About the founders of Eddie Catz

Hi! We are Maria and Darren, parents of two teens and owners of Eddie Caz. We had the idea back in 2004 when we both had "real" jobs and two young children. We saw the need for an upmarket play facility, a place where our kids could have an enriching experience by playing and learning in a safe and clean environment whilst we could have a grown-up space to chill out, read the newspaper, surf the internet, have a meal or join a class with our kids.

We also wanted a place where you could host a stress free birthday party that wouldn't break the bank and wreck your house and where children could enjoy a healthy meal.  So, in a moment of madness we decided to create one ourselves. We quit our jobs and with the huge support of our extended family, friends and a bank willing to take a risk we opened our first Eddie Catz on Putney High Street in April 2005.

We've just celebrated our 10th anniversary, but we are still run by the team we started with – just all a bit more grown up! In 2008 we purchased the old Tiger's Eye in Merton which became Eddie Catz n. 2. We then found an abandoned softplay in Newbury and turned it into Eddie Catz n. 3. In January of this year we took over the much loved It's a Kids Thing in Earlsfield and this is Eddie Catz n. 4.

Check out out this little cartoon our son Alex illustrated to tell our story which was also featured in London Mums Magazine (to his delight). You can also see the You Tube video our daughter Emma made for our Team for the 10th anniversary celebration in April of 2015.

If your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren are looking for a fun place to play or have a birthday party, see what our Eddie Catz centres have to offer and pay us a visit. If you see us be sure to say hello. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Eddie Catz!

Maria & Darren Johnson