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The wooden lacing sheep by Plan Toys is an ideal educational toy for tots. It encourages hand-eye coordination, while helping kids learn about color and sequence as they piece together the discs to give the sheep its wool. Made with natural rubber wood and non-toxic finishes, this little sheep is also perfect for parents who want to keep their child’s playroom healthy and chemical-free. Read More.

A palm-sized modular toy created by Kelly Harrigan of Manassas, Va., a fourth-year industrial design student in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, has been awarded a design patent, announced Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. www.vtip.org (VTIP). Read More.

Le Toy Van designs their toys in Great Britian and manufactures in Indonesia. The original, beautifully crafted and painted wooden toys are based on traditional concepts. From doll houses and fairy dolls, to pirate ships and castles, their toys help a child’s imagination come to life.  Established in the UK in 1995, Le Toy Van designs toys to stimulate imaginative play in today’s world, naturally developing key educational skills in communication, discovery, and social and creative development. Le Toy Van is a socially and economically conscience company. They use replenishable wood for their toys and are proud of their ethical trading. Read More.

Edtoy says: The wooden magnetic tools and cubes are safe and fun to play with. By designing and building their own three-dimensional objects using Edtoy blocks, kids are able to hone this spatial perception when they have to decide on the sizes, colors, positions and directions of the blocks to build their intended models, forms and shapes. The variety of colors and texture of the wooden material used will help stimulate kids’ senses of sight and touch. Read More.

Gaskett says: Gaskett’s Garage Dream Racer is a great little motor that’s just as much fun when it breaks down. Sturdy MDF car with plastic details. Lift-up bonnet reveals realistic engine. 3 tools and oil can included to service the roleplay-packed engine. Check the oil, pull out the spark plugs, remove the oil cap. Steering wheel with working horn. Impact-resistant plastic bumper, kind to furniture. Petrol filling point. Parcel shelf perfect for carrying the tools and oil can. Suitable for ages 2 years and over. Size 42 x 45.5 x 22 cm (height, width, depth). Read More.

PlanToys® creates toys to inspire imagination, promote children’s physical and intellectual development, and be socially and environmentally responsible while maintaining good values.Their Tori rocking horse is one of a kind. It is well designed and stylish. The rocking horse is foldable for easy storage. Made of natural, chemical free recycled rubberwood and finished with non-toxic water based dye. Read More.

Il Lecio says: We are have been in this field since 1975. Children have always been our point of reference when designing new products. It is on the child that we focus our attention, especially when it comes to toys for infants. The range currently comprises of about seventy products, all of which have been designed within our group. Our toys can be purchased from the best stores, both in Italy (at the Group of Sun City Center and educational games) and abroad in Europe, Japan, the United States. Read More.

Momoll says: The Scandinavian esthetic with its goal to make function and simplicity visible is always part of our personal philosophy. It is our intention to pay respect to this philosophy by making it a part of every toy we produce. Our products are portable and are also easy to assemble and disassemble. The toys are modular in principle to provide variations in size and form. They are simple enough to be understood intuitively by children of all ages. Each of our toy designs support independent and creative play without being to obviously educational to the children. Momoll toys are solid, simple in design and construction and are always top quality, durable and long lasting. Read More.

Pen Pencil Stencil is the studio and workspace of designer Mark Giglio. Originally from Southern California, Mark grew up drawing, painting, skateboarding and surfing. Currently he lives and works in Oakland, California. Beginning as a designer at Cahan and Associates, Mark has since had the opportunity to work on projects with a diverse mix of companies, such as 2k by Gingham, Apple, Dwell, GSP, Nike, Tolleson Design, and others. You can purchase toys from his studio website. If you have any illustration or design needs, please feel free to visit Mark’s studio.

Kurt Naef – founder of the company Naef 
May 4, 1926 – November 30, 2006

Kurt Naef devoted over 60 years of his life championing wood as an ideal material for manufacturing consumer products. He began his life journey with wood as an apprenticed carpenter and later as a designer of numerous wooden toys. His elegantly beautiful wooden toys made him famous all over the world. His road to success was long and winding. He was guided by various coincidences, encounters and changes that impacted his life. What was the driving force behind him along this road? Read More.