About Us
A Teaching Toymaker
Rick Hartman’s passion for inspiring children and inventing toys led him to create School of Toy in 1994 and has powered his work as a “teaching toymaker” ever since. His hands-on workshops and Giant Toy Shows are legendary at schools throughout the Pacific Northwest, and his patented products have sold around the world.
- Trusted by schools, teachers and kids for more than 30 years
Impact
Rick has made over 6,000 school visits and has appeared with his toys on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Discovery Channel and at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. Author Eric Lucas hailed his work as “educational alchemy”:
“What’s really being made are not toys, but lifetime impressions.”
- Trusted by schools, teachers and kids for more than 30 years
Inventions
Rick’s patented toys include Pro Thumb Wrestling, a miniature wrestling ring for two thumbs, and The Motorized Ice Cream Cone, a self-propelled ice-cream twirling machine. Fun fact: Talk show host Ellen Degeneres challenged actor Jennifer Aniston to a round of Pro Thumb Wrestling on the first episode of Ellen back in 2003! Ellen won.
- Trusted by schools, teachers and kids for more than 30 years
Ongoing Work
Rick offers In-Person workshops throughout the greater Seattle area, and Live Online and Video-Guided (Pre-Recorded) sessions nationwide. A former classroom teacher, he continues to develop workshops to meet the ever-evolving needs of schools, and hopes one day to share the joys of toymaking with every school!
- Trusted by schools, teachers and kids for more than 30 years
Ready to Start Your Adventure?
Step into a world buzzing with educational excitement that celebrates learning, inspires imaginations, and brings joy to the builders and thinkers of tomorrow!
- Trusted by schools, teachers and kids for more than 30 years
