Pet soft toys are widely used for behavioural and emotional support, yet synthetic materials and anthropomorphic design also pose animal health risks and growing environmental concerns. Loomyco addresses this dilemma by reconnecting animals’ behavioural continuum of play–tear–eat with biomaterial’s ecological cycles of grow–nourish–regenerate, integrating suppressed behaviours as safe, healthy and meaningful parts of ecological transformation.

Crocodile-shaped Loomyco prototype
Squirrel-shaped Loomyco prototype
Bird-shaped Loomyco prototypes
Slipper-shaped Loomyco prototypes

Scroll to view prototype family

Multispecies participants

Animals · Plants · Fungi · Microbes

Ecosystem functions

Behaviour support · Nutritional flow · Soil regeneration

What it addresses

In the US alone, over 634 million dog toys end up in landfills each year, because most are made from persistent synthetic materials, wear out quickly and are frequently discarded. Treats and chews offer another route, but address only limited behavioural needs while contributing to nutritional imbalance and a higher carbon footprint. Other solutions often rely on training, restriction or indestructibility. This creates a recurring domestic mismatch: what supports instinct often becomes unsafe, wasteful or ecologically costly, while what is safe and acceptable often suppresses natural behaviour.

How it works

Close-up of Loomyco material with Reishi and loofah

Loomyco is grown from digestible materials consisting of loofah scaffold, mushroom mycelium and plant-fibre substrates. Rather than failing when damaged, it keeps functioning through use, fracture, ingestion and eventual ecological return. Its form, hardness, sensory and nourishment profile are highly tunable to adapt to different species and behavioural needs.

Loofah scaffold

Form and internal support, tear resilience, structural integrity after damage.

Reishi mycelium

Seamless natural binder, meat-like palatability, immune-support value.

Plant-fibre substrates

Digest support, additional nourishment, structural reinforcement.

Beeswax coating

Regulates moisture, extends shelf life, visual engagement.

Play → Tear → Eat → Regenerate

Loomyco reconnects animals’ behavioural continuum with biomaterial’s ecological cycles of grow, nourish and regenerate.

Material Performance

Loomyco is designed to remain durable in use, while allowing transformation beyond use.

Tear Resistance Test

  • Pre-cut to simulate damage
  • Loaded with 50 kg for 24 hours
  • No further tearing at the cut

Water Resistance Test

  • After 1-minute full immersion
  • No visible water transfer under tissue pressure
  • Surface water repellency

Ecological Participation

without LoomycoPlant and soil test without Loomyco
with LoomycoPlant and soil test with Loomyco

Socio-Ecological Production

Material

Economically and environmentally affordable, sustainable, and locally adaptable. Substantially lower in resource and energy demand than synthetic and cotton-based alternatives.

Forming

Scaffold-based forming without rigid moulds, allowing flexible shaping and lower-cost production compared to conventional mould-dependent forming.

Making

Combines handcraft with grow-made production. Handcraft allows natural variation in biomaterials to become a creative resource, while growth takes over part of the fabrication work.