SOFT PLAY

What SOFT PLAY does

Soft Play is a US-based custom manufacturer of commercial playground and play environment equipment for children ages 2-12, operating as a subsidiary of the PlayPower family of brands. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, the company designs, engineers, and manufactures indoor, outdoor, and aquatic play structures at two ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015-certified facilities in Monett, Missouri and Englewood, Colorado. Core proprietary technologies include PlaySoft™ antimicrobial foam coatings, Hydro-Tuff® chlorine-stable aquatic coatings, and GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) composite materials with two-ton-per-square-inch strength ratings; in-house production covers metal fabrication, powder coating, and rotational molding. The company markets a broad catalog spanning indoor play (Adventure Series, Skycourse, Hive, STOMP, soft sculptures, Wonderscapes, Elementz, ATOM, toddler play areas), outdoor GFRP sculptures, aquatic products (floatables, climbers/sprayers, water walks, slides, splash pads), safety surfacing, and themed environments.

The company serves a diverse enterprise customer base across amusement parks, family entertainment centers, water parks, retail malls, restaurants (McDonald's PlayPlace), hotels (Great Wolf Lodge), healthcare facilities (children's hospitals), museums, airports, military/government sites, churches, and daycares. Marquee accounts include Disney, Merlin Entertainment Group, Legoland, Six Flags, SeaWorld, Warner Brothers, NASA (Kennedy Space Center), Mall of America, Discovery Place KIDS, Fisher-Price, LA Fitness, and Lotte World; the company reports more than 40,000 installations across 60+ countries and 250,000+ completed playground projects.

Soft Play operates a consultative, field-sales-led go-to-market model: direct sales representatives work on-site with customers from concept through theming, ADA access, and installation; certified independent installer partners execute assembly. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time custom equipment sales (general budgeting guideline of approximately $1,000 per child expected to play per day), supplemented by certified installation services, replacement parts via shop.softplay.com, and third-party financing referrals (Advantage Plus, Navitas, Marlin, Navitas Lease). Government buyers are reached through the Sourcewell cooperative procurement contract #101625-PLP.

Name

SOFT PLAY

Legal name

Soft Play LLC

Website

https://softplay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Soft Play, founded in 1984 and part of PlayPower, is a US-based custom manufacturer of commercial indoor, outdoor, and aquatic playground equipment for children ages 2-12, serving theme parks, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and government clients worldwide through direct field sales and certified installers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Playground Equipment

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAEAIAF

Early Childhood & Playground Equipment (Play Structures, Soft Play, Safety Surfacing)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Education Supplies, Equipment & Furniture Procurement

SECONDARYTHAJAEAC

Family Entertainment Centers (Indoor развлечения: Arcade, Soft Play, Party Centers)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Theme Parks, Water Parks & Family Entertainment Centers

SECONDARYTHAAABAE

Aquatic Playgrounds & Splash Pads (Spray Parks, Kids’ Water Play)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Water Parks

Keywords

• Commercial playground equipment
• Indoor play structures
• Themed play environments
• Aquatic play equipment
• Outdoor play sculptures

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntersville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Playground Equipment Sales: Primary revenue from designing, manufacturing, and selling custom and standard commercial playground equipment. This includes indoor play structures, outdoor equipment, aquatic features, themed environments, and playground components. Products are sold as one-time purchases with professional installation included in project services.
2. Professional Installation Services: Comprehensive installation services provided by certified installation partners trained specifically for Soft Play systems. Installation teams are independent but certified by Soft Play to ensure proper assembly.
3. Replacement Parts and Accessories: Online storefront (shop.softplay.com) selling replacement parts including pads, post pad ties, netting, signage, hardware, fittings, domes, and windows. Ongoing revenue from wear-and-tear parts replacement.
4. Financing Programs: The company offers lease-purchase financing programs through partners including Advantage Plus Financing and Navitas Credit Corp, which generate referral or partnership revenue while enabling customers to afford higher-value projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Soft Play designs, manufactures, and installs custom commercial playground equipment for children ages 2-12. Their offerings span indoor play structures, outdoor GFRP sculptures, aquatic play features, themed environments, and safety surfacing. Products are built to order in the USA using proprietary coatings and materials, with certified installation partners delivering turnkey projects for entertainment, retail, healthcare, and institutional customers.

Product overview

Soft Play is a custom commercial playground equipment manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of indoor, outdoor, and aquatic play solutions. The product lineup includes: Indoor play equipment (Adventure Series, Skycourse, New Heights Tower, Hive Interactive Obstacle Challenge Course, STOMP Interactive Play, contained play areas, soft sculptures, Wonderscapes, Elementz, ATOM, toddler play areas, slides, play panels, themed play areas, hanging sculptures, furniture); Outdoor play equipment (GFRP outdoor sculptures); Aquatic products (Water Park Floatables, Climbers & Sprayers, Water Walk systems, Water Slides, Splash Pads); Safety surfacing (indoor flooring options including pour-in-place, carpet, and modular tiles); Site amenities; and proprietary coatings (PlaySoft antimicrobial coating and Hydro-Tuff coating for aquatic elements). All products are designed, engineered, and assembled in the USA at facilities in Monett, Missouri and Englewood, Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlayTuff: Outdoor play equipment brand providing fun and durable ways to create imaginative play
• Hydro-Tuff
• PlaySoft
• DuraSoft
• Skycourse
• Hive
• New Heights Tower
• Wonderscapes
• Elementz
• ATOM
• STOMP
• Adventure Series

Products and services

• Adventure Series A series of indoor adventure playground equipment featuring multi-level climbing structures, interactive elements, and themed play experiences for children and teens in commercial venues.
• Skycourse Non-Belayed Adventure Course A rope-based elevated obstacle course that lets children navigate challenges without harnesses, designed as a standalone attraction for indoor playgrounds and family entertainment centers.
• New Heights Tower A tall indoor climbing tower structure featuring spiral slides and multi-level play elements designed for indoor commercial playgrounds.
• Hive Interactive Obstacle Challenge Course A gamified, high-energy obstacle course for thrill-seeking kids and teens featuring a hex design with sensory and physical challenge elements for indoor entertainment venues.
• STOMP Interactive Play Interactive play equipment with pressure-sensitive floor panels that respond to children's movements with sounds and lights for indoor playgrounds and family entertainment centers.
• Contained Play Area Indoor contained playground structures available in small, medium, and large configurations with slides, climbing elements, and interactive features for commercial venues.
• Soft Sculpture Foam-sculpted play structures coated with PlaySoft antimicrobial coating, available in licensed or custom designs for climbing, exploring, and imaginative play in indoor venues.
• Wonderscapes Play Areas Pre-designed modern play layouts providing soft sculpted foam structures and contained climb-and-slide play spaces for daycares and commercial facilities.
• Elementz Modern Indoor Playground Modern indoor playground solution with contemporary design, soft foam play structures, shelving, and seating for commercial spaces such as malls and family entertainment centers.
• ATOM Play Area A modular play area design featuring interconnected play elements and structures for diverse play experiences in indoor commercial playgrounds.
• Themed Play Areas Custom-themed imaginative play environments that transform commercial spaces into branded worlds matching client themes for theme parks, museums, and entertainment centers.
• GFRP Outdoor Play Sculptures Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer hard-coated outdoor play sculptures that withstand two tons of pressure per square inch, available in custom shapes and themes for parks and outdoor attractions.
• Water Park Floatables Floating aquatic play elements with Hydro-Tuff coating, including themed floatables for commercial pools and water parks.
• Climbers & Sprayers Aquatic climbing structures with integrated sprayers available in 12 different themes or custom designs for water parks and commercial pools.
• Water Walk Adventure Crossing Floating walkway systems that allow children to walk on water, available in two configurations for water parks and aquatic facilities.
• Water Slides Aquatic slides available in various shapes, sizes, colors, and configurations for commercial water parks and aquatic venues.
• Splash Pads Zero-depth aquatic playgrounds with spray features, sprayers, and interactive water elements for safe water play at pools, water parks, and family venues.
• Indoor Safety Surfacing & Flooring Impact-absorbing safety surfacing options including pour-in-place rubber, DuraSoft antimicrobial carpet flooring, and modular tiles for indoor playgrounds.
• Themed Environments Design Service Custom-themed play area design and fabrication services that transform ordinary commercial spaces into extraordinary branded themed environments.
• Replacement Parts & Accessories Online storefront selling replacement parts and accessories including pads, post pad ties, netting, signage, hardware, fittings, domes, and windows for installed Soft Play equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sales increased 57% in first year after installation for retail customer
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PlayPowercoreOthersSoft Play is a proud part of the PlayPower family of brands. PlayPower brings experiences and expertise across multiple industries including playground equipment, waterfront solutions, shade structures, and site amenities. Soft Play benefits from project management support, collaborative design capabilities, and access to complementary brand services.
• SourcewellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational cooperative government partner (formerly NJPA) that handles competitive bid processes for public procurement. Soft Play products are available under contract #101625-PLP. Sourcewell membership is free and open to government entities, public education, tribal governments, and non-profits across the U.S. and Canada.
• EZ DockminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. Waterfront solutions provider.
• HAGSminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. European recreational equipment company.
• No FaultminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. Surfacing products provider.
• TayplayminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. Specializes in rope play structures.
• USA SHADE & Fabric StructuresminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. Provides shade structures for playgrounds and outdoor areas.
• VPSminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. Covered and hail protection parking structures.
• Wabash ValleyminorOthersPart of PlayPower family of brands. Outdoor site amenities and furniture provider.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Landscape Structures: US-based manufacturer of commercial playground equipment serving parks, schools, and recreation markets. Directly competes with Soft Play across indoor and outdoor playground systems with comparable custom design and installation capabilities.
• Kompan: Global Danish manufacturer of commercial playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment with strong municipal and theme-park presence. Overlaps directly with Soft Play's indoor/outdoor play structures and shares similar enterprise sales motion.
• HAGS: Swedish/European commercial playground and fitness equipment manufacturer and PlayPower sister brand. Competes with Soft Play internationally and provides a useful comp on cross-border commercial play economics.
• BCI Burke: US commercial playground and fitness equipment manufacturer serving municipalities, schools, and developers. Comparable custom playground manufacturing model and customer overlap with Soft Play.
• ProSlide Technology: Canadian water slide and aquatic ride manufacturer serving global water parks. Overlaps with Soft Play's water slides and aquatic attractions for theme park and resort customers.
• Little Tikes Commercial: Commercial division of Little Tikes focused on indoor playgrounds, soft play structures, and themed environments for FECs and retail. Directly comparable to Soft Play's core indoor soft-play product lines.
• GameTime: PlayCore subsidiary manufacturing commercial playground systems for parks, schools, and childcare. Directly competes with Soft Play across outdoor and inclusive play product lines.
• WhiteWater West: Global designer and manufacturer of water park attractions including slides, play structures, and splash pads. Directly comparable to Soft Play's aquatic product line (floatables, climbers, slides, splash pads).

Emerging players

• Berliner Seilfabrik: German rope-based playground equipment manufacturer with growing presence in North America. Comparable to Soft Play's Tayplay rope-play category and Skycourse non-belayed adventure course.

Broad incumbents

• PlayCore: US diversified play and recreation platform owning GameTime, Superior Recreational Products, and other brands. Competes head-to-head with Soft Play in municipal, school, and commercial playground markets through its GameTime subsidiary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCx5vjQsB_c_pSDmT307VKBQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoftPlayLLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soft-play
• Instagraminstagram.com/softplayllc
• Xx.com/SoftPlayLLC

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SOFT PLAY