Minneapolis Toy Library

The Minneapolis Toy Library is a non profit, run by local moms that gives families access to developmentally appropriate toys to borrow for their home.  It runs much like a book library.  We believe that children age 0 - 5 change so much developmentally that it's important to keep up with that demand.  However it can be costly!  Instead of buying new toys for each new phase or interest in a young child's life, we believe that you should borrow those toys. Borrowing toys alleviates the need to purchase brand new. The waste associated with purchasing new toys - packaging waste and resources needed to produce the toy - is growing. There are already so many toys out in circulation and people looking to donate them - as kids move on quickly developmentally at a young age. We believe the concept of consumerism will change with young children as they become part of a toy library. No longer is it "I need to buy that toy," but changes to "let's borrow it from the library!" We hear this nearly every time the doors are open at the library. This approach will change the way children play - reducing waste, fostering development, and building community. 

The toy library was started in 2014 by 4 moms driven to provide appropriate and engaging toys for their children, while still be conscience of the environment.  Through some small grant funds and hard work, the toy library was born. The group used local libraries for space and found toys from friends and family to begin their collection. Word spread and now they have had nearly 800 families through their doors and about 5,000 toys in their inventory. New in 2021, we opened a branch in NE Mpls. We are thrilled to be able to offer our services to more people in Minnesota. 

Visit us at mplstoylibrary.org to learn more about how to donate toys, how our membership works, and what current members are saying about our community organization.

If you are interested in donating your time to our organization, please visit our SignUpGenius page where we have slots available for you to volunteer at our lending events.  This is a HUGE help for us!

Thank you for reading.