Since 1994, Monkey Business has designed playful, practical gifts and everyday tools for the home and office, including its distinctive Corkers wine stoppers and pasta-shaped kitchen gadgets. Based in Tel Aviv, the company collaborates with leading Israeli product designers to give ordinary routines an unexpected dose of humor and originality.
Everyday ObjectsEveryday Objects, created by gift-industry veteran Tyler Breuer, turns ordinary household and kitchen goods into playful, functional designs such as mushroom scrubbers and a hatchet-shaped pizza cutter. Drawing on pop art and comic books, the East Rockaway company gives routine tasks a dose of humor without sacrificing usefulness. Breuer brings more than a decade of experience with gift brands including Genuine Fred, Paladone, Unicorn Snot, and Hipsterkid.EAST ROCKAWAY, NY
The Mensch on a BenchLaunched from a 2013 Kickstarter campaign, Cincinnati-based The Mensch on a Bench creates Hanukkah toys and storybooks built around Moshe the Mensch and his growing mishpacha of Jewish characters. Family-owned from the start, the company was conceived by former Hasbro toy designer Neal Hoffman to give his sons a new way to learn about Hanukkah and has since reached more than 325,000 Jewish families. Its products turn Jewish values such as kindness and doing good deeds into a playful family tradition.CINCINNATI, OH
Streamline Imagined WholesaleFounded in 1992 by Parsons art graduate Sophia Franzakis and her husband, Eli Senderovich, Streamline Imagined Wholesale creates colorful, whimsical gift merchandise for retailers across the country. The company began as a junior-market fashion watch maker and has grown into a curator of playful, functional designs, including its distinctive PBJ plush ball jellies and custom-developed products for individual clients.CONGERS, NY
Pavilion Gift CompanyPavilion Gift Company creates gift and lifestyle merchandise for everyday occasions, with designs that range from playful farm-themed snackware to embroidered outdoor hats. Its retail, wholesale, and outlet channels serve shoppers and independent retailers, while in-house designs such as the “In the Moo-d for Snacks” bowl bring a distinctly lighthearted character to practical goods.BERGEN, NY