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The Little Climber: Ahwatukee dad's locally made toy creation takes off after Kickstarter campaign

Posted at 8:24 AM, Apr 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-19 16:57:14-04

A Valley dad was inspired by his two daughters to build a toy that all children can enjoy.

David Stuebe was having a difficult time finding toys that were not made from plastic so he decided to build his own all-natural and organic product called "The Little Climber."

He started the development of the "jungle-gym" toy in his manufacturing company in Ahwatukee. All the pieces are made in the U.S. and all the work stays in Arizona.

His little girls Lily and River have been instrumental in the process, as Stuebe says he can see the development in their motor function skills.

"You see their mind work and it's like a little hamster going in circles, seeing how am I going to get around this," said Stuebe. "Their development is wild. River wasn't climbing stairs. Two days, three days after the climber and now she is climbing stairs. Just that alone is a really cool to see."

Stuebe had a lot of passion but didn't have the funds to get the project off the ground. He decided to turn to Kickstarter, a crowdfunding website.

They had a goal of $12,000 but they surpassed that in just a couple days. They are going strong, raising more than $30,000 for their product.

Stuebe says that have already had a lot of interest in the toy as far away as Switzerland and Australia.

He and his team hope to continue to build more children's toys in the future.

If you want to check them out visit LilyandRiver.com