05/07/2026
Roxanne Robertson discovered the joy of sensory play through seeing her daughter experiment with making slime in their kitchen with their dad. Although her kids eventually moved on to new trends, Robertson was fascinated by the substance and turned it into her own business.
“After later learning that two of my three children are on the autism spectrum, I began to understand the profound role slime played in helping us regulate and express creativity,” she stated. “Slime was the entry point, but creativity and sensory play were always the real foundation.”
Since its founding in 2017, Kawaii Slime Company has expanded to offer more than just slime. The company has hundreds of SKUs including sensory toys, DIY craft kits, art supplies and more for kids and kidults alike. The products are manufactured at the business headquarters in Henderson, NV and are distributed nationwide through specialty retailers and experiential retail partners. Kawaii Slime Company typically exhibits at Toy Fair and Astra Marketplace & Academy with plans to try Atlanta and Dallas Market this year.
“Everything we create is centered heavily on sensory based hands-on play, creativity and emotional connection,” stated Robertson.
Kawaii and slime are an interesting combination. How did you decide to combine these two categories into one company and product?
Kawaii means “cute” in Japanese, and I am part Japanese. I was already enamored with kawaii culture and was a big Sanrio fan. When I was a child, I didn’t always have access to the toys I wanted to have, but as an adult I could use my “adult money” to buy the toys I wanted. This led me to collect and buy those types of toys for myself but also for my first daughter. Once I started experimenting with slime, it was very natural for me to combine these two worlds together. Kawaii design gave me a visual language to express our products. Slime just happened to be the perfect medium to bring it all together. It allowed people to touch my creativity, not just look at it.
Has your slime recipe changed since you first started selling it in 2017? What materials do you currently use and where are they sourced from?
Our recipes have evolved significantly since those early kitchen experiments. We have refined our formulas to improve texture, durability and safety while maintaining that signature feel our customers expect. We source materials domestically and internationally, always meeting strict U.S. toy safety standards. Innovation in texture remains a major focus for us and what sets us completely apart from other compounds on the market.
What is your most popular product, and what do you contribute to its success?
Our trademarked Signature Dome Slime is our number one best-selling product. It is iconic to our brand in both look and feel. We are often told it is the perfect-sized, instant gift and that it checks a lot of boxes. It is cute, a charming gift-ready item, a STEM-related toy, smells good and offers a mindful play activity that promotes creativity and sensory expression. How many toys wrap that many things into one item? I believe that’s why, years later, it’s still our best-selling product.
What’s your newest product? How often do you release new products?
We actually have some exciting new products centered around sensory play launching at Toy Fair. We release new products as quickly as we can, especially with a relatively small team. I definitely have more ideas than I can realistically bring to market in a year’s time, but last year alone we launched more than 86 unique items across our brands, including slime, craft kits and sensory toys. We’re especially excited about our licensed Sanrio products launching this year, which so far have been flying off the shelves.
You believe that slime is “fulfilling in numerous ways,” including crafting. What are the benefits of working with slime? What are the most creative ways you’ve seen your products used?
Slime supports sensory regulation, creativity and focus. It gives kids and kidults permission to slow down and experiment. I have seen our products used in art projects, therapy settings, classrooms, content creation and even as the starting point for kid-run businesses. Slime is a gateway into creativity, not just a toy.
What are you most proud about working at Kawaii Slime Company?
I am most proud that we turned a home-kitchen experiment into a multi-brand company without losing our soul. We have grown thoughtfully, created U.S.-based manufacturing jobs, and built a business that values creativity, experience, and community over shortcuts.
Why do you believe your products belong in specialty toy stores?
Our products thrive in environments where storytelling and interaction matter. Specialty toy stores understand how to demonstrate, explain and create moments around products, and that aligns perfectly with what we do. That is exactly why our DIY Slime Experience Workshop was launched in specialty toy stores. We want to foster a “look, touch, smell” experience with our products. Kids are sensory-driven, and when they can fully engage with a product, it creates a deeper connection that simply can’t be replicated online.
How do you help retailers sell and market your products? What resources do you offer?
One of our most impactful initiatives for retail partners is our DIY Slime Experience program. This program brings immersive, hands-on slime and craft experiences directly into retail spaces and has driven exceptional sales lift in nearly every participating location. While the program is still relatively new for us and continues to evolve, we are deeply committed to supporting our retailers every step of the way. We provide bi-weekly check-ins, ongoing guidance and hands-on support to ensure success. Customer service is something I truly pride ourselves on. We are intentional about making sure our retail partners know that we are invested in their success and committed to providing value in every way we can.
Overall, how’s business?
Thankfully, our business continues to grow and evolve. The recent retail landscape is challenging, but experiential products and interactive retail have proven resilient. Our focus on innovation and partnerships has helped us navigate these times successfully.
What’s next on the horizon?
We are expanding our Disney partnership this year, further blending interactive retail directly into both park and store environments. This partnership demonstrates how DIY and sensory experiences can thrive even in highly curated retail settings. We also launched Sanrio licensed products last year and are continuing to expand that line due to strong demand. Importantly, we remain committed to brick-and-mortar retail and intentionally do not sell on Amazon. We believe experiential retail is key to keeping stores alive, profitable and relevant, and everything we build under The Kawaii Company is designed to support that future.
