#289: The TCA Journey Behind a Toy Empowering Kids to Choose Kindness with Jana Hallam
A toy doesn’t need to be loud or flashy to leave a lasting impact. The most meaningful ones teach kindness, spark empathy, and build something real in a child’s heart. That belief is what led today’s guest to create a toy that’s about so much more than play.
In this special replay episode, we’re passing the mic to guest host Virginia Lette, who sits down with Jana Hallam, a Toy Creators Academy alum who felt the same way and turned that feeling into a mission-driven brand. After struggling to align with a well-known holiday tradition, Jana set out to create something that better reflected the values she wanted to teach her kids: empathy, emotional awareness, and the courage to be kind.
Her solution? The Kindness Mouse, the debut product from Wonderwell Toy Company. It’s a magical, story-driven play experience featuring a plush mouse, storybook, and activity cards that inspire kindness in young children through social-emotional learning.
You'll hear the origin story of The Kindness Mouse and why kids instantly connect with this unlikely hero. We dive into how empathy, SEL, and the idea of “wiring them young” became the foundation of Wonderwell Toy Co. Jana shares how trusting her gut (and even starting over) was key to moving forward, how Toy Creators Academy helped her navigate product safety, playtesting, and manufacturing, and why community is essential when you're building a brand from scratch.
Whether you’re dreaming up your first product or knee-deep in development, this conversation will remind you that a strong why is the most powerful tool a toy creator can have.
Feeling inspired to bring your own toy idea to life? Learn more about Toy Creators Academy at www.toycreatorsacademy.com.
Listen For These Important Moments
[00:51] - Jana shares how misalignment with a popular holiday tradition sparked the idea for Wonderwell Toy Co and how tuning into your personal values can unlock your most meaningful product ideas.
[04:34] - Discover how The Kindness Mouse blends storytelling, SEL, and imaginative play to help kids build empathy and confidence while keeping it fun and engaging.
[14:26] - From safety testing to manufacturing contacts, Jana reveals the exact TCA resources that helped bring The Kindness Mouse to life.
[15:52] - Hear how a conversation with a fellow TCA alum helped Jana find the right factory and why surrounding yourself with support is a game-changer.
[16:15] - Jana opens up about leaving her first manufacturer after a full year and how starting over led to a better product and smoother launch.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Bring a little more kindness into your home or classroom. Discover The Kindness Mouse at www.wonderwell.ca.
Got a toy idea you can’t stop thinking about? Toy Creators Academy gives you the tools, support, and step-by-step plan to make it real, just like it did for Gerardo. Start your journey at toycreatorsacademy.com
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[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: You are listening to Making It in The Toy Industry, episode number 289.
[00:00:12] Voiceover: Welcome to Making It in The Toy Industry, a podcast for inventors, entrepreneurs, and makers like you. And now your host, Azhelle Wade.
[00:00:24] Virginia: Jana, welcome to our. Special alumni podcast series of making it in the toy industry. It's a huge thrill for me to be able to talk to you today. Thank you so much for your time.
[00:00:34] Jana Hallam: Thank you for having me.
[00:00:36] Virginia: We are gonna be talking today a little bit about your experience and your journey with Toy Creators Academy, but also I wanna find out all about Wonder. Well Toy Co. How long have you been in the toy industry now?
[00:00:51] Jana Hallam: So I started Wonder, well, about three years ago, and it started as a whisper and it actually started as my frustration grew with this popular children's Christmas tradition that didn't align with me.
[00:01:06] Jana Hallam: And I was thinking, how can I create this play experience to inspire good values? And so it really started there as a whisper and grew into the very first product that we actually just launched last month, and that is the Kindness Mouse. And so that is Wonder. Well, in a nutshell,
[00:01:23] Virginia: part of the reason I'm so excited to be talking you today is because clearly our values align very strongly.
[00:01:30] Virginia: As a matter of fact, when I first heard about the Kindness Mouse, I needed to know more. We are all about kindness. In my home here with my kids, I try and drill it into them, and I have a friend who's working in that space as well here in Australia. So. I think what you're doing is so important. So was it just that Christmas thing that you're alluding to that sparked this or, or were there something else?
[00:01:57] Virginia: Has this been a long held thing for you in your mind?
[00:02:01] Jana Hallam: Yeah, that's a great question. I think there's a few things. You know, about three years ago when COVID, OVID was top of mind, kindness couldn't be more timely. And I think back to. Who I was as this little girl, this empath, this little girl who honestly could not be more shy and just very sensitive to different things around me.
[00:02:23] Jana Hallam: And I consider myself an empath. And so as an empath, you have this heightened ability to understand and share feelings and emotions of others, and you have this deep intuitive extent that comes with that. And so you're really tuned into how. You make others feel or how others make you feel. And so I've always been a kindness advocate.
[00:02:44] Jana Hallam: It's been something that I've tried really hard as a parent to instill in my kids, and it's just something that I feel so strongly about. And again, it's something that could not be more timely. We know that there is one in every seven minutes, there's a kid bullied on the playground and that hurts. That breaks my heart.
[00:03:04] Jana Hallam: And so. I think it's really, really important that we put a very big effort into trying to wire them young. These kids are so impressionable when they're young, so how can we teach them these good values in unique ways?
[00:03:20] Virginia: This interview could go long. I just love this so much. We'll try and keep it to our 20, 30 minutes.
[00:03:27] Virginia: Gosh, where to start with all of that. I guess some people think that kindness is an innate trait or quality to have, and yet what you are saying is we really need to find that kindness in people and bring it out. Do you think it's a tot thing kindness or is it innate?
[00:03:48] Jana Hallam: You know, I think that's an interesting question.
[00:03:50] Jana Hallam: I truly believe that kids. Have something good inside. And sometimes we need reminders to see what that looks like and what does that feel like. And so I think our kids want to be good. They want their parents to be proud of them. They wanna do good things, and. There's things like impulse or peer pressure, or sometimes that empathy muscle isn't developed yet.
[00:04:14] Jana Hallam: So how do we allow them to practice those things, especially when they don't quite understand? And so one of the things with the Kindness Mouse is we're, you know, we're using this playful experience at their level. And so the goal is that through this experience, which is this plush mouse character, this storybook in these activity cards.
[00:04:34] Jana Hallam: The goal is that the children see themselves in this mouse, and so this mouse essentially shows up on the doorstep of a family's home and it's looking for something really important, and this mouse is used to being shooed away, and it's actually looking for a family to invite it to stay. Who wants a mouse in their house.
[00:04:51] Jana Hallam: Nobody wants a mouse in their house. And so this mouse convinces this family to let this mouse in and this mouse inspires them to go on this adventure. And so what the mouse is looking for is kindness. Hopefully the child is looking at that story and saying, well, there's been a time when I've felt alone, or maybe I haven't.
[00:05:09] Jana Hallam: Felt like I'm enough or things like that, which is things that we all go through. The goal is that they see themselves in this character, and it's an experience that allows them to really embrace these things, not just for the most, but for themselves and for others.
[00:05:24] Virginia: That's an incredible why, which is something that we learn about in Toy Creator's Academy to find our North Star, I guess, to drive us when we get a little bit lost.
[00:05:34] Virginia: And it sounds like yours was fairly well honed before you even started.
[00:05:38] Jana Hallam: Absolutely. And you know, the, the goal really is if there's one less child alone on the playground, if there's one less child bullied, that's the kind of impact we're trying to make. And so I think back to, you know. Hearing from the teachers, you know, if one of my twins was alone on the playground, it just triggers this feeling of how do we change this?
[00:06:00] Jana Hallam: How do we. Allow these kids to embrace kindness in different ways, and we hear about it in movies. We hear it about it in in storybooks and things like that, but I really wanted to create this play experience that inspires this in just a different way.
[00:06:16] Virginia: It's such a beautiful mission to set out for you to do.
[00:06:20] Virginia: I'm curious to know, what did you do before you set up Wonder? Well, toy Co,
[00:06:24] Jana Hallam: the first part of my career was actually in multimedia, so doing video production. And I love to tell stories and document. And through that career actually, I had the privilege of traveling to different areas to document different things happening.
[00:06:41] Jana Hallam: And a lot of that was through medical missions and actually through that time. There was such a perspective I gained from being in developing countries, documenting some of the work that was being done and the perspective you gained from different people. And I think kindness, you know, really there's a lot of that that happened in, in those years where you learn about giving of your time because these were all, you know, volunteer missions.
[00:07:07] Jana Hallam: And so I went through video production for several years and then the girls were born and I decided to go back to school for marketing. Because it was a natural tie into what I was doing. And then there was this whisper. I knew I wanted to create something. It was just something that I felt so strongly about and I just couldn't quite put a finger on it.
[00:07:29] Jana Hallam: And this tradition that is very well known was the, the popular conversation piece around Christmas. And I just, I couldn't align with it. And so I thought, you know what? There's gotta be a better way. There's gotta be a way. To use play to drive important learning and to contribute to children's social emotional learning.
[00:07:50] Jana Hallam: And you know, I know Azhelle has talked about the mesh idea where we're trying to use the toy industry to really contribute to children's mental, emotional, and social health, and that could not be more important. And that is something that really aligns with everything that we're trying to do at Wonder.
[00:08:07] Jana Hallam: Well.
[00:08:08] Virginia: So at what point did you, how did you stumble across Toy Creator's Academy and where were you in your toy creator's journey before you found Azhelle?
[00:08:17] Jana Hallam: I was very early on in my journey and when I did the Toy Creator's Academy, it was almost three years ago. So it was right along the line of, of starting out, and I think Azhelle had just started.
[00:08:30] Jana Hallam: It was just a few months into her starting that, and I remember. Coming across, I think it was maybe a Facebook ad, and I just remember thinking, wow, there's this woman who left corporate to help others in the toy industry, and I had to learn more about her. And so jumped into the academy and it was just the perfect timing really, because it was really defining your why.
[00:08:55] Jana Hallam: Looking at your target audience, how will you. Find the people that will resonate with what you're doing. Is it something that people want, you know, and there's a lot of different things that she covered that is still so valuable to me today.
[00:09:12] Virginia: It's nice to find somebody, I guess, initially who you felt your values also aligned with, who could help you on your journey to help others.
[00:09:22] Virginia: What was the prompt at, at what point did you think, yeah, I need to invest in this course? Because, you know, for some people, particularly when you're not making any money, I was one of those people I sort of. Balked at the cost of the course to begin with thinking, oh, I don't even know if I'm gonna make that kind of money back doing this.
[00:09:40] Virginia: Is it gonna be worth my investment? So I guess the question I'm asking is how did you reconcile that in your mind?
[00:09:47] Jana Hallam: I think there's something about Azhelle that resonates with me. Her charisma, the authority that she's built with her brand and everything that she's done. And you listen to her podcast, which you don't have to be in the course to listen to those and.
[00:10:02] Jana Hallam: There's just so much value that she provides, and I think her approach is different. And I think aside from that, the toy industry can be very niche. You can find courses on so many things, but I feel like she is a prominent voice in that community and such a valuable one. And so I recognize that in, in her and I, the founder in me recognized the founder in her and what she was trying to do and her why, and so I really connected with that and I knew that.
[00:10:31] Jana Hallam: She would be somebody that I would welcome into my toy journey, and I knew that it would be a worthwhile journey as well.
[00:10:39] Virginia: When you started Toy Creator's Academy, were you starting from scratch then? You were really literally starting at module one. And you're filling out your workbook and doing all the lessons, and you were really starting to build the business up from
[00:10:53] Jana Hallam: there, kind of, so it wasn't completely linear.
[00:10:57] Jana Hallam: I did bounce around a bit, which probably isn't recommended, but I looked at each module and looked at where I was kind of at. I would say monthly. I would pop in there and I would look at the resources and. Things like play testing. I didn't even know what that was. And so things to look for, how to design your play testing so you get the most out of it and maximize that opportunity.
[00:11:18] Jana Hallam: Things like, are you an inventor or are you an entrepreneur? Right. And, and not even knowing what path I was on. I had this idea and, and a lot of those things, things like safety. Safety is such a huge thing when it comes to toys as we know, and you can. Drown in all of the information online. And so there was a lot of support there.
[00:11:40] Jana Hallam: And just when you think of a play pattern, that's something I had also never heard of and how to design that into the toy. So there was an element where I was already down a certain path with the product, but I think. There's different points in your journey that you could be where you could jump into the course and really get a lot of value because even if you've come past a certain point, just revisiting it, there's something that you can gain.
[00:12:05] Jana Hallam: And a lot of her material, it's very much summarized, so she's pulling in the most important things to know because there are, it is very overwhelming to create a product from scratch. Nobody told me how hard it would be three years ago. And you need the support. And the other thing about her program is the community that you're part of.
[00:12:28] Jana Hallam: And I have another story on that. But the community is crucial so that you feel like you're not alone and you can talk to other founders and relate to one another, which is so, so, so important, and gain insights from them. And so it's the community, it's Elle's expertise, it's how she communicates it, how it's how she brings it all together.
[00:12:49] Jana Hallam: That really is so valuable. Do
[00:12:52] Virginia: you think it's important for those that aren't familiar with the course and the structure of the modules that you do, do the modules in the order that they are? So from 1, 2, 3, 4, like how important do you think that that is? Or do you think it's possible to skip modules along the way?
[00:13:11] Virginia: Asking for a friend?
[00:13:13] Jana Hallam: I, I think every story is different, you know, and everybody comes from a different place in the journey. I. Think depending on, I, I think the founder's strengths and maybe weaknesses might dictate what you might gravitate towards first in terms of the modules. But I don't feel, and you know, Elle probably has a, a different, uh, mindset around that.
[00:13:34] Jana Hallam: Obviously she's di designed it in a way to get the most value, but I think you just have to look at it as a founder when your time is limited. You need to maximize your resources. So when you log on and you can see those modules, go to the one that you gravitate to first and go from there. I can hear
[00:13:53] Virginia: Elle sitting on my shoulder screaming in my ear.
[00:13:55] Virginia: No, no. Don't suggest that. You've gotta do for one. And I think actually as a new course participant. You do have to do each module before the next one unlocks now anyway. Which in hindsight is the right way to do it. You know, you can't start building a house halfway through the house build. You've gotta put down the foundations and learn it that way, so it makes sense to do it that way.
[00:14:17] Virginia: Yeah. What do you think was some of the key takeaways for you in bringing your product to fruition by doing the Toy Creators Academy?
[00:14:26] Jana Hallam: Well, I think as I mentioned, learning about what a play pattern even is and how to really think about that process and how it relates to the toy that, that I built. Um, safety again was such a huge thing, not even knowing what I needed and things like production files and tech packs.
[00:14:43] Jana Hallam: What do you send to a factory? You know, when you're starting from scratch, there's so many different things to know. Are you designing a plush. Are you building a toy that is made of plastic? Does it need a mold? There's so many different aspects to it. Play testing, what to look for, how to facilitate it.
[00:15:01] Jana Hallam: Things like legal documents that are needed, especially when you're working with an overseas company. This is something that I actually overlooked and that could cost quite a bit. If you miss certain things, and so there's things that she ensures that you're aware of, again, as it relates to the toy industry.
[00:15:21] Jana Hallam: And then one of the biggest for me was her help with the resources provided to find a manufacturing partner. And so. To rewind for a moment on that, I had the privilege of connecting with another founder who is Samantha from Joey DOLs, who is also in the academy and in the community. And she posted one day on the the insider group and I commented and we started chatting and she lives four hours away from me.
[00:15:52] Jana Hallam: She also has two girls. There were some really fun commonalities that we had, and she's also. Working on a an amazing doll brand. And so she's a little bit more ahead of me in terms of where she's at in her entrepreneurial journey, but there's a lot of things we could connect on. But one of the things that was a complete pivotal point for me.
[00:16:15] Jana Hallam: Was, she said, you have to go back to gel's resources, check out the manufacturing contacts. Because I was, I was hitting a roadblock with my manufacturing partner. It was almost a year into working with them, and I just wasn't getting the sample that I wanted. There was. Something that I just didn't feel right.
[00:16:34] Jana Hallam: My intuition said, no, this isn't it. I can't ship this. I can't launch this. And so I was really frustrated. I was discouraged and she said, Jana, don't be afraid to start over. And honestly, it was some of the best advice because I ended up going back to the resources. Finding some contacts in the lists that were provided, and knowing the trust in this list that was put together, I reached out to another partner and within 60 days I had samples done and I had started production and so.
[00:17:09] Jana Hallam: A year in, I started over. But that's what I had to do and that's what brought me to where, where I'm at now with the product. And so it was painful at the time, but so important. And again, I can thank being in this community for that actually of,
[00:17:26] Virginia: I feel like I've heard that episode, this very podcast.
[00:17:29] Virginia: Where maybe Joel's interviewing Samantha, and that's the key lesson that she learned from this was that, you know, don't be afraid to start over. Scrap everything you've done. Start again. Gosh, that gives me anxiety. But you've been there and you've come out the other side.
[00:17:46] Jana Hallam: So last thing you wanna hear about, one thing I've learned as an entrepreneur is you're solving one problem after another.
[00:17:53] Jana Hallam: And so. As you go through the problems, you build confidence, you build resilience, you build patience because you have to. And I think it comes back to you have to be rooted in your why and. I honestly think that's the only way to get through is that Y has to be so strong that you're willing to solve these problems over and over again and again, and it's one barrier after another.
[00:18:22] Jana Hallam: But if your Y is strong enough, it will get you through. And I think I just keep coming back to even the playtesting. You know, we had several play testers test the product. I had this teacher call me and she said, Jana, this mouse provided a bigger impact than I was expecting. She said, you know, there's this little boy who was a bully and he really resonated with this mouse and it had a big impact on him.
[00:18:48] Jana Hallam: And it's those sorts of stories that stick with you. And I just go back to, you know, what kind of difference can I make with this? And, and really I think being an entrepreneur is, is being a part of something bigger than yourself. And that's what it's all about.
[00:19:06] Virginia: And you alluded to the other key thing that you got from the course being community and obviously Samantha.
[00:19:13] Virginia: I think that's just such a huge part of it as well, isn't it? The context that you make, everybody becomes a mentor, including
[00:19:20] Jana Hallam: yourself. That's right. And I think entrepreneurship is lonely and you feel like you're all alone trying to fight these battles. And her and I would chat back and forth and it's like, well, this is the problem this week.
[00:19:34] Jana Hallam: And I would say, well, this is my problem this week. And it's something I think when you can find someone who can relate it just. Feel like you're not alone and you learn from each other and just connecting, uh, I think is so important and something that gives us a sense of belonging as well.
[00:19:54] Virginia: We haven't actually mentioned that your product, the Kindness Mouse, isn't, isn't just the mouse alone.
[00:20:00] Virginia: It comes with a storybook and the activity cards as well. It's, it's a full package, isn't it? What does 2024 have in store for the Kindness Mouse and Wonder? Well, toy Code.
[00:20:13] Jana Hallam: Yeah, that's a great question. So we just launched, and so the goal is to get this mouse into as many homes and schools as possible.
[00:20:21] Jana Hallam: And so it's developing relationships, it's building our audience, building up our social media and our marketing efforts so that we're finding the people that really resonate with. This, and hopefully for some retail placement as well. Right now we're direct to consumer, and so the goal is to continue on.
[00:20:40] Jana Hallam: The goal is also to add another character to teach more skills. You know, when we go back to the mesh idea of using toys to help. Teach not only social emotional skills, but support children's mental health and how important that is. So looking at other themes like gratitude, mindfulness, authenticity, courage, and really to help kids learn these, these values in a different way, in a, in a very fun way.
[00:21:07] Virginia: Are you at a point now where you are all in on Wonder, well, toy Co, or are you still working in your other job as well?
[00:21:14] Jana Hallam: My heart is all in, but I do have another professional role during the day that that I do as well.
[00:21:21] Virginia: Well, for anybody wanting to get the Kindness Mouse into their school, can they contact you through your website?
[00:21:26] Virginia: Is that a good avenue
[00:21:27] Jana Hallam: or Absolutely. They can go to Wonder, well.ca or find us on Instagram and Facebook at Wonder. Well Toy Co and that's how they can find us. Amazing.
[00:21:39] Virginia: One final question, because this podcast is all about making it in the toy industry, I'm wondering what advice would you give to somebody who might be teetering and thinking, oh, should I enroll in Toy Creators Academy or not?
[00:21:53] Virginia: What would you advise them? I think
[00:21:56] Jana Hallam: if you are. Really considering making it in the toy industry as the name implies, I think it's a tremendous resource to have. And beyond the course, there's the community and so I feel like somewhere somehow there will be value that is hard to put a value on. That you will gain.
[00:22:16] Jana Hallam: And for me personally, it's been a game changer, I would say. And it's been a resource that I have counted on and that I can thank for helping me get to where I am now.
[00:22:28] Virginia: And in the words of the Great Lady herself, 100%. It's a term she uses a lot that I've adopted that mannerism from listening to so many of her podcasts myself.
[00:22:38] Virginia: Jana, thank you so much for your time today. You are a wealth of knowledge and it is such a privilege to be able to connect with previous toy Creators, academy students, alumni members. What you bring to this podcast is equally as important as all of the lessons that have come before it, and we're really, really grateful to have this chat today.
[00:23:02] Virginia: Thank you,
[00:23:03] Jana Hallam: Virginia. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure.
[00:23:07] Voiceover: Thanks for listening to the Making It In the Toy Industry Podcast with Azhelle Wade. Head over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips, and advice.
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