Our story started in the 1940s. It was the times when it was trendy to listen to gramophone records, to follow the news from the agency and to go to Europe for education...
Despite the challenging conditions of the period, our founder Yakup Çetinalp loved toys so much that he changed his sector and embarked on the world of toys. Fortunately, he did so. Let’s see how things proceeded afterward…
When Yakup Çetinalp started to manufacture tin soldiers, machines making manual printing were in use. His total manufacturing area was limited to only 40m² and the toys sector in Turkey was almost inexistent. His son Hasan Faruk Çetinalp joined his father when he was only six and together they traveled around Anatolia and sold those tin soldiers manufactured in that small atelier.
Besides, marketing techniques had not been invented yet and the agencies to promote them were to be found after decades.
Over time, tin soldiers were replaced by plastic soldiers. The father and son used their creativity and applied probably the first lottery marketing technique in the sector. They wrapped the soldiers with ‘lottery’ papers and made people experience the excitement of winning presents and sold toys.
They put 260 pieces of carefully packaged tin soldiers in a large lottery bag.
30 of these soldiers had surprise gifts. Randomly picked a package from the bag, the child was to win the toy corresponding to the number in the package he/she picked if there was any number. Imagine doing that in the 1940s…
A real marketing achievement!
When one does his/her work with love, he/she definitely gets the reward, they say. Such ambition and enthusiasm of the father and son did not remain unreturned. While several companies headed to the dusty shelves of the history, Pilsan gradually grew. It has grown, but has not lost the child within…
Time has changed, gramophone records were replaced by the digital, news are followed from the social media, instead of agencies. Of course, we have also changed, developed and kept pace with time. Today, we manufacture with state-of-the-art machines in an indoor space of 85,000 m², led by Hasan Faruk Çetinalp. Our investments in 40,000 m² of production and 10,000 m² of storage space are continued.
As we mentioned before, Hasan Faruk Çetinalp has never lost his childhood enthusiasm and made Pilsan the most established toy
manufacturer in Turkey.
Started with tin soldiers, our journey is going on with hundreds of products aiming at children in all age groups. Is it only children? We have a toy for everyone who has not lost the child within, regardless of his/her age.
The Northern Castle that became a legend in that period, battery-powered cars dreamt by almost all children or a cute slide…
Our story has not ended here. We could not fit in the atelier of 40m² in İstanbul – Silahtar and opened out to Turkey and then, to the entire world. Who knows, maybe the same Pilsan toy that your child cannot do without is also the best playmate of another child at the other side of the world …
For sure, our journey has not ended too; we still work with the same enthusiasm and our objective is to manufacture the toys made by no one and to keep on leaving nice traces in your lives. We are more than happy to see you with us in this pleasant journey.
