About Us

Our Toy Story

Duarte PaperArt is a family-owned company based out of Sacramento, California. Our building toys are easy to build, and they are 100% made in the USA.

We have developed our toys with sustainability in mind, and we use vegetable inks and recycled paper for the manufacturing of all our products. Duarte PaperArt was created in February 2011 by Fernando Duarte, a Colombian-American artist with an extensive background in design and current executive director. For over 18 years, artist Fernando Duarte has been developing a new approach to paper sculptures and toys that can be enjoyed equally by children and adults. Being a father inspired him to create designs that merge art, science, and engineering, while embracing the infinite possibilities that paper, as a sustainable resource, can offer to us. Today, Duarte PaperArt is a joint project of the Duarte-Bilbao family’s vision.

Toys to Grow Up With

Our products are designed and produced with the main goal of stimulating dexterity and creativity both in children and adults. Following step-by-step instructions, watch simple paper cut-outs transform into dynamic paper structures. Our products also embed a unique opportunity to disseminate the wonders that paper has yet to offer to enhance the power of creativity while reducing waste.

More than Just Toys

In the first year of operation, Duarte PaperArt was highlighted in the selection of the most eco-friendly toys of the 2012 Toy Fair held in New York. A Silver award was granted by the Parents’ Choice Foundation, a non-profit —one of the oldest foundations in the U.S.— that guides parents in finding toys that enrich children's growth. Inhabitant Publications also chose us among the 14 best green toys in the 2012 Toy Fair. We were also featured as great toys to travel with that year!