The Argentinian company Juguetes Rasti was founded in 1965 by Antonio Dimare, an Italian immigrant with a passion for making toys. The original Rasti line, a set of building blocks that could be attached together to form different objects, soon became popular throughout Latin America.
However, when the Chinese influx of cheaply- made toys hit in the 1980s and 1990s, toy markets all around the world suffered, and Argentina was no exception. Juguetes Rasti had several lines of products that were still going strong, but they were forced to shut down production on their signature construction toy.
In spite of challenges and difficulties, Rasti is now being led by a full slate of second-generation siblings: Daniel, Fabian, Sergio, Gabriel and Sabrina. Together, they have realised a 21st-century strategy to making the business thrive through innovation. They even relaunched production on the Rasti construction toy line in 2007.
Today, the history of Juguetes Rasti is a source of inspiration for the local entrepreneurial community.
