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Who: Mi Yim
What: Organic Cotton Horton Lovie Blankee
Where: Amazon.com
Why We Love It: Two of our favorite things have come together is this new collection of MiYim’s simply organic lovie blankees and plush toys featuring beloved Dr. Suess characters like the Cat in the Hat
Who: Kaiku – Palo Alto, CA
What: Zen Wagon
Where: Kaiku – $319 w/free shipping
Why We Love It: The little red wagon gets a modern update with this hip design by husband and wife designers Scot and Amy Herbst. The updated design features ergonomically designed seats with a dip in the base for feet making rides to the market and to the playground more enjoyable and making the wagon a viable alternative to a stroller. Just chuck kids and gear in the wagon and you are ready to go. Ideal for beach trips! Click to continue »
Who: millergoodman – Brighton, England
What: PlayShapes
Where: Shhhop – £74.95
Why We Love ‘Em: This is just the wildest, most innovative toy block sets we’ve seen. It is a modular set composed of 74 different geometric shapes – certainly more shapes (Sgt. Pepper mustaches, teardrops and curly cues??) than we ever learned about in geometry class! They are the building blocks for creative mosaics and a great platform for kids and adults to stretch their imagination and exercise creativity. Just imagine what Frank Lloyd Wright would have come up with if he had these in addition to his Froebel blocks… Click to continue »
Who: Tegu; Norwalk, CT
What: Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks
Where: Tegu.com – $50 – $125
Why We Love ‘Em: The classic wooden block just got a whole lot more fun! These innovative Tegu blocks combine the beauty of the classic wooden block with the ‘magic’ of magnets. So you can completely defy gravity creating Wright-esque cantileversand dynamic forms from the wheels of a racecar to the petals of a flower.
The blocks come in cubes, long planks and short planks. Each is made from FSC-Certified tropical hardwoods including huesito (an abundant species native to Honduras), beech and a limited edition set made of mahogany. Click to continue »
Who: Maya Organic (MO); Karnatka, India
What: Ma Me Pa Pull Toy
Where: Dandelion – $28; Little Green Angels - £14; (see also the Tu Tu Turtle sold by World of Good – $16)
Why: Awww, Ma Me & Pa…. love this adorable family of three, with their colorful high-gloss finish and whimsical shells that swirl as the trio is pulled along. Such a cool looking toy, that, kids or no kids, it would make an interesting display piece recalling the quality craftmanship of wooden toys of the past and sure to be passed down generation to generation.
The turtles are hand-crafted by fair trade collectives in Karnatka, India using locally-harvested, sustainable and fast growing rubber wood. The rich colors are derived from vegetable dyes and finished with lac, an all-natural resin for a non-toxic finish. Even the packaging is eco-friendly, made of recycled paper. Click to continue »
Who: Svan; Sweden
What: Svan Toddler Scooter
Where: Amazon; $99
Why We Love ‘Em: It is impossible to avoid having your home overrun with toys once the little ones arrive, but at least with the Svan Scooter you can maintain your modern sensibilities. The sleek bent birch wood scooter will satisfy your design aesthetic while captivating your child’s imagination.
Intended as a ride along scooter, the simple design allows for creative play as the scooter becomes a horse, a race car, a truck, a pull toy or a basic tri-cycle with room on the back for their favorite stuffed toy.
Who: notNeutral; Los Angeles, CA
What: Wood Block Set
Where: Modern Seed – $30
Why: Lately we’ve been obsessed with wooden toys (tired of the sea of plastic invading our lives) and it doesn’t get much better than a quality set of wooden blocks. This one from notNeutral is definitely one of the coolest sets we’ve seen.
Completely taken with the funky mix of stylized vintage and modern lettering, the two-toned numbers, the bold black and orange prints and not one, but two puzzles including a FLW inspired geometric tree puzzle that we just had to test out (it works), all in the name of product research… Comes neatly arranged in its own wooden tray.
Made in the USA from “replenishable” Basswood sourced from Michigan and dyed with non-toxic, child safe inks.
Who: PlanToys; Palo Alto, CA
What: Green Dollhouse
Where: Amazon.com – $218.08 w/furniture & free shipping
Why: Goodbye plastic Malibu Barbie Dream House, hello eco-dream home! PlanToys modern masterpiece comes complete with solar panels, a wind turbine, a passive solar shade, a rain barrel, a recycling center, and furniture made of recycled, natural rubber wood dyed with vegetable and soy dyes. The perfect platform for teaching your children about the beauty of green living. Click to continue »
Who: Yellow Owl Workshop; San Francisco, CA
What: Cityscape Stamp Set
Where: Yellow Owl Workshop; $30 for a set of 5 stamps. Other sets include Winterscape, Landscape & Seascape.
Why: Technically this falls under the “TOT” category, but these stamps are made for kids of all ages. With these stamps by your side, all you need is a sheet of butcher block paper or a grocery bag to make stunning wrapping paper. Or create your own unique note-cards, gift tags, even artwork. (We are thinking of the Winterscape set for our holiday post-cards….) And when you are ready to share, the little ones can join in the fun and let their artistic energy flow.
The stamps are made of natural rubber and reclaimed maple boxed in a birch for the stamp case in keeping with designer Christine Schmidt’s eco-ethos. In addition to creating modern stamp sets, Yellow Owl Workshop is more widely known for their collection of hand printed notecards, wedding invitations and prints for the home using non-toxic water based inks and 100% Post-Consumer recycled paper.
Who: miYim; Brooklyn, NY
What: Organic Lovie Blanket
Where: greenward.com; $15.00
Why: Your little ones will get the best of both worlds, a blankie and a stuffed animal all in one with this little 8″ x 8″ square security blanket. Sure to become their favorite snuggly toy. The hard part will be choosing which one, the bunny, the monkey, or giraffe, and, as most moms will attest, it pays to have a back up!
miYim’s blankies are 100% certified non-toxic using dyes made from plants and minerals to dye the untreated, unbleached, 100% organic cotton, so you’ll have the security of knowing that it is safe for baby.
