August 1988: too nervous to ask Melissa to marry him, Doug asks her to start a business with him instead. A few months later, Melissa and Doug start their toy company in the garage at Doug’s parents’ house. Twenty-five years later Melissa and Doug is one of the most famous American brands of toys. Why so? Because their colourful, bold, and bright toys are not only among the most entertaining and popular with the kids all over the world, but are also all designed to help learn while playing. Today Melissa and Doug is the leader of imaginative play toys: all their toys are created to enhance children’s creative development, fine motor skills and coordination skills and to encourage pretend and imaginative play. Melissa and Doug’s toys let all kids to freely express themselves and have fun without the boundaries dictated by social or gender stereotypes, and allow everyone – including children with special needs – to play safely and freely while developing their skills.