Young People Who Were Change Makers
By: Edwin P. Gordon, PhD, Head of School
Puzzle Huddle founder Matthew Goins in his family’s living room, which currently doubletimes as a warehouse. Copyright: Tyrone Turner / DCist/ WAMU
Puzzle Huddle isn’t your typical toy company. All of its puzzles feature diverse characters in scenes depicting prestigious career options — astronaut, veterinarian, chef, politician. The company also offers shirts and pillows with its characters. In one popular puzzle, a young girl with her dark hair in two puff balls pours liquid into a beaker, a determined look in her goggled eyes.
The company grew out of Matthew and Marnel’s personal experience shopping for their young children. While searching unsuccessfully for age-appropriate toys with characters that looked like their own kids, they discovered there weren’t many at all. So, they decided to fix the problem and began constructing puzzles by printing out images from Google, gluing them onto cardboard and cutting out the pieces. From there, this idea turned into a full-fledged business. As they say out in the toy business, “Representation Matters.”
Matthew and Marnel used their love for working on puzzles and their desire to give their kids toys that look like them to change the landscape in children’s puzzles. They are this week’s Black History Month’s Changemakers.
Edwin P. Gordon, PhD
Head of School