Three years ago, two schools asked us the same question in the same week: Can you build a Gaga pit?
At the time, it felt like a small, passing moment, one of those curious blips in a workday you almost brush off. But something about it nudged us. We didn’t know it then, but a seed had been planted.
Eight weeks later, Gaga Games existed. Not because we set out to create it, but because schools told us what they needed. And now, standing in 2025, watching Gaga take root in every corner of Australia, we feel deeply humbled.
Thousands of kids have stepped into pits we built. Teachers tell us it’s transformed their playground culture. Communities rally around it. What began quietly has grown into a movement of joy, belonging, and play.
2025 wasn’t just a year of expansion. It was a year of grounding, a return to why we started, a strengthening of how we build, and a deepening of the impact we want to leave behind.
A National Shift Towards Gaga
For the first time ever, a Gaga pit was installed in every Australian state.
Its momentum didn’t come from us, it came from schools.
More than 250 new schools joined the Gaga community this year as educators shared the change they were seeing: calmer yards, higher participation, and play that brought students together in ways that felt natural, not forced.
Gaga didn’t arrive loudly. It simply became part of the rhythm of school life, the place kids gravitate to because they feel confident, connected, and welcome.
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Strengthening Our Foundations — The Workshop That Grew Up
Behind the scenes, 2025 marked a turning point in how we build.
This was the year our workshop stepped into its next evolution:
a CNC machine for precision and consistency,
a semi-automatic saw that streamlined timber processing,
and very recently a wide-format printer that will open the door to in-house graphics and new product expression.
But the machinery itself wasn’t the story.
The story was what it made possible:
- faster, more reliable production
- richer customisation options
- tighter quality control
- greater durability for every school
These upgrades weren’t about doing more. They were about building better, and ensuring every pit that arrives at a school is one we’re proud to have our name on.
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Reconnecting With Australia’s Educators
This year, our team travelled across the country for APPA (QLD), NSWPPA (NSW), VTG (VIC), and BMV (VIC).
But these weren’t traditional conference trips. They felt more like a national pulse check.
We spent the days listening, really listening, to what educators are navigating daily:
- rising behavioural pressures
- crowded break spaces
- the need for simple, inclusive play
- the search for activities that build connection rather than competition
Across states and settings, the themes were strikingly consistent:
schools are looking for play that works, reliably, quickly, and for everyone.
It became clear that Gaga isn’t just filling a physical space on campus; it’s filling a cultural gap. Educators described increased participation, smoother break times, and moments where students who usually sit out found a way in.
These insights didn’t just validate the work, they shaped the roadmap we’re taking into 2026.
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A Demand We Could Feel — Our First Portable Pit Giveaway
We expected interest when we launched Australia’s first-ever portable Gaga Ball pit giveaway.
We did not expect 7,500+ educators to enter.
Entries came from every state and territory, from metro hubs to remote communities, across primary, secondary, special development, and alternative settings.
What this showed us was clear: When schools have access to flexible, adaptable play, they take it.
Our winner, St Joseph’s Merewether, will be featured soon.
There is a national appetite for scalable, mobile play infrastructure, especially in communities where resources are stretched and wellbeing is a daily priority.
This insight now sits at the centre of our 2026 giveaway and outreach plans.
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Our First Gaga Ambassadors — Charlie & Salih
A standout moment of 2025 was welcoming our first-ever Gaga Ambassadors, Charlie and Salih. Both were early champions of the game at Keysborough Gardens Primary — the kids who jumped in first, encouraged others, and naturally embodied what Gaga is all about: confidence, inclusivity, and pure joy in play.
They became the heartbeat of our shoot day not because they were asked to perform, but because they instinctively lifted the energy around them.
Charlie and Salih are just the beginning.
In 2026, we’ll be expanding our ambassador program and welcoming more incredible kids from schools across Australia.
The movement started with children — and it will continue to be shaped by them.
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Capturing Real School Life — A Day at Keysborough Gardens Primary
One of the defining moments of 2025 wasn’t a milestone but a day at Keysborough Gardens Primary, VIC.
During our content shoot, we witnessed:
- shy students stepping into the pit with surprising confidence
- mixed groups collaborating without prompts
- kids who rarely speak in class cheering each other on
- teachers recognising subtle behavioural shifts unfolding in real time
The cameras happened to be there, but the magic wasn’t staged.
Gaga doesn’t just get installed, it integrates.
It becomes a piece of school culture: a routine, a gathering place, a shared language of play.
That day crystallised why this work matters.
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The Tipping Point — When Gaga Became a Movement
If we had to choose the moment Australia “went Gaga,” we couldn’t.
Because it wasn’t one moment, it was the accumulation:
- every state installing their first pits
- educators sharing stories of behaviour improvements
- 7,500 teachers searching for portable solutions
- principals swapping ideas at conferences
- kids running, not walking, toward the pit
This wasn’t just product adoption. It was a national shift in how schools think about play, connection, and wellbeing.
Gaga became a ritual.
A reliable anchor in the organised chaos of the school day.
A place where every child gets a turn, and every turn matters.
The Team Behind the Movement — A Year of Evolution
Internally, this year marked a significant chapter.
We farewelled a couple of team members who helped build the foundations of Gaga Games and welcomed new talent bringing fresh capability, creativity, and momentum.
It signalled a shift from start-up scrappiness to a mature, nationally capable organisation, one with the systems and strength to meet demand while staying deeply human.
Behind every pit delivered, every school supported, every child who steps into the game, stands a team who shows up every day with purpose.
2025 strengthened us in every sense.
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Looking Ahead — What 2025 Makes Possible
If 2024 was momentum,
2025 was consolidation, strengthening roots before new growth.
This year gave us:
- a more capable workshop
- deeper educator insight
- a refined product suite
- systems ready for scale
- a clearer national picture of what schools need
We enter 2026 with: clarity, capacity, and confidence, and a movement behind us.
Because if 2025 was the year Australia went Gaga,
2026 is the year we build the future of play, together.