From Mimitoys to Puppets Ireland: Over Twenty Years of Stories, Play and Surprises

How it all started

When I started Mimitoys in 2004, I had no idea that puppets would eventually become such an important part of the business.

Mimitoys began as an Irish online toy shop with a simple aim: to offer good-quality educational toys that encouraged children to play, explore and learn.

At that time, I mainly thought of the toy range as being for toddlers and preschool children. Over the years, the business changed, the products changed and what customers were looking for changed too.

I learned to adapt, sometimes because I saw a new opportunity and sometimes because I had no other choice.

There were plenty of good moments, but also difficult periods when sales were not enough to provide a salary or even comfortably cover the costs. Like many small-business owners, I had moments of wondering:

Can I really keep doing this?

But Mimitoys continued, and somewhere along the way, puppets as a range, began to take centre stage.

The puppets kept getting noticed

Puppets were originally just one part of the much larger Mimitoys range.

We stocked educational games, construction toys, arts and crafts, puzzles and many other products. However, the puppets kept attracting attention. My customers and mine!

Parents bought them for storytelling and imaginative play. Teachers used them in classrooms. Early-years educators brought them into circle time. Therapists used puppets to support communication, emotional expression and interaction.

At events and over the phone, people regularly asked me which puppet could suit a particular child, classroom or professional setting.

Some wanted a friendly animal puppet. Others needed a large puppet that could sit beside a child. Some were looking for finger puppets for songs and stories, while others wanted expressive hand puppets that could become characters with their own voices and personalities.

The more I listened, the more I realised that puppets were not simply another toy category.

Why Puppets Ireland was created

By 2022, the range had grown substantially and puppets had become an important part of what we did.

That was when I decided to create Puppets Ireland (www.puppetsireland.ie): a dedicated Irish website where parents, teachers, SNAs, childcare professionals and therapists could browse the puppet collection more easily.

The idea was not to separate Puppets Ireland completely from Mimitoys. It was to give the puppets their own space.

Both websites are still part of the same Irish-owned toy business. They are run by the same people, from the same premises in Summerhill, Co. Meath. The stock is held here in Ireland, and orders are packed and dispatched from my warehouse.

Behind the website, there is no large anonymous operation. There is a real person choosing the products, answering questions and often helping customers work out which puppet is the best fit.

What customers have taught me

One of the biggest surprises has been discovering how many different ways puppets are used.

Over the years, I have seen educational puppets used for storytelling, language development, classroom activities, speech and language work, emotional literacy and simple everyday play.

I have also learned that the puppet an adult chooses is not always the puppet a child responds to.

Sometimes the most unusual character becomes the favourite. A monster may feel less intimidating than a realistic person puppet. A snake may inspire more conversation than a familiar farm animal. A small finger puppet may go everywhere with a child, while a large puppet becomes a comforting presence in a classroom or therapy room.

Children often make their own decisions about what a puppet is for.

That is part of the magic.

More than packing boxes

Of course, there is a practical side to running an online puppet shop in Ireland.

There are deliveries to unpack, stock to organise, product photographs to take and orders to prepare. Some days involve packing one special puppet for a family. Other days involve preparing a much larger order for a school, organisation or group of early-years settings.

But behind each order, there is usually a purpose.

The puppet might be heading to a home in Cork, a classroom in Dublin, a speech and language therapist in Galway or a naíonra in Donegal.

I may not always hear what happens next, but I know that the puppet is rarely being bought simply to sit on a shelf.

What has stayed the same

A lot has changed since Mimitoys began in 2004.

Online shopping has changed completely. Customers now expect clear photographs, videos, fast delivery and immediate access to information. The range has grown, and Puppets Ireland now serves families and professionals throughout Ireland.

What has stayed the same is my belief in learning through play.

I still look for products that encourage children to interact, imagine, create and communicate. Puppets continue to fit those values because they do not dictate exactly how a child should play.

A puppet can become almost anything.

It can be funny, nervous, noisy, shy, brave, cross or confused. It can tell a story, ask a question, make a mistake or simply sit quietly beside a child.

The next chapter

Puppets Ireland grew from more than twenty years of experience through Mimitoys, but it is still developing.

I am continuing to learn from parents, teachers, therapists and children. Their questions and feedback influence the puppets I choose, the information I provide and the direction the business takes.

Looking back, I could never have predicted that puppets would become such an important part of the journey.

But perhaps that is one of the lessons of running a small business: you begin with an idea, you listen, you adapt and sometimes something unexpected takes on a life of its own.

For me, that unexpected something was Puppets Ireland.

Explore our full collection of puppets in Ireland, including hand puppets, finger puppets, storytelling characters and puppets for schools and therapists.

Myriam Doyle