Placote is THE leader in educational games and practical tools for the entire family. The brand belongs to Éditions Passe-Temps, the largest Québec publisher of enhanced school materials that has taught millions of students in a fun and enjoyable way for more than 25 years.
Since 2016, Placote has leveraged this unique knowledge and expertise to offer games to families that are of high educational quality and family tools designed for the home.
The Placote adventure began in 2016, but its history goes back much further, when Éditions Passe-Temps decided to leverage its expertise in learning to launch a new collection designed specifically for the general public. The objective was to help children continue to learn in a fun way, but at home.
It all began in 1996, when Thérèse Daignault, an enthusiastic teacher, wanted her students to learn in a fun way, through play. She began to create her first educational workshops on the computer. Very quickly, her colleagues realized the power of learning through play, and witness the enjoyment the students were having with her products. Everyone then asked her for copies for their classrooms. One thing lead to another, and Éditions Passe-Temps was born.
The young family business quickly became successful and began to expand its product lines. The collection was initially designed exclusively for students in early elementary school and rapidly expanded to preschool, primary and secondary education. A new collection is being developed for students requiring support in speech therapy or special education.
A few years later, her two sons, Ludovic and Simon, now at the head of the company, co-created the Placote brand. At the time, both were young fathers who were looking for educational games that didn’t exist on the market - games that could meet their expectations as parents as well as the needs of their children. This is how the idea of Placote was born, relying on the expertise, meticulousness and knowledge of child development acquired by Éditions Passe-Temps over more than 20 years in the school environment. The company offered games in a format accessible to parents, designed for used at home and around the needs of families.
Placote then launched its very first collection of 15 games relating to language development in the famous Benjo toy store, located in Quebec City. Following the astounding success of these games, new collections targeting other spheres of development emerged, making Placote THE leading brand in educational games.
Today, the brand’s essence continues to permeate each Placote game. These games are tailored to meet a specific educational need and are created to foster the parent-child relationship. The games also target less-common yet necessary developmental objectives, such as stress management, self-confidence and language development.
In 2019, after an investment of approximately $5 million, a new plant was opened in Québec City which made it possible to bring several production stages back to Québec that were previously outsourced to Asia. Placote games and Passe-Temps products then became almost entirely made in Quebec using the most ecological materials possible, thereby promoting local employment within the company and with regional subcontractors.
In 2021, after a trying pandemic for families and a long creative process, Placote launched its very first product from the Family Tools collection: Calmness Box. This is the first product in the brand’s foray into other product categories, in order to pursue its mission of supporting families and facilitating their daily lives.