Too Much Awesome

The timeless appeal of wooden toys is indisputable. They’re beautiful, safe, and hold a child’s imagination for years. If you’re the arts & crafts type and have a few tools lying around, you might consider making your own wood toys for your children. This will make them even more personal and special, and ensure that [...]

When you think of toys made of wood, you probably don’t think of India. But it’s a testament to how universally adored these toys are that even in this developing nation, dedicated craftsmen turn out high-quality, child-safe toys in droves. For many Indian craftsmen, toy making has been their family’s way of supporting itself for [...]

Construction sets are a perfect way to foster children’s creativity, improve their motor coordination, and nurture their cognitive development. They’re also a toy that is easily integrated with others, and that lets a child’s imagination run wild. Unlike newer, flashier play sets, the Ball Track Construction Set from HABA promises to hold your child’s interest [...]

Wood toys are more popular than ever. Why? We think it is because of the recent backlash against plastic toys due to the dozens of toys recalls last year. Many of these recalls are about lead paints, which continue to be pumped into the American marketplace from China and Indonesia. It’s too bad that it [...]

We forgot to mention last week how much we love Melissa and Doug puppets and plush toys too. Melissa and Doug make traditional stuffed animals as well as some innovative puppets with occupation themes.

A small innovative toy maker recently caught our eye: Melissa and Doug. They started out in the basement making hand-crafted puzzles and have since grown to produce over 600 unique toys and games for children. Even with this fantastic surge in growth, Melissa and Doug are staying close to their original dream of producing high [...]

HABA was recognized recently as the maker of the year’s Best Boardgame at the Annual Middle East Toy Fair in Dubai. This is another indication that the toymaker of classic wooden toys is having some success as it branches out into new arenas for contemporary play.

My next 2 minute review is for KidKraft Toys and furniture. KidKraft has been producing heirloom-quality wooden toys for years. They specialize in wooden chairs and tables, classic toy boxes, fantastic wooden doll houses, and classic train sets. KidKraft definitely passes our test of “Imagination First.” I had an opportunity to poke around with their [...]

Last week’s International Toy Fair has put us in a toy-reviewing mood. Today’s favorite are HABA Toys, which makes high quality traditional toys for infants, toddlers and the under five set. What impresses me about HABA is that their wooden toys are made in Germany – it doesn’t get more traditional than that. The wood [...]