Inside the Fisher-Price Play Lab: Why Fisher-Price Embraced Montessori and Returned to Wood

What happens when one of the world’s most iconic toy makers goes back to its roots – and invites Montessori experts to help chart the future? In this episode, hosts Biff Maier and Nicole Coman go inside Fisher-Price’s legendary Play Lab with Dr. Corinne Eggleston, Senior Manager of the Fisher-Price Play Lab, to unpack why the company returned to wood, how the team designed a Montessori-inspired product line, and what decades of play research reveal about how children really learn.

Hosts Biff Maier and Nicole Coman talk with Fisher-Price’s Corinne Eggleston about:

• Why Fisher-Price decided to reintroduce wooden toys, and what they learned in the process.
• How the Fisher-Price Play Lab tests toys with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in two purpose-built labs (complete with one-way glass and a raised floor), and why children’s feedback drives every iteration.
• What authentic Montessori design required (not just the aesthetic), including school ethnography and iterative reviews with AMS.
• Why Fisher-Price became the first recipient of the AMS Montessori Seal of Excellence, and what that signals to parents and educators.
• How the Fisher-Price team balances free play and guided play, plus the included “Play Tips” booklets that help caregivers support at home.
• What Fisher-Price’s decades of play research reveal about how children learn best.

With warmth, insight, and a behind-the-scenes look at toy design, this episode shows how a beloved company rediscovered timeless materials, grounded pedagogy, and child-led innovation.

Find the Fisher-Price Wood Montessori Collection on Amazon.

Find out more about the AMS Montessori Seal of Excellence and learn how to apply.