Karine Zablit. As a little girl, Karine was fascinated by the little mobiles made out of egg shells that were handcrafted and painted by her mother, and by the impressive crocodiles made out of cucumbers and other vegetables, as well as all the various culinary masterpieces delicately prepared at home.
A little girl she was, and a little girl she remained.

In 1994, along with her brother and two friends, she founded Mind the gap, a graphic design and communication agency based in Beirut. There, she practiced graphic design and developed websites, but also kept busy creating funny little characters and clay models for advertising campaigns and announcements among other things.

The birth of her daughter Laura and later her son Arthur gave her the opportunity to focus on her passion during her spare time: to create a magical universe for kids and kids at heart, made of felt figurines for the Christmas tree, and of sugar-based animals and characters for unforgettable birthday cakes (just ask her children!).

In september 2006, Karine finally decided to fully devote herself to her passion and develop her own line of products, for kids and kids at heart, under the brand name Tiptoy. She created a series of fun characters and playful animals, jumping straight out of children's imaginations to tell fantastical stories of little green men, a comical witch with an owl for company and a rather pipsqueak knight. Through her fully-developed line of stationery, one discovers Helen the ballet-dancing hen, Mao the daredevil cat, Marguerite the lazy cow and Fonzey the rocker donkey, all goofing around on vividly colored backgrounds and within striking pattern designs.
The same lovable characters appear on trendy t-shirts with well-fitted cuts for children and teenagers, men and women.
Newcomers such as Andy the ice-skating reindeer join the Tiptoy family in a collection of laser-cut aluminum mobiles and Christmas balls. The lightweight metallic shapes shine poetically, reflecting the light around them and casting dancing shadows on the walls.

Zeina Arida