About
Hi, I’m Marcos, the founder of Hippo Mat™. What began as a simple idea in Brighton has grown into a mission to create play mats inspired by real places.
How Hippo Mat™ Began
Hippo Mat™ began with a simple conversation in 2020.
While working as a driving instructor, I found myself talking with one of my pupils about the classic car play mats so many of us remember from childhood. The kind that seemed to be everywhere. We agreed that almost everyone had one.
Then came the question that changed everything:
Why wasn’t there a play mat themed to where we live?
That idea stayed with me. It felt exciting, original and surprisingly obvious all at once.
I could picture a play mat that captured the character of a real place, while giving children something meaningful to explore through play.
A few months later, I created the first design: Brighton Hippo Mat™.
At the time, I simply called it the Brighton Car Play Mat, but the idea behind it was already clear. I wanted to create something joyful and imaginative that also encouraged children to explore roads, places, landmarks and the world around them.
It was inspired by the play mats I remembered from childhood, but designed to feel more relevant, more local and more thoughtful.
It was inspired by the play mats I remembered from childhood, but designed to feel more relevant, more local and more thoughtful.
The response was incredible. People in the local area connected with the idea straight away, and a couple of hundred pre-orders were placed.
That early support showed me that Hippo Mat™ could become something much bigger.
What started in Brighton had the potential to grow into a brand celebrating towns, cities, regions, landmarks and countries — helping children explore real places through imaginative, screen-free play.
The Hippo Mat™ Story So Far
I started Hippo Mat™ with a simple idea: to turn familiar places into play mats children could explore through cars, characters and imagination. That idea went on to reach thousands of happy customers, homes and schools, support almost 100 recipients through Reg’s Pledge, and win a £5,000 Starling Bank Take Flight award judged by a celebrity panel.
The journey has included early prototypes, press coverage, market stalls, busy launches and moments I will always be proud of. There have also been setbacks, difficult lessons and things I would approach differently today. I am now using everything I have learned to rebuild and revitalise Hippo Mat™ for 2027 — stronger, clearer and more ambitious than before. These are some of the moments that brought Hippo Mat™ here.
2020
The First Prototype
Receiving the first proper sample was one of the moments when the idea began to feel real. Whilst it was still an early prototype and needed plenty of refinement, it proved that the concept could become a real product.
2020
The First Brighton Play Mats Were Made
2020
Before Hippo Mat™ Had a Name
2020
First Batch Arrived!
After the early prototypes and gaining certifications, the first full batch of U-DRIVE products arrived in 2020. Seeing boxes of finished mats being unloaded was exciting, slightly daunting and a major turning point – the Brighton-themed Play Mat had moved from an idea and a prototype into a product ready to reach customers.
2020
The First Orders Ready to Go
These were some of the first ever orders, packaged, labelled and ready to go out to customers. In the early days, many were delivered by me personally. It was a proud moment: the play mat was no longer just an idea or a product in storage – it was beginning to reach real homes.
2020
The First Customer Reactions
As the first play mats reached customers, positive messages and photographs began arriving. People connected with the local concept, the quality and the play value – early encouragement that showed the idea could mean something to children, parents and gift buyers beyond its original educational purpose.
2020
The Play Mat Makes the News
I was already exploring how a play mat could make road safety more visual, practical and engaging for children. This first press feature captured the enthusiasm, educational purpose and belief in learning through play that would later become central to Hippo Mat™.
2021
The Book That Helped Name Hippo Mat™
This photograph captures one of the quieter turning points in the story. While waiting for a learner driver to finish their test, I was reading Differentiate or Die and thinking about the future of the play mat. It helped me realise that the idea needed its own name, personality and brand – not simply the identity of my driving school.
2021
Hippo Mat™ Was Conceived
2021
The Collection Begins to Grow
2022
A New Chapter for Hippo Mat™
2022
Production Scales Up
By this time, we were manufacturing 1,000 play mats at a time. Around 300 can be seen in this photograph. It was an exciting sign of growth, but also a major financial, logistical and storage commitment for a small business.
2022
Making Every Order Feel Special
A collection of illustrated inserts were developed to accompany each Hippo Mat™. They were designed to make the unboxing experience feel thoughtful, playful and memorable, while introducing customers to more of the Hippo Mat™ world.
2022
Thirty-Five New Places Join the Collection
In 2022, I expanded Hippo Mat™ with 35 new location designs in the newly introduced, fresh illustration style. It was the collection’s biggest expansion so far and showed how the original idea could grow from one local play mat into a much wider world of recognisable places.
2022
An Ambition Ahead of Its Time
In 2022, I explored turning the Hippo Mat™ world into an animated series called Reg’s Adventures. The vision was bigger than the resources available to me at the time, so it did not develop as originally imagined. Even so, the experience helped clarify where my attention and investment needed to go.
2023
Taking Hippo Mat™ Around the UK
In 2023, I travelled around the UK with Hippo Mat™ samples and a good friend, meeting retailers and presenting the concept in person. The trip helped open new retail opportunities and gave me valuable insight into wholesale, buyer expectations and how the brand needed to be positioned.
2023
Hippo Mat™ Reaches 12 Independent Retailers
2023
Meeting Customers in Norwich
In 2023, I took another trusty friend (I know – I’m very lucky!) and took Hippo Mat™ to a Christmas market in Norwich. It may not have been the most elaborate retail setup, but meeting people, demonstrating the mat and hearing their reactions firsthand made the experience genuinely worthwhile.
2024
Keeping Hippo Mat™ Going Through Change
Life changed significantly in 2024. I moved house, changed careers and temporarily worked from whatever space was available, including this makeshift garden office. Hippo Mat™ slowed down, but it never completely stopped. The quieter period eventually gave me the distance and clarity to reconsider how the business should move forward.
2026
The Hippo Mat™ Rebuild Begins
Why Was Hippo Mat™ Created?
I believe play can do more than entertain.
A great play mat can spark stories, build confidence, encourage curiosity, and help children feel connected to the places around them. That is what Hippo Mat™ is designed to do.
Each mat is created to bring together imagination, learning, and local pride in a way that feels natural and fun. We want children to invent their own adventures, while parents can feel good about giving them something thoughtful, well-made, and rooted in the real world.
Meet Reg
As Hippo Mat™ began to grow, we knew the brand needed a friendly guide. Someone who could represent its spirit in a warm, consistent, and memorable way.
That is where Reg came in.
Reg is the heart of Hippo Mat™. He is curious, kind, adventurous, and always ready to help children discover more about the places they live. He represents creativity, originality, and the joy of exploring the world with fresh eyes.
You will find Reg across the Hippo Mat™ world, helping guide families, celebrate local areas, and bring a little more character to every journey.
Reg's Pledge
Hippo Mat™ is about more than products.
Through Reg’s Pledge, we aim to help bring play and learning to organisations and spaces that may need extra support. This can include schools, nurseries, pre-schools, hospitals, family spaces, and other community settings doing important work with limited resources.
It is one small way for Hippo Mat™ to give something back.
Because every child deserves the chance to play, imagine, and learn.
Our Values
- Learning through play
- Thoughtful quality
- Local pride
- Imagination with purpose
- Inclusive by design
- Community-minded
- Honest craftsmanship
