What Creativity does

Creativity, Inc., founded in 1998 by Charlie and Sally Albert and headquartered in Silicon Valley (San Carlos, CA), is an award-winning product design and development studio operating as a professional services firm for the global toy, entertainment, technology, and learning industries. The studio employs a senior multidisciplinary team of 30-plus specialists spanning play design, hardware and firmware engineering, embedded and mobile software development, voice-app development, audio production and sonic branding, interaction and gameplay design, visual arts and animation, and animatronics engineering, with offshore sourcing support in Hong Kong and China. Its services cover the full product lifecycle from concept ideation and IP development through prototype, engineering, audio design, voice interface, app development, and factory-readiness, executed under a curated trusted-partner network for mechanical engineering, industrial design, packaging, tooling, and manufacturing.

The company has contributed to more than 7,000 products since founding, including flagship collaborations such as Furby Connect, Fingerlings, Hatchimals, Bitzee, Dog-E, My Special Aflac Duck, Joy For All Companion Pet, UNO Braille, and many others for clients including Hasbro, Spin Master, Mattel, Disney, Google, Netflix, Sony, Fisher-Price, MGA Entertainment, WowWee, Playmates, PBS, Pearson, DreamWorks, KidKraft, and Aflac/Sproutel. Notable platform-level relationships include preferred development house status for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice platforms, with numerous shipped skills and connected-device integrations.

The business model operates primarily on a B2B professional services basis (custom, project-based engagements whose pricing is not publicly disclosed), complemented by licensing and IP royalty participation tied to successful products created for clients. Distribution of finished products occurs entirely through client companies' channels, primarily mass retail and global e-commerce, while Creativity retains an owned-IP pipeline exemplified by the Readyland and Ready Activated voice-enabled book platforms. The firm operates as a privately held corporation with a wholly-owned subsidiary (FunFare, LLC), no disclosed external funding, and current CEO Joshua Garrett following the founders' retirement.

Name

Creativity

Legal name

Creativity, Inc.

Website

https://creativityinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Creativity, Inc. is a Silicon Valley product design and development studio that engineers interactive toys, connected devices, voice apps, and mobile apps end-to-end for leading toy, entertainment, technology, and learning companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Toy and Interactive Product Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD), Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios (MPAFAAAI)

Keywords

• Interactive product design
• Toy development services
• Voice app development
• Connected device engineering
• Play design studio

Headquarters

HQ city

San Carlos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Development Services: B2B design and engineering services for interactive toys, games, apps, audio, electronics, and connected experiences. Services span from concept through factory-readiness or launch candidate.
2. Licensing and IP Royalties: Revenue from helping create successful brands and products for clients, generating millions in revenue for clients. Works with major entertainment and toy companies on branded products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Creativity, Inc. is an award-winning B2B product design and development studio that designs, engineers, and delivers interactive toys, connected devices, voice apps, mobile apps, audio entertainment, and animatronics for the world's leading entertainment, toy, technology, and learning companies. The integrated studio provides end-to-end product development from concept through factory-readiness, spanning hardware/firmware/software engineering, audio production, gameplay and interaction design, voice persona development, and project management.

Product overview

Creativity is an award-winning product design and development studio specializing in interactive toys, connected devices, mobile apps, and voice experiences for the world's leading entertainment and toy companies. The portfolio spans physical products (interactive plush, robot toys, dolls, playsets) and digital offerings (voice apps for Alexa/Google Assistant, mobile apps). Key products include Readyland and Ready Activated (voice-enabled books), Dog-E (connected robot dog), Bitzee (digital pets), Tonies (audio entertainment), and Fingerlings (interactive monkeys). The company offers services including Audio Production, Engineering (software, hardware, firmware), Voice Development (Alexa/Google Assistant apps), Interaction & Gameplay Design, Visual Arts & Animation, Project Management, and Sonic Branding. With 7,000+ products released and 35+ TOTY awards, Creativity works with Hasbro, Spin Master, Mattel, Disney, Google, and Netflix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Services End-to-end hardware, firmware, and software engineering for interactive products including PCB layout and schematic design, prototyping, sensors, motor control and robotics, mobile app development, voice app development for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, connected device and cloud integration, and OTA firmware updates.
• Content and Design Services Creative content and design services spanning music arrangement and composition, voice recording and sound effects editing, IP development and concept ideation, gameplay design and documentation, immersive voice interface and persona design, graphic design and vector illustration, UI/UX design, scriptwriting and storyboarding, animatronic puppeteering, and localization.
• Project Management Services Project planning, timeline and budget management, goal definition, asset and document management, offshore support in Hong Kong and China, talent casting and coordination, reporting and accountability, QA, analytics, and app optimization for client product development engagements.
• Audio Production and Sonic Branding Creation of audio signatures, brand idents, original sound effects, musical compositions, voice persona definition including voice clones, jingles, and a library of commercial and original sound effects for branded products.
• Voice App Development Complete end-to-end voice app development for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant platforms, including voice user interface design, persona definition, scripting, audio production, and post-launch optimization.
• Readyland Voice-enabled children's book platform that transforms storytime into interactive Amazon Alexa adventures where children talk directly with characters, answer questions, play games, and shape the story through conversation. A screen-free experience combining physical books with voice technology, available to consumers via Amazon.
• Ready Activated Platform that transforms printed books into interactive voice-enabled adventures powered by Amazon Alexa, where readers ask questions, play games, hear sounds, and unlock content beyond the page through conversational technology.
• DoReMi 1-2-3 Educational music app for iOS and Android enabling children to make music with characters while learning melodies. Over 221k downloads across the App Store and Google Play.
• RokLienz Mobile Apps RokLienz mobile app suite on iOS App Store including RokLienz Rok Out (concert app for making music videos) and RokLienz On Tour (Galactic Grooves Battle of the Bands rhythm game).

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,000+ products released
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and support.

• Far Out ToyscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Far Out Toys to develop Playful Pandas interactive pet featuring Intelligent Tone Recognition technology that allows pandas to learn and sing songs. Product was nominated for TAGIE 2020 award.
• WowWeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership developing multiple successful products including Fingerlings, Untamed Velociraptors, Hands Full, and BriteBrush. BriteBrush won 2020 National Parenting Award.
• Aflac/SproutelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped My Special Aflac Duck, an interactive companion pet for children facing cancer. Product won Best of CES 2018 and 2019 SXSW Interactive Innovation Award.
• National Federation of the BlindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mattel and NFB to create UNO Braille - a Braille edition of UNO with voice app tutorial for Alexa and Google Assistant, making the game accessible to blind and low-vision players.
• Banks GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreativity Works partnered with Banks Group and The Story to deliver Playful Paths - outdoor creative sessions at Mount Oswald in Durham featuring creative trails and challenges led by illustrator Nocciola The Drawer.
• The StoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Banks Group and Creativity Works to deliver Playful Paths creative community program at Mount Oswald in Durham.
• Mechanical Engineering PartnerssupportOthersCurated network of trusted mechanical engineering partners for product development beyond internal capabilities.
• Industrial Design PartnerssupportOthersCurated network of trusted industrial design partners to ensure comprehensive product development solutions.
• Manufacturing PartnerssupportOthersTrusted sourcing and manufacturing partners with offshore support in Hong Kong and China, plus local manufacturing capabilities.
• Packaging Design PartnerssupportOthersCurated network of packaging design partners to complete product development from concept to shelf.
• Tooling & Production PartnerssupportOthersTrusted tooling and production partners to ensure smooth transition from design to manufacturing.
• AmazoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred development house for Alexa voice apps and connected devices. Developed numerous voice experiences including Disney Hits Challenge, Fuzzible Friends, Readyland, and many Alexa skills for major brands.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred development house for Google Assistant voice apps. Developed experiences including Stranger Things, Lost in Space, The Wiggles, and Coachella voice actions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Priority Designs: Mid-sized product design and engineering consultancy in Ohio serving consumer, medical, and industrial clients. Comparable to Creativity as an integrated design + engineering studio delivering physical product development services.
• Lunar Design: Product design and innovation consultancy offering industrial design, UX, and engineering services. Comparable to Creativity's integrated physical-plus-digital product development model with enterprise consumer-products clients.
• Whipsaw: Silicon Valley-based industrial design and engineering firm known for connected consumer hardware and IoT products. Highly comparable to Creativity's Silicon Valley location, integrated design-to-engineering model, and connected-device client work.
• Smart Design: Independent product design consultancy combining strategy, design, and engineering for connected consumer products. Directly comparable as a multidisciplinary studio delivering physical/digital product development services to enterprise brands.
• Bould Design: Toy and consumer product design firm based in Oregon that specializes in physical product development for major toy companies. Highly comparable to Creativity's core industrial design + engineering studio model serving the same toy-entertainment client base.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Iconic global design consultancy offering multidisciplinary design and engineering services across products, digital, and brand. Comparable as a high-end integrated creative + engineering studio that has historically served toy, consumer, and technology clients, though it operates at a much larger scale and broader scope than Creativity.
• frog (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and engineering firm (now part of Capgemini) covering physical products, digital experiences, and brand. Comparable to Creativity's multidisciplinary studio model, though frog operates at a much larger scale and broader industry footprint.

Emerging players

• Mapos Design Associates: Toy and consumer product design studio with a focus on play, novelty, and licensed entertainment products. Directly comparable to Creativity's toy-industry specialization and licensed-IP project mix, though smaller in scale.
• Twelve Toys: Boutique toy and play product design consultancy serving consumer and entertainment brands. Comparable to Creativity's end-to-end toy and product development services for entertainment IP holders, though operating on a much smaller engagement scale.

Others

• Behavior Design: Industrial design firm specializing in connected products and consumer electronics. Comparable as a peer creative-engineering studio for connected consumer devices, adjacent to Creativity's smart-toy and IoT-connected product work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creativityinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Creativity