Now as Grand Poobah I work very hard to keep Junior Society matters separate from my other venture Mahar Drygoods, lest this blog become one big MDG ad and obliterate any credibility I may have. But I beg your forgiveness for this rare egregious exception - because when I received the photo shoot images for the release of Little Hero Capes, I knew I had to share.

These gorgeous capes (donned by these gorgeous kiddos) have been masterminded by Philadelphia based designer and super-mom Allison Faunce. What began as a simple project to upgrade her three-year-old from a dishtowel cape to something more befitting a superhero has developed into the creation of a tool empowering kids around the globe to tap into their imaginations.

Each Little Hero Cape is meticulously handcrafted in aerodynamic satin, features a snap closure for quick take-offs and boasts a flip-up collar guaranteed to create intrigue. Choose from two sizes and three symbols to adorn the back of your cape which is available in five saturated color combinations. You’ll find all of capes here.

There’s a lovely online shop that’s been getting some much deserved attention in the blogosphere recently (thank you housemartin), Bailey’s, a home & garden shop at Whitecross Farm in Herefordshire, England. Their beautifully vetted selection goods are created largely from recycled goods - all of which are so brilliantly photographed you’ll want one of everything. Below is a selection from the kid’s department - a mini band set, bear coat hangers, rope ladder, jump rope, over-sized dice and wooden xylophone.

Also noteworthy are Bailey’s bird offerings including an apple feeder, peanut cage (shown with sheep’s wool for nest building), nesting pods and edible peanut wreaths.

Pictures don’t do justice to the work of artist Tom Luckey. Literally. Not for lack of skill on the part of the photographer, but because of the overwhelming scale of his installations which tend to fill entire rooms from floor to ceiling making it impossible to capture in full. Known to make children squeal with delight and parent’s arch their eyebrows in concern, Tom is the architect of fantasy jungle gyms.

Featuring ribbon-like platforms that appear to float in mid air connected only by a tangled web of netting, these site specific installations turn our ideas of playground equipment on its head. I spent some time watching kids parade like ants through the Luckey Climbers’ installation at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago which resembles a deconstructed tree house. Brilliantly creative, you’ll find Tom’s handiwork in more than a dozen cities around the country. Pay a visit to his website to see if there’s one near you.

I am completely taken by the work of English artist Fiona Hewitt and her special retro Asian imagery. Inspired by vintage toys, communist-era propaganda, the Fifties, the Forties, sweets and Chinese packaging she has perfected this highly stylized design style. Fiona has several fine art prints available for purchase on her site and has also developed an absolutely gorgeous line of children’s activity kits under the name Dumpling Dynasty. They’re so simple in concept (when was the last time you saw a kid’s shoe shine kit?!) but meticulously detailed with lush colors, text and illustration. Find all of the Dumpling Dynasty kits here.

If the title of this post didn’t ring a bell, it’s from the old English nonsense rhyme:

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,

Went to bed with his trousers on;

One shoe off, and one shoe on,

Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John!

So Junior’s ready to branch out. His taste is becoming more sophisticated. He’s enjoyed the classic Golidlocks & the Three Bears finger puppet set and has staged more performances of the Three Little Pigs on his tiny digits than Cats. So where to turn?

Lucuma Designs has one of the largest selections of unusual and exotic animal finger puppets, everything from Pink Amazon Dolphins to California Condors. Select from individual puppets handcrafted by talented Peruvian artists in your choice of cotton, acrylic or Alpaca wool for $3. a piece, or in larger sets. Lucuma has undergone the rigorous process of becoming a member of the Fair Trade Federation, assuring customers that their artisans receive a fair and living wage. Below is a sampling from their more than 60+ designs: raccoon, ant eater, sea horse, crane, bison, walrus, platypus, water buffalo, squirrel, jellyfish, bat, aardvark, flamingo, condor, porcupine, centipede.

It’s been ages since I last posted an update on the Flickr.com group I administer called Play Food! It’s a photo sharing forum to showcase all manner of handcrafted play foods: crocheted cakes, felted flapjacks, sewn sandwiches and knit noodle kugel. Believe it or not, we’re now more than 500 members strong with around 1,300 images of some of the tastiest crafts you can imagine. Below is a sampling of recent buffet submissions.

1. Cupcake Bliss!!, 2. Pasta sauce, 3. fruit bowl softie, 4. Handsewn Wool Felt Play Food Set, 5. Leche Louie, 6. berryberrycharlottecakeee, 7. Fresh Felt Veggies, 8. Cheeseburger & Fries, 9. more oranges, 10. Pretzel Play Food, 11. Happy Toasts, 12. le carrot, 13. Garlic Bread 3, 14. Chocolate Cake, 15. Clementine season!, 16. Pancakes Ring

Ok, bad pun title I know, but blame it on Warner Brothers…it’s from one of my favorite old school Bugs Bunny cartoons Hair-Raising Hare. For those of you old enough to remember watching Merrie Melodies on Saturday mornings, this cartoon features the first appearance of the big red monster in sneakers Gossamer. No? Not ringing a bell? No worries, it’s honestly not the focus of this post anyway. With Easter this coming Sunday I thought it might be fun to do a little rabbit roll-call with some of my favorite bunny themed products on the web:

Baby Victoria Organic Plush Bunny and Knitted Bunny

Free paper toy downloads from the Toymaker: Bowling Bunnnies and a Bunny Basket

Bowling Bunnies by Schylling

Little Golden Book Grandpa Bunny, The Easter Bunnie’s Parade

Soap Cafe Chocolate Soap Bunnies

Kata Golda Personalized Felt Bunnies

Marshmallow Bunnies How-To

See’s Handmade Rabbit Candies

The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes

Jennifer Murphy Bunnies

I always get a kick out of seeing how contemporary designers interpret classic toys. Here’s a little round-up of some recent pull-toy finds.

Quack Pack at Growing Tree Toys

Happy Hippo at Simply Kids Toys

Maharaja and Cowboy at Petit Baby

Frog Family at Bambino Mountain

‘Chocho’ Puppy at Moulka

Pink Pig at Scandinavian Details

Elephant at Maukilo

Hedgehog at IKEA

Sit & Walk Puppy at Pokkadots

This week that iconic toy giant Lego is celebrating its 50th birthday. I don’t know any kid that doesn’t have a pail of these building bricks, or any parent that hasn’t used colorful language when they’ve stepped on one in the dark. At 50 Lego’s product line is immense with a large percentage dedicated to licensed movie and cartoon characters, but thankfully there’s still a wide selection of non-commercialized kits. My personal favorite is their downloadable design software which allows your junior architect to create anything they can imagine online and then order a kit with the exact combination of bricks they’ll need to build it. Also worth a visit is their activity-packed kiddo friendly Lego Club.

Did you know?

• Children around the world spend 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks.
• There are about 62 LEGO bricks for every one of the world’s 6 billion inhabitants.
• 2.16 million LEGO elements are molded every hour, or 36,000 per minute.
• The LEGO bricks sold in one year would circle the world 5 times.
• The word “LEGO” is formed from the Danish words “leg godt,” which means “play well.”
• 40 billion LEGO bricks stacked on top of one another would connect the earth with the moon.

A non Lego affiliated site that provides endless amusement is the Brick Testament, self described as “the largest, most comprehensive illustrated Bible in the world with over 3,600 illustrations that retell more than 300 stories from The Bible.” They thoughtfully apply a rating system to each of the stories, stating, “The Bible contains material some may consider morally objectionable and/or inappropriate for children. These labels identify stories containing: N = nudity, S = sexual content, V = violence, C = cursing.” While there is a healthy dose of humor involved it’s not what I would consider sacrilegious, in fact Sunday Schools around the country are using the illustrations as a teaching tool. Below are a selection of Brick Testament illustrations in particular order.

I’m telling you, the goodies over at Fjorn Scandinavian are enough to make me want to move to Denmark…or at least put it on my travel list. They carry a wide range of “beautiful new things from the Old World” but their items for the short set are especially delicious. Danish Christmas Pixies whose pocket covered jumpers create an advent calendar, Danish Queen’s Guards Bowling Set, a pink velvet Christmas Pig, a miniature Princess and the Pea Play Set, woven wool blankets covered in woodland animals, and unbearably cute character rattles…prepare to swoon.