How Launi King Nurtured Her Creative Spirit With Her Inclusive Brand, Creative Play
With her brand Creative Play, Warner Bros. and Disney alum Launi King strives to embrace our differences. Through her eyes, we all have a creative spirit. It's not about whether you like to dance or sing. It's how you express yourself to the world, and we can find value in every person's way of doing so.
For Launi, creativity is found in product design. With the brand's first launch, Claspees, she's offering a way to spread the love with your favorite life mantras and fandoms as an accessory through a drawstring clasp.
Amid the launch, Launi sat down with Sweety High to discuss the mission behind Creative Play and Claspees and her journey from corporate artist to entrepreneur.
Name: Launi King
IG Handle(s): @getclaspees, @launik
Hometown: Pasadena, California
1. Launi got her start working with a few fan-favorite household names.
"I started my career creating art that people love to buy with their favorite characters on them. My first job was at Warner Bros., where I made art for Scooby-Doo, Tweety, Powerpuff Girls, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and Harry Potter. It went on everything from clothing and accessories to toys and beauty products. While I loved this part of my job, I was asked if I could bring the products to life through the DNA of each character. That's when it clicked for me—I had a passion for creating products.
After Warner, I worked for Disney on Mickey and Minnie, princesses, Toy Story, Hannah Montana and Spider-Man. It was so exciting because, as a fan, I got to play out each character's traits and share what I loved with others.
Then, I went to Mattel, where I worked on Barbie, Monster High, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price. This was the first time I worked on dolls and vehicles, and I learned even more about the girls who loved these fashionable dolls and Monster High's message of being perfectly imperfect.
Lastly, I worked for Fox and Disney on The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Disney Parks, Tiana's limited-edition dolls, The Little Mermaid movie dolls and more.
Every person's fan experience is different, and I played a key role in bringing these products to stores and life. I loved that work but knew it was time to venture out on my own after a successful corporate career and create my products, so I decided to start my own company."
-Launi King
(Image courtesy of Launi King)
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2. Diversity and inclusion are two of her biggest motivators.
"Every company I worked for was amazing, and the brands they had developed were exciting to work on. But over the years, I realized that as a Black woman, I was often the only one in the room making collaborative decisions on the future of product launches. There was a lack of diversity for many reasons, and it was difficult to make sure that people of different ethnicities, genders and ages had a voice.
For example, I designed a doll with an African American background. It looked like me, wore her hair like mine and had background stories rooted in our history. I took great care to ensure authenticity in the story and character. After it was released, girls and moms sent me stories about how much it meant to them to see a doll that looked like them. That brought tears to my eyes and theirs. I knew at that moment I wanted to have that type of impact every day. I want young girls to aspire to be whatever they want. They, too, can do what I have done in my career and know they have amazing ideas to create tomorrow's characters and products that will change the world."
-Launi King
3. The name of her company has a deep meaning behind it.
"The name of my company is Creative Play. It's an expression of how I feel about any product I invent or improve on.
Creativity is such a broad term that encapsulates a person's ability to think differently through exploration and imagination. No matter what you do, it's creativity. You don't have to draw or paint; it's doing something that makes you happy and that you can share with the world.
Play is what I want to do in every moment of my life. It brings joy, excitement and the freedom to be authentically yourself and love your unique way of expressing yourself.
Creative Play is a product and design lab that champions inventors and illuminates female-driven innovation. We develop products that break the loop of everyday frustrations and celebrate individuality."
-Launi King
(Image courtesy of Launi King)
4. The brand strives to allow you to accessorize, down to your shoestrings.
"Claspees are a patented and stylish collectible accessory clasp that keep your drawstrings from disappearing into your clothing—that super frustrating feeling! Between our cult-favorite donuts, hearts, basketballs and emoji Claspees, you can show off your fandom while personalizing your hoodies, hair, laces, bags and more. This is my first product launch from Creative Play.
I wanted to create a product that is all about showcasing outwardly what you love and what you're a fan of. We'll keep putting out more Claspees designs and characters, so you can mix, match and trade with your friends."
-Launi King
5. Launi believes love will change the world—and it's represented in her fashion choices.
"My favorite [product] right now is the hearts. It's important to me that everyone feels and shares love. It's what will change the world. I want each person to feel unconditional love and be able to share that with others."
-Launi King
(Image courtesy of Launi King)
6. She wants our differences to be celebrated, not ostracized.
"I'm championing the idea that every person has something unique, special and valuable to bring to any company.
When you're in school, it's like how popular kids or cliques start to look and talk the same. There's minimal individuality. Often, the kid who thinks differently is treated as less important or bullied. This happens in the business world, too, and I want to show that those who don't just try to fit in, who have unique ideas and passion, are exactly who you want on your teams and should be celebrated."
-Launi King
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7. There's nothing better than being yourself.
"Always be yourself in every room, in every conversation, from when you wake up until you go to sleep. People want to get to know you. You are unique and different, and that's a great thing. Trying to be like someone else is impossible because their spot is already taken. People will be attracted to and support you, not the person you pretend to be. When you get support for the person you pretend to be, you will never be truly happy or satisfied because they aren't supporting you. It's a fake copy of something that's not real. You are amazing, you are beautiful and you are what the world needs. If you don't feel like you know exactly who you are, make it a point to find out. Find out what you like because every time you do that, it's the best feeling in the world."
-Launi King
8. Launi has been more clear-headed and productive since practicing discipline.
"No one likes to hear the word discipline, but discipline makes things easier over time. I wanted to start my own company, be healthy in mind, body and soul and find my purpose. To do this, I started a habit that I do every day before I start my day. It continues to help me achieve my dreams. I get up one hour earlier than I naturally would every day except Sunday because rest is as crucial as striving for your dreams. I spend 10 minutes a day on each of these things: silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading and scribing or writing. When I launch into my day, I am clearer about my intentions. It's a small investment in myself every day, and since we pour so much into others, you deserve to pour into yourself too."
-Launi King
9. The best taste in fashion is the one you feel most confident in.
"I don't have just one look—I mix and match colors, textures and styles, and it's uniquely me. I wear what I want whenever I want. My style isn't about the clothing or accessories I wear; it's that I accept that whatever I have on will look good on me. Whether people like it or not doesn't matter because I like it. What people see as me looking great in clothing is them seeing my confidence to wear what I want to wear. That is the most attractive thing. You being comfortable in anything is what sets the fashion bar for others around you."
-Launi King
(Image Courtesy of Launi King)
10. Her favorite part about her work is the chance to positively impact lives.
"I work with people who support me, and in turn, I will do anything to support them and their dreams. When people tell me their horror stories about losing their drawstrings, Claspees ensures that won't happen again. When someone uses my products and it makes them smile, I smile. It's so rewarding to create something from my brain that makes people happy. Following my dreams, whether things go as planned or not, staying flexible and moving forward even when it gets challenging is rewarding and makes my heart feel full. I love people and want everyone to succeed at whatever makes them happy. My work lets me do this every day."
-Launi King
11. Launi says on the inside, we're all the same.
"I am a Black creative female inventor, sister, daughter, wife, chef, dog mom, friend, colleague and supporter of people. What I have inside me is no different from what is inside every person who reads this. The only difference is that I've chosen to believe in myself no matter what. I'm so excited about the products I'm working on, and I can't wait to show everyone the next one! I am your greatest supporter and am so excited by what I see being created in our communities."
-Launi King
Curious to learn more about our favorite entrepreneurs? Click HERE to meet Becky Anzaldo and discover how comfort and inclusivity inspired her brand, Playa Yama.