What’s in a name?

So many people ask us about the name “Pok Pok” and how we chose it, so we wanted to share the story about how it came to be.

When our team first started working together, we barely had to brainstorm a name for the company because two of our Co-Founders Esther and Mathijs already had an idea…

They explained to us that babies flash their first real smile when they’re just a few weeks old. As first-time parents, they pulled out all the stops to try and get their son, James, to smile.

If you’ve ever parented or cared for a newborn, you may be no stranger to the haze of feeding frenzies, diaper changing marathons, not sleeping more than five minutes at a time and generally doing everything in your power to care for this new little human as best you can.

Then, all of a sudden, you are rewarded with a tiny smile. Finally, some recognition for all your hard work! These are the moments that make these long days and nights worth it, and you begin to get to work on making those smiles happen again and again.

Finally, after seven weeks of trial and error, Mathijs and Esther unlocked the secret to getting James smiling. The trick was placing him in their lap, taking his hand and gently tapping it to his cheek while making a sound that went, “pok-pok-pok-pok!” Can you guess where we’re going with this now?

It’s also an onomatopoeia! Since physical toys (especially wooden blocks) were some of the first inspiration for Pok Pok Playroom, we love that we’re reminded of the sounds that these classic toys make when we say “Pok Pok”.

Our name origin story may be a silly one, but one that could not be more fitting for an app that was born out of the very personal experience of parenting two toddlers. Since Mathijs and Esther first discovered the magic of the “pok pok” sound, it’s been synonymous with fun and laughter in their family and our entire company.

We hope that each time you visit the Pok Pok Playroom, it’ll spread the same cheer to your family!