Bevy & Dave's African American 'History Makers Puzzle Block Set' debuts big at Toy F

Tiffney T. Laing at her Bevy & Dave display table at Toy Fair

It was Bevy & Dave’s first Toy Fair appearance last month, but the multicultural history and leadership toy startup came in style. It’s signature History Makers Puzzle Block Set (HMPBS) product was not only showcased in time for Black History Month but was nominated by the Toy Industry Foundation as a 2018 Toy of the Year Finalist in the Rookie of the Year category.

Geared toward three-year-olds and up, the eco-friendly 30-piece wooden block set presents six sides of play and in addition to traditional alphabet and numbers, offers biographical notes on important African Americans, historic events and self-leadership concepts—and is packaged with a mini history book.

“It teaches history through the lens of self-leadership and instills leadership in children at a young age,” said Bevy & Dave founder/owner Tiffney T. Laing, who was unhappy with the way history was taught in school textbooks and classrooms and decided to create an educational toy brand that related history within the context of self-leadership.

“Knowing that children learn through play, Bevy & Dave was born to inspire children to realize their full potential and motivate them to contribute their best to society one history lesson at a time,” she said. “We hope that Bevy & Dave toys will serve as instruments to build leaders around the world. With our toys, children will learn how the act of being your best self, can create an extraordinary leader. There is so much to learn from history!”

Laing pointed out that every alphabet letter serves the History Makers Blocks goals of educating and instilling leadership qualities, such that “A,” for example, is for “Appreciation,” while “R” is for Hiram Rhodes Revels”--the first African American and Native American to serve in the U.S. Congress when he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican to represent Mississippi during the Reconstruction era.

But the blocks also fit together to form African American history tribute puzzles, and a puzzle of the company's namesake Bevy & Dave cartoon character “Self-Leadership Gurus” mascots.

Meanwhile, Laing is readying a second Bevy & Dave toy for the fall. As for the History Makers Block Set, she says its already available at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.