Wood is Good!

Some of our most popular toys this holiday season are made of wood. Call it nostalgia. Call it an interest in more durable toys. Call it a move to a more environmentally friendly material. Wooden dollhouses, wooden building blocks, wooden trains, wooden games, Lincoln Logs and more.
One of our most popular brands is Melissa and Doug - who's line is filled with wooden toys. I just spent a couple hours putting together the Melissa and Doug wooden kitchen (you can see it in our store's window). It's really cool - it has a fridge, oven, stovetop, a sink, shelves and even a microwave oven - and it's all made of wood!
Also popular is the game 'Gobblet' by Blue Orange Games (left). It's made entirely of wood and Blue Orange Games was awarded the 'Green Toy Company' Award for it's move to replant the trees they use for their products! Plus, the game is great! It's like tick-tac-toe, except for the added twist of being able to jump your competitors pieces. You can try even it out online here.

Made in the U.S.A.!

So, I'm hunting through the store, looking for toys that are made in the USA, and I did find some.

We just got an order in from KNEX - they're a pretty local company out of Hatfield, PA. If you're not familiar with KNEX - it's a very well known construction toy - probably only behind Lego as far as popularity. They're got some cool carnival toys you can construct (including the Serpent's Spider Roller Coaster pictured to the left). Most of their components are made in the USA - all of their bricks, rods and connectors. You can check out this letter from KNEX President Michael Araten - link. (Large range of prices - Ages 3 & up)

Oddly, they also have the Lincoln Logs brand - which are all made in China. Fear not, we've recently added Roy Toy building toys (right, $16 & up, Ages 4 & up) to our stock - which are very Lincoln Log like, and made in the USA.

Also, Lunastix juggling sticks (left - $20 & up, Ages 6 & up) are made in the USA.

KNEX, Roy Toy building toys and Lunastix are all in stock now. So, you've got options if you want to stick with items made in the USA. It's a shame it's not more toys are made in the USA anymore, but it's a sign of the times.