Once Kids takes on ocean conservancy at Toy Fair via its Eco-bricks

Brad and Emmy Grimes at their Once Kids Toy Fair booth

At their Once Kids Toy Fair exhibition booth last week at the Javits Center, co-founders Brad and Emmy Grimes contrasted their LEGO-like wooden Eco-bricks with their plastic counterparts.

They pointed out that eight million metric tons of plastic enters the world's oceans each year, over 80 percent of which originates from land-based sources.

"At this rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish," said Brad, noting the forthcoming drastic alteration of the delicate balance for marine life if nothing is done to prevent it.

Hence, Once Kids' partnership with the Ocean Conservancy environmental advocacy group—and a contribution of one-percent of its total sales to its Trash Free Seas Alliance effort--in directly aiding in the cleanup of ocean plastic.

Of course, Once Kids had plenty of Eco-Bricks product on display at Toy Fair. The bricks are made from sustainable natural wood, are biodegradable and 100% compatible with plastic bricks. They can also be personalized via coloring with paints, stains and markers, and can even carved.

Besides its bricks, Once Kids showed its Playhard Heroes line of robot-like figures, its Wanderlust city sets focusing on the buildings of major cities like New York, Paris, London and Dubai, and its new Wanderlust Chalk Board Monsters and Wanderlust Chalk Board Robots, both featuring chalk board-painted bodies.

Incidentally the "Once" in the toy brand's name is also an acronym for Organic, Natural, Charitable, and Eco-friendly.