History of The Nugget

The original concept couch was 11 pieces (!) including a bamboo base and hard foam “feet,” each with foam bumps that plugged into the underside of the boards like puzzle pieces. Designed to replace the cheap, ubiquitous college futon, the prototype had many pieces, and wasn’t super easy to move from place to place — but it did demonstrate that a couch with separate, unattached pieces could be possible.

We debuted our second iteration on Kickstarter, and 574 backers took a chance and helped us make it a reality! The Kickstarter version was covered in microsuede (just like the Nugget today), came in six bright colors — orange, navy, lime, chocolate, pink, and blue — and featured a twisted nylon handle and white zipper. The interior was made from a combination of foams, with a base piece made entirely of pool noodle foam!

The third stage in Nugget’s evolution was the same dimensions as Nuggets made today. The interior was made 100% from solid polyurethane foam, which meant, unlike the Kickstarter version, that we could compress and roll it for shipping. (Which was a good thing, because soon enough, we would be shipping out a lot more of them.)

In 2017, the Nugget really leveled up, with a design very similar to the one Nuggeteers know today. We reoriented the zipper placement to make Cover Sets easier to take on and off for washing, color-matched the zippers and fabrics, and transitioned to a straight nylon handle, removing the “twist” from earlier models. We also introduced more colors than ever before — and put a new emphasis on playful, unique color names, like Honeybee, Starfish, and Neptune.

We swapped out the white backing on the Cover Sets for black backing, and we changed the foam from white to gray. We also updated the zipper pull and zipper tape to increase strength. Ultimately, all these changes helped increase durability for active play!

Three years since the last Nugget updates, it was time for a few more design tweaks! We added a zipper garage to keep the zipper tucked away, and redesigned the pull with a little reminder to “Play On” emblazoned on it. We also revamped the handle to make it softer, stronger, and sleeker. What’s still to come? We don’t know yet. But if history is any guide, it’s going to be great.