The design challenges the square model of play of traditional wooden toys, using a system of arches and linear pieces that operates both in compression and in tension. The inspiration for the design comes from the concept of the ‘tree of life’, an universal symbol of balance. This allows YBY to form the most organic shapes, spanning in all directions. It is open-ended with a customized locking system to provide endless opportunities for play. YBY™ is a unique toy that encourages exploration, not just through visuals, but through sounds, texture and smells bringing premium quality materials such as mycellium and bambooply manufactured for longevity and safety of play at its core. YBY™ uses certified bambooply and mycelium based composites, coated with 100% VOC free hemp oil, non toxic and low VOC paints. It is designed to be returnable so that the magnetic pieces can be removed and the mycelium fully composted after its use.

Today the toy industry is the most plastic intensive industry in the planet. 90% of toys are made of plastic that contain PVC or Phthalates, are petroleum based, hard to recycle and mostly used for 6 months before sent to landfill. Wood construction toys are an alternative to plastic but they tend to be designed within a rigid cartesian grid. One of the most tangible ways to bring environmental action into a child’s world is through knowledge of how objects around them are made. Bio-based materials like bamboo are fast growing and absorb 4-6 times more carbon dioxide than trees. These materials store rather than emit carbon and do not release hazardous chemicals into a child’s environment.Research shows that over 80% of parents wish their kids were effectively learning about sustainability as early as elementary school and more than 65% of teachers feel they don't have the tools to support them. YBY™ was developed in the belief that imagination is an essential part of childs life

Our vision with the design has been to advance and normalize circular economy principles across children’s environments, through creative design, while awakening their drive to regenerate our planet. YBY™ 's mission has been to incorporate biomaterials into the everyday life of a child through innovation and design for development, creativity and play. The resourcing and labour used in the toy industry has been recurringly called out for its lower standards and its lack of dignified work wages and rights. YBY™ means ‘Earth’ in Tupi, an archaic language spoken by the indigenous people that inhabited Brazil at time of colonization around the 1500s. YBY symbolically represents the abundance available in our planet. Our social impact partners in the Amazon and Timor-Leste will be directly impacted by the success of YBY as manufacturing will be based between Australia and Timor-Leste, with income generation, skills and job creation.