Toys | Reviews | Wood Toys | Toy Dolls

It’s often tough to resist giving in to your children’s demands for the latest, flashiest toy advertised on TV, there are plenty of alternatives out there. Wood toys are a great way to provide your children with entertainment and education without shelling out a fortune on the newest talking, light-up plastic toys.

Wooden toys have been around for millennia, and some of the first toys in history were probably made from wood. But there are plenty of reasons why they’re just as popular today as they were back then. Kids still love to play with toys made of wood. Because they rely on imagination and creativity, their appeal lasts much longer than plastic toys. Parents often tell me that their kids lose interest in those big fancy toys within a few days, but that they’ll play with toys like blocks and construction sets for years. I think this is because when kids play with wooden toys, they’re really playing, as opposed to just being entertained or distracted. Wood toys also play well with others—with a little imagination, they’re easily combined with other toys.

the Flori Teether by HABA

Their aesthetically pleasing designs, often making use of bright colors and geometric shapes, engage a child’s senses immediately. Wood toys for babies and younger children stimulate a children’s sense of sight, touch, and sound (and maybe taste!), while wooden toys for slightly older children provide challenges and encourage problem-solving. This is part of what makes wooden toys so wonderfully educational. They’re a great way for young children to hone their hand-eye coordination and motor skills, and wood toys help kids develop creativity and foster their artistic abilities.

And as a parent you can rest easy knowing that your children’s wood toys are safe and environmentally friendly. If your child chews on his or her toys (like many do), then wood toys with natural, non-toxic paint or dye will cause no harm, whereas many toys today are loaded with plastic, chemicals, and PVC. Most wood toys use much less wasteful packaging. They also need no batteries, which can harm children and end up in landfills.

Plus there’s the simple aesthetic appeal that owning a well-made wood toy can bring. Not only are they a pleasure to have around the house; they will often last for years, if not generations. After all—do you really think your kids will be passing down that plastic robot action figure with all the bells and whistles?

For more information on wood toys, check out our Wood Toy Resource And Buying Guide, and our page on HABA toys, a premier maker of fine wood toys.

The Toy Industry Association, together with consumers, government, manufacturers, and retailers, have now unveiled plans for a new toy safety certification program in an attempt to enhance toy safety and restore consumer confidence. After last year’s record number of toy recalls, this new program would implement a comprehensive system or accreditation to ensure that toys sold in the United States adhere to federal and international safety standards.

The certification program would combine three main elements. First, all new toy designs would have to undergo a risk analysis to identify potential safety concerns as early as possible. Secondly, all toy manufacturers would have to undergo reviews of their factories to ensure good manufacturing practices. Lastly, samples of all toys would be taken to make sure that the toys meet industry and government standards for safety.

The program would apply to all toys sold in the United States, regardless of their place of manufacture. After being certified safe by the American national Standards Institute, the toys would be given a toy safety mark. This mark would assure that the product has undergone all the checks required by the certification program.

The program, however, will not be in place until Christmas 2008, and manufacturers are looking for ways to increase consumer confidence in the meantime, especially for this holiday season. Disney has begun testing samples of its toys, both those already on shelves and those scheduled for release. Toys R Us has begun spot checking the toys in its stores and is now increasing the number of these checks on every manufacturer.

Testing is not currently required for toys sold in the United States, though a mark of certification is mandatory in Europe. The Toy Industry Association believes that this program will allow parents to have confidence in the products they buy for their children.

Hello Kitty, born in 1974, was created by the Sanrio company in Tokyo. Since then, this adorable character has been featured on thousands of different products, from t-shirts to lunchboxes and much, much more.

Celebrities have been spotted everywhere with Hello Kitty gear, whether young up-and-comers like Miley Cyrus and Raven Symoné to an older generation of celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Mariah Carey.

Hello Kitty has been featured in several animated series since the mid 80s, featured on both Japanese and American television. This year Sanrio will release Hello Kitty’s first 3D DVD, The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends. The company is also beta testing a Hello Kitty online role playing game, in which users will be able to create a character, socialize with other users, and fight monsters.

The Hello Kitty character also represents one of the most successful licensing and branding campaigns in toy history. Hello Kitty has her own Fender guitar, laptop computers, and even antivirus and firewall software, in addition to the classic purses and school supplies. Japan is even using Hello Kitty to promote itself to Chinese tourists.

With America’s waistlines growing by the minute, one of the year’s most uplifting toy trends is toys that try to get kids moving. The Wii Fit, a game for the Wii console in which the player does mini-exercises from pushups to running, is quite popular among a slightly older crowd, but now toy makers are targeting younger children for their activity-encouraging toys.

The Fisher-Price Smart Cycle is one of the most promising of these new toys. It’s essentially a stationary bike for young children, which hooks up to a television like other game consoles. Children must continue to pedal and steer to keep the game going. Several games are already available and more will surely be developed.

Mattel has latched on to this trend as well, releasing the Hot Wheels Electronic Speed Meter, which can clip on to a belt or bicycle, and measures speed. It also makes engine noises that get louder the faster you’re moving. The Hot Wheels Racing Timer records multiple timers and announces the winner with victory flags and applause.

Radica has also jumped on the kids’ fitness bandwagon with their baseball and football games. Unlike the Wii, however, these games use actual footage of the athletes, so that kids can pretend to be their favorite players. These games are also cheaper than the Wii, but with comparable graphics.

Of course, don’t forget about the classics—there’s still nothing wrong with a baseball glove.

Click here for more info on this year’s popular toys.

June 27 marked the opening of the first annual Singapore Toy Convention: three days of toys, comics, animation, design, licensing and cosplay (costume play). The convention was a visual feast for fans of toys and anime, and the convention center experienced an unanticipatedly high number of attendees. The convention was sponsored by the Singapore Tourism Board and brought exhibitors from around the world, bringing the styles of the East and the West together harmoniously.

The event, which promised to be a pop culture trend-setter for years to come, featured autograph signings, workshops with artists and designers, as well as showcases of the best new toys, comics and designs. But the highlight of the convention was the premier of a new Batman animated short, Batman: Gotham Knight. The short film was one of a series of six that takes place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

For more information, check out the convention’s home page.