described as, “a legal studio and creative accelerator.” It provides legal services, as well as coproducing art projects, technology events and content.
In terms of his career path, Ornstein admitted, “It appears as a very windy road. But there are lots of connections.”
Starting a toy designing and manufacturing company seemed in line with Ornstein’s desire to make things and launch companies. It also solved the issue of creating appropriate toys to stir the imagination of children.
In 2013, Ornstein began creating his concepts for toys in his kitchen by working with paper, magnets and other toys.
“We spent the first several years engineering,” he explained. “We wanted the toy to be the highest-quality product in the market. What appears to be very simple in design is actually quite complex.”
After toys were built based on Ornstein’s model, they were tested with focus groups and with families. The toys are designed for children ages 4-9.
Liam, the original inspiration for the toys, is now 15. Ornstein has two other children, Elliot, 12, and Isla, 9. His children have all tested the toys.
The toys are available at amazon.com and on the company website, squaregles.com. Offerings on the website include a Starter Set (105 pieces, $119.99), Drop ‘n Jump Racetracks ($39.99), Warmup Set (54 pieces, $64.99), and Oggs Castle ($39.99), plus expansion sets. More sets are planned.
The company has five full-time employees, and a part-time artist on staff. In addition, they work with a design partner, marketing partner and PR partner. The toys are manufactured in Asia, Mexico and Canada.
“The key piece of the toy is to enable a child to get lost, to reach that kind of escape,” Ornstein said. “Every child does need those moments of pure joy. These toys are specifically designed to enable children to get to that place through that child being able to use it in the way that they want.”
