Knock Knock was founded in 2002 with the goal of making witty, intelligent, surprising gift and stationery products. Since then we’ve expanded our line again and again, into books, accessories, office products, and more. We’ve recently enjoyed bringing our off-kilter sensibility to kids, showering the shorties with activity books, pads, and travel bingo.

And now, there’s Clump-o-Lump! In the fall of 2010, while guest-lecturing at Pasadena’s famed Art Center College of Design, Knock Knock head honcho Jen Bilik met Max Knecht, an insanely talented industrial design student. Out of a vintage suitcase he pulled the first hand-sewn Clump-o-Lump prototypes, about as charming then as they are now. Jen was smitten.

We quickly acquired the line from Max, though he’s still involved with its creation, execution, and expansion, thank goodness. As we’ve shown the family of creatures to an ever-expanding inner circle, everybody who’s come into contact with Clump-o-Lump has fallen in love—in fact, no new product has ever been this unanimously embraced within the company.

We hope the public adores Clump-o-Lump as much as we do, because you should see our plans for world takeover—much more than this initial release! So please, help yourself to many a Clump-o-Lump. We promise you’ll be glad you did.

When Max Knecht found out what an industrial designer was at the age of thirteen, he was set—and even knew that he’d eventually want to attend the Art Center College of Design, after studying fine art and graphic design at the Orange County High School of the Arts. Upon graduating from Art Center, in May 2011, Max moved to Brooklyn in order to commute by subway to a Manhattan gig as an industrial designer for Johnson & Johnson (you know, Band-Aids and stuff). Max is most passionate about thinking and innovating; to that end, he stands by this:

Question everything. An object should never be limited by its present look or functions. I design through this perspective to generate original ideas and innovations. The ability to think beyond what is common comes in part from my fine-art background. Within such an artistic context, I had the freedom to be imaginati ve and practice unconventional thinking, which in turn has given me the ability to be a creative designer. Ideating comes effortlessly to me, but the understanding of which ideas have merit arises from my strategic thinking and in-depth research. I am most enthusiastic about creating novel objects that have purpose and a reason, and my joy and energy is always apparent in the playfulness I incorporate into my designs. From children’s toys to adult consumer products, I always consider the use and experience a product provides. Questioning everything leads to new ways of using or playing with an object.