Djeco: French design since 1954
Djeco is a French family business that has been designing games and toys for children aged 0 to 12 since 1954. The brand is best known for its illustrations: Djeco works with more than 200 artists, which is why a Djeco puzzle or game looks unlike most toys on the shelf. At Planet Happy you will find the complete Djeco collection.
The story behind Djeco
In 1954, in the heart of Paris, Véronique Michel-Dalès founded "les jeux du Djeco". The name refers to the gecko, the small lizard regarded as a good-luck charm in South-East Asia. She started with sets of coloured dominoes for learning letters, numbers and sums, then moved on to richly illustrated games. During the 1960s her work won four Oscars du jouet. The brand then lay dormant for years until her son Frédéric revived the family company in 1989; from 1993 onwards he began designing original collections. Today more than seventy people work for Djeco, around thirty of them full-time on inventing new toys, still in the company's historic Paris workshops.
Djeco toys by age
Djeco divides its own collection into four age groups, which makes choosing a gift easier:
- 0 to 3 years – baby toys, mobiles, stacking towers, first knob puzzles and pull-along toys
- 3 to 5 years – simple jigsaw puzzles, first board games, sticker books and craft sets
- 5 to 7 years – puzzles of 50 to 200 pieces, card games and creative sets with beads, mosaics or fabric
- 7 years and up – larger jigsaws, strategy games, jewellery making and the Arty Toys figures
The range therefore covers roughly the whole of primary school age, which is where Djeco itself concentrates its collection.
What kinds of Djeco toys are there?
Materials, quality and safety
Djeco deliberately favours wood, paper and card. According to the brand, in 2025 some 67% of its range consisted mainly of these materials, and 94% of those products were FSC® certified; Djeco has been working towards that certification since 2010. Where wood cannot be FSC certified, the company uses alternatives such as hevea: rubber trees that no longer produce latex and are given a second life. Puzzle pieces are made of dense, thick card, wooden toys of plywood, and playing cards of reinforced paper.
On safety, Djeco has conformity tests carried out at an accredited laboratory before series production begins, and sends independent inspectors into the factories. The company reports more than 1,500 inspections at production sites and more than 2,000 safety tests at certified laboratories each year. Every product carries a batch number ("BC") next to the barcode or on the toy itself, which traces the factory, the production date and the associated laboratory tests. Overwrap films were removed in 2021.
The illustrators behind Djeco
What sets Djeco apart from much of the toy market is the role of its illustrators. More than 200 artists supply original artwork, and the brand releases around 300 new items a year. Many craft boxes include a booklet introducing the illustrator of that particular product, with a small gallery of their work. From 2011, Frédéric and Barbara Michel-Dalès built a collection of children's illustration that now holds more than 250 originals.
Frequently asked questions about Djeco
What age is Djeco suitable for?
Djeco designs for children aged 0 to 12 and divides its collection into 0-3, 3-5, 5-7 and 7+ years. Every box carries an age marking.
Where does the name Djeco come from?
From the gecko, a small lizard seen as a good-luck charm in South-East Asia. Founder Véronique Michel-Dalès named her games "les jeux du Djeco" in 1954.
Where are Djeco toys designed?
In Paris. The design team works from the company's historic workshops in the centre of the city.
Is Djeco a sustainable brand?
Djeco focuses on FSC® certified wood and card and states that in 2025, 94% of the products made mainly from wood, paper or card carried that certification. Overwrap films have been dropped and plastic parts inside the boxes are being replaced step by step with paper alternatives.
Are Djeco puzzles made of card or wood?
Both. The jigsaw puzzles are thick card; the knob and shape puzzles for young children are plywood.
Does Planet Happy stock the complete Djeco collection?
Yes. Planet Happy carries the entire Djeco range, from baby toys through to the large jigsaws and the Arty Toys.
Planet Happy delivers Djeco toys throughout the United Kingdom.
