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Archive for the 'Playthings' Category
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?
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. 
There are wooden toys…and then there are the handcrafted wooden toys at Quiet Hours Toys. Unbelievably lovely animals, figures and scenery created in Germany and the Republic of Georgia are available in an impressive range of species and characters. Consider these a thoughtful and worthwhile investment in Junior’s toy chest. 
 I tend to vacillate on the pros and cons of personalized products. On one hand I imagine that when you’re just beginning to develop a sense of self, personal belongings are one tangible aspect of the process…belongings Junior readily and loudly identifies as “mine!” And then of course, taken too far it can become obnoxious (which I’m sure can be said of anything) - Cheyenne’s toothbrush, Cheyenne’s sleeping bag, Cheyenne’s backpack, Cheyenne’s look-alike doll. Overall though I guess I tend to think that in moderation a lovely product sweetly personalized can be a very thoughtful gift. Recently having been introduced to the charming Tiny McSmall I’m taken with their modest selection of tasteful personalized gifts including items created by the talented Kata Golda. Pretty cute, right? I think Cheyenne would agree. 
Great monsters are not born. They are made…at the Monster Factory. A collaboration between three friends, this Toronto-based design firm is in “the business of character development, illustration and most notably the creation of plush monsters.” Sounds a little high falutin’, but these guys really are great. Check out their numerous monster lines and see the Guster video below featuring their plush crew. (If your browser doesn’t support YouTube videos, click here.) 
A fabulous fixture in the LA indie community and a Silver Lake based brick and mortar shop called ReForm School has recently gone global with ReformSchoolRules.com. It’s worth a visit if only to see the brilliant vintage school themed design with departments like Home Ec, Organic Chemistry and Child Development. It’s in the last category that I found knitted lambswool woodland critters by Donna Wilson: Cyril, Rudi and Ril - a red fox, a raccoon and a fella that looks like the love child of the other two. You’ll also want to attend Art 101 to see several sweet but sophisticated options for Junior’s bedroom wall. 
One of the first gifts I ever remember receiving was a wood sled with red metal runners and a steering rope not unlike the one pictured below. And while your most likely to find a plastic roll-up or saucer style sled these days it’s pretty great to know that there is a company that’s still creating the old school versions. Mountain Boy Sledworks crafts handmade sleds from sustainable woods with non-toxic finishes including four coats of lacquer or three coats of polyurethane to create a marine-grade finish. Below is a selection of their flyer sleds, toboggans, pull sleds and kicksleds that look like so much fun!
You’ll also want to check out sledmaker Brice Haskin’s beautiful book that gives a brief history of sleds and sledding. The Sled Book. Lest you be at a loss for outdoor activity during the warmer months of the year Mountain Boy also hand crafts gorgeous pull wagons.
  How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, A woodchuck would chuck as much wood According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, New York state wildlife expert Richard Thomas found that a woodchuck could (and does) chuck around 35 cubic feet of dirt in the course of digging a burrow. Thomas reasoned that if a woodchuck could chuck wood, he would chuck an amount equivalent to the weight of the dirt, or 700 pounds. This is honestly not a post about woodchucks, but I’ve known that silly tongue twister since I was a kid and it seemed like an appropriate way to kick off a week of wood goods for the short set. Let’s start with a family run business based in Nashville, TN creating a line of cleverly designed, natural wood toys. You can see the influence of traditional European toys in many of their pieces, my favorite being Real Wooden Toys ‘toboggan toys.’ Balls or small cars begin at the top of tower and gravity races them down a series of cascading levels to their base where they often ring a bell. Simple action toys that captivate kids working on their motor skills. And the price tag? Each of these pieces falls in the surprisingly affordable $25.-$30. price range.  I’ve seen many a rocking horse and the one below is adorable, but check out RWT’s rocking goat - complete with horns, beard and udder! 
It seems every week now someone’s discovering an imported toy that will shred little Johnny into pieces, cause Susie to spontaneously combust or slowly poison entire classrooms of kindergarteners with lead paint. This has left the overwhelmed and under funded US Consumer Product Safety Commission and toymakers scrambling to solve what increasingly appears to be a very broken system. And it’s left allot of parents scratching their heads wondering where to turn this holiday season.  I’m a regular visitor at Cool Mom Picks knowing that Liz and Kristen dedicate allot of time and energy to tracking down some of the best handcrafted, locally made, organic, fair trade, or simply safer alternatives to mass produced and imported toys. They’ve just compiled a Safer Toy Guide which is a must read for all of us who will being shopping for the short set during the next couple of months. What’s special about this particular list is Cool Mom Picks understanding that, “safer doesn’t mean boring, and handmade doesn’t mean rustic.” Three cheers.  I was also excited to find that the lovely Natalie Zee Drieu, Senior Editor over at Craftzine - the online presence of Craft Magazine has pulled together a feature on ‘Safe Toys That You Can Make.’ For those of you who might be craftily inclined this could be a great option for gift-giving, albeit one that will require advance planning on your part. And while it’s included in the write up I want to make special mention of three recent crafty toy ‘how-to’ books, which happen to be recent releases by three pals of mine!  And for assistance in selecting children’s gifts see the National Safe Kids Campaign guidelines. For a look back, check out Radar Magazine’s top 10 most dangerous playthings of all time. Viva lawn darts!  If you know of other safer toy gift guides or additional such resources I invite you to post a comment. |
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blog by Aeolidia 
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