It started with a pile of toys and nowhere to take them.
Nicole always passed on what her son Giovanni had outgrown. Then she moved to Barcelona, didn't know where to donate anymore, and saw what new toys actually cost. Playloop grew out of that.
How it began
Nicole & Giovanni.
Nicole grew up in a home where passing things on was just what you did. If you'd outgrown it, someone else could use it — so holding onto things she wasn't using never sat right with her. When her son Giovanni outgrew a toy, she'd donate it without thinking twice.
Then she moved to Barcelona, and suddenly she didn't know where to take anything anymore. The pile in the corner of the living room grew. And when it came time to buy Giovanni something new for the stage he'd just reached, she was genuinely surprised by how expensive it all was.
That's when it clicked. What if there was a place where a toy could get a second life with another family nearby — and where she could find something new-to-Giovanni that would light him up, without buying it new every few months?
Because that's the real prize. When Giovanni is happily busy with something he hasn't seen before, Nicole gets a little of her day back: time to cook, time to do something together as a family, or just a cup of tea finished while it's still hot.
It's also why donations are part of playloop. We partner with a local organisation so families can clear out what they no longer need and give back to other families who need toys — here in Barcelona and further afield.
Our mission
Give toys a second life. Give families a break.
Spend less
Waste less
Connect more
Why Barcelona
A city that already swaps.
Barcelona has strong neighborhood culture, active school communities, and a network of ludotecas that already bring families together around play. It felt like the right place to start something that runs on trust.
If you're outside Barcelona and want playloop where you live, tell us where to go next.
Where we're at
Still small, still doing a lot by hand.
We're a handful of parents building playloop the way we'd want a friend to build it — with more care than speed. A real person reads every listing and answers every message. If you'd like to help us grow it, here's what we're looking for.
Join the first families.
If you're in Barcelona with kids 0–6, you're exactly who Nicole built this for. We're getting ready to launch — join the waitlist and we'll let you know the moment you can start swapping.