What Whirli does

Whirli is a UK-based, direct-to-consumer toy rental subscription service founded in 2018 and headquartered in London. Operating exclusively through its whirli.com storefront, the company targets UK families with children aged 0–8 years, offering a curated library of over 1,000 toys from premium brands such as Fisher Price, Melissa & Doug, Hape, Grimm's, Grapat, Janod, Le Toy Van, and VTech. The platform is structured around a token-based economy in which subscribers select toys from the digital catalog, receive them by post, retain them for as long as the toy is enjoyed, and return items to swap for new ones — with the option to purchase retained toys at below-retail prices.

The revenue model is purely subscription-based across three annual-cadence tiers — Toy Sack (£10.79/month), Toy Box (£16.21/month), and Toy Chest (£31.21/month) — with token allocations calibrated to allow borrowing toys worth approximately 4x the subscription price. Distribution is single-channel and domestic: customers subscribe, choose toys, and receive deliveries via the warehouse-operated logistics arm, with no third-party retail or marketplace presence. The product surface has been extended beyond core toy rental into curated Toy Bundles organized by developmental stage, Whirli Crafts add-ons (e.g., playdough), a Whirli Gift gifting service, and a baby equipment rental line covering prams, high chairs, child carriers, bouncers, and kids luggage.

The business is privately held and has raised roughly $6.9M in disclosed equity funding across a 2019 seed round and a December 2020 round led by Octopus Ventures with participation from MMC Ventures. Operations are run by Founder and Managing Director Nigel Phan with a Head of Operations and a team of 11–50 employees, including warehouse logistics for sterilisation and EU/UK safety compliance. The company has accumulated earned media in The Telegraph, The Independent, BBC Radio 4, The Guardian, Metro, and ITV, and has received Made for Mums, Baby Awards, Junior Design Awards, and Loved by Parents recognition, supporting its positioning as an affordable and sustainable alternative to toy ownership.

Name

Whirli

Legal name

Whirli

Website

https://whirli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Whirli is a UK-based, direct-to-consumer toy rental subscription service offering UK families with children aged 0–8 a token-based library of over 1,000 premium toys and baby equipment, monetized through tiered annual subscriptions starting at £10.79 per month.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Toy Subscription Rental

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Toy Rentals & Subscription Boxes (CRALAFAK)

Keywords

• Toy subscription service
• Toy rental platform
• Kids toy sharing
• Subscription toy box
• Baby equipment rental

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Toy Rental Subscriptions: Customers pay monthly or annual subscription fees to access a library of over 1,000 toys. Subscribers receive tokens based on their plan tier to 'spend' on toys. They can borrow toys worth multiple times their subscription cost, swap toys as desired, and optionally purchase toys they want to keep permanently.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Whirli operates a toy sharing subscription service that allows families to rent toys from a curated library of over 1,000 items and baby equipment. Subscribers receive tokens based on their plan tier to spend on toys, can swap toys freely with no time limits, and have the option to purchase toys at below-retail prices. The platform delivers a circular, sustainability-focused alternative to toy ownership targeting children aged 0-8 years.

Product overview

Whirli is a UK-based toy sharing subscription platform offering an alternative to toy ownership through rental, swap, and optional purchase. The service operates on a tiered subscription model (Toy Box, Toy Sack, and Toy Chest plans) providing token-based access to a library of over 1,000 toys and baby equipment. Subscribers borrow toys using tokens, swap them when desired, and can keep toys for up to 12 months or purchase them outright. The product portfolio includes the core subscription service, curated bundle collections organized by developmental stage, craft supplies as add-ons, gift subscriptions, and baby equipment rental. The toy library spans brands like Fisher Price, Melissa & Doug, Hape, Grapat, Grimm's, Janod, Le Toy Van, and VTech, covering categories from wooden toys and STEM toys to baby equipment for children aged 0-8 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whirli Toy Sharing Subscription A direct-to-consumer toy rental subscription service that lets families borrow toys from a library of over 1,000 items, swap toys at will, and optionally purchase toys they wish to keep permanently at below-retail prices. Designed for UK families with children aged 0-8 years seeking affordable, sustainable play options.
• Toy Bundles Handpicked curated collections of toys organized by developmental stage and occasion, including Hello World, First Discoveries, Sensory Seekers, Wonder Watchers, Move & Master, Rhythm & Reason, Discovery Champions, Determined Explorers, Confident Achievers, First Steps Forward, Little Problem Solvers, and Independent Adventurers. Available to subscribers within the Whirli library.
• Whirli Crafts Handpicked craft supplies including playdough available as add-ons to toy swaps or as standalone gifts for subscribers and gift recipients.
• Whirli Gift Gift subscription option allowing friends and family members to fund a Whirli subscription or purchase gift credit for recipients, enabling toy-sharing subscriptions to be given as presents.
• Baby Equipment Rental Rental of baby equipment items including prams, high chairs, kids luggage, child carriers, and bouncers from the Whirli library for subscribers needing short-term access to larger baby gear.

Quantifiable outcome

• Borrow toys worth 4x the subscription price
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KiwiCo: KiwiCo is a large US-based subscription box service for kids covering toys, STEM, arts, and crafts. It is a broader incumbent in the kids' subscription category and overlaps with Whirli on the educational-toy subscription value proposition, though it sells rather than rents.
• Fat Brain Toys: Fat Brain Toys is a US specialty toy retailer offering curated developmental and educational toys. While primarily a retailer rather than rental subscription, it competes with Whirli for the same premium developmental-toy customer and offers an alternative ownership model.

Direct peers

• LullaBee Rentals: LullaBee is a UK-based rental subscription service for baby and toddler gear including buggies, car seats, and high chairs. It targets the same UK parent persona as Whirli's baby equipment rental line with an identical circular-economy rental model.
• Lovevery: Lovevery is a US subscription service delivering stage-based developmental toys and play kits for children 0-5. Although Lovevery sells rather than rents, it competes directly with Whirli for the same parental persona focused on curated, educational, developmentally appropriate toys.
• Pley: Pley (formerly Pleygo) is a US toy rental subscription service that pioneered LEGO-by-subscription. It is a direct rental-model peer to Whirli in the circular play economy, though focused on a single toy category and the US market.
• GreenPin: GreenPin is a UK rental subscription service for baby and toddler gear, similar in circular-economy ethos to Whirli. Both target UK parents seeking an alternative to ownership of high-cost, short-use-cycle baby products, and both emphasize sustainability and quality brands.
• Bundlee: Bundlee is a UK-based circular subscription rental service for children's clothing. Like Whirli, it targets eco-conscious UK parents with a subscription rental model, swapping outgrown items, and positions itself around reducing waste and cost for families.

Regional players

• BabyQuip: BabyQuip is a US-based baby equipment rental marketplace (strollers, cribs, car seats) serving traveling families. While regionally focused on the US, it overlaps with Whirli's baby equipment rental offering in product category and rental business model.

Emerging players

• HopSkip: HopSkip is a US-based toy rental subscription service focused on early-childhood educational toys. Although smaller and US-focused, it overlaps with Whirli on the curated developmental toy rental concept and similar price-point subscription model.

Others

• Vinted: Vinted is a major European peer-to-peer marketplace for secondhand children's clothing, toys, and baby gear. While not a rental service, it competes with Whirli for budget-conscious UK parents seeking affordable, sustainable alternatives to buying new toys.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/giveitawhirli
• Facebookfacebook.com/GiveItAWhirli
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/giveitawhirli

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whirli