These 16 blocks in bright colors are made of wood from ecologically supervised European forests. Famed Swiss toy designer Kurt Naef designed these blocks in 1957; they were his first toy design. The sophisticated but easy-to-use interlocking feature enables small children to build towers that don´t fall down. Older children can experiment with building cantilevered structures.

Twenty-eight wooden embossed Alphabet blocks, approximately 1-3/4” square, come in a wooden pull-toy wagon. Each block has an animal picture, a number or math symbol, and four letters (two embossed), for a total of four complete alphabets. The wagon is unpainted with wooden wheels. It sells for between $44.95 and $49.95.

The Conestoga Homestead comes with a plastic frontier couple, wagon, two horses, roof, windows and door. It includes enough wooden logs to build a small house.

This set has plans to create a working Ferris wheel, majestic carousel, huge crane, as well as cars, racecars, trucks and more. With the 230-Piece Superstructs Super Set, little builders will never run out of building ideas.

The 126-piece Superstructs BIG Builder set gives you everything you need to build detailed, hard-working construction vehicles. Build a working forklift, dump truck, crane or utility truck with the enclosed step-by-step plans. And once you have mastered these, you can take them apart and use your imagination to build other great creations.

With 78 pieces and plans to make a colorful jet, solar planet explorer, racecar, robot, characters and more, this set is equipped to meet every adventurer´s needs.

Swiss architect Mario Botta´s building for the San Francisco Museum of Modern art opened in 1995, becoming an instant architectural landmark. Now anyone can construct aSFMOMA! This scale model of Botta´s famed design features die-cut cardboard parts and step-by-step instructions, which make assembly easy.

A cool way to take LEGO building on the go is packed in four collectible pod containers featuring a unique color scheme and theme. It fits right in a backpack, cargo pants pocket, and is perfect for the back seat of the car, an airplane or even the beach blanket for keeping young imaginations active. Choose from green (Dragon), purple (Monster), orange (Arachno) or blue (Aqua) pods for mini model building fun!

All proceeds from this set of stacking blocks support the National Parks. Made entirely of recycled materials, all blocks fit one within the other in a tidy box with an easy to carry rope handle. The blocks stack high to reveal a giant redwood tree, as well as pictures of birds and pine cones. An enchanting poem rounds out the decoration.

Believing that construction toys help foster a better understanding of math and science, this unique set was created to attract young girls. Included are 18 pieces that allow girls to build their own magical fairy tale. This highly decorated carriage includes a doll that can be used to play in the fairy tale world of a child’s imagination.

PLAN City also gets new product treatment in 2005 with some exciting new designs. The Construction Set ($50.00) is a magnificent construction crane that is fully operational.  Children are able to move the trolley in all directions and the crane pivots on the base as well to allow for 360 degree play.   A variety of construction accessories are also included to expand the play environment.   

Block sets are a classic that never go out of style, and FamilyEducation.com notes that blocks allow kids to “master math concepts about shapes, space, balancing and gravity.”
— “Wooden blocks by Melissa & Doug” were expected to be a 2006 holiday hit at The Name Dropper in Montgomery, Ala., owner Shea Schroll told TDmonthly.
— “Standard building blocks by Melissa & Doug … we sell those every day,” Peter (Mr. Toad), owner of Mr. Toad’s Toy Company in Naples, Fla., told TDmonthly in April 2008. Erica Welton, manager of Bedford Falls Toy Store in Charlotte, N.C., said her store sells “two or three sets a day.”
— More than 17 percent of retailers who spoke with TDmonthly in spring 2008 named this item as their best-selling construction toy.

This kit constructs a huge (over 5 feet) working ball tower with custom obstacles around a transparent air-lift tube.
--This toy won “Ultimate Construction Toy of the Year” at the Ultimate Toy Awards Show in Dec. 2004.
--The Tower was nominated to be the 2005 Activity Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association.
--Creative Child Magazine gave this set the 2004 Preferred Choice Award.

This 643-part set, with a carrying case, builds 25 models and includes a motor. Previously distributed by Nikko America (6.2.09).
--This set was named as a “top seller” by Brio’s senior product manager Kay Thomson.
--Erector sets are among the Top 10 product lines of 2004 at YoungBuilder.com.
--YoungBuilder’s co-owner Mark Carson noted a trend toward “nostalgic” sets, noting that “the Baby Boomer generation is searching for toys that encourage creativity and problem-solving skills” for their kids and grand-kids.

Last spring, popular Lincoln Logs were introduced in clear bags with handles, offering the familiar wood logs and plastic roofs in portable form.
--Lincoln Logs are a top seller on Amazon.com.
--“Lincoln Logs have been around since 1916, yet nearly 90 years later, they still remain our top sellers,” said Mark Carson, co-owner of Fat Brain Toys.
--These toys are among the Top 10 product lines of 2004 at YoungBuilder.com.

This set features plenty of fun features like a working cannon, a toppling mast, figures and animals.
--This toy is listed as a best-seller for both Amazon.com and Target.com.
--Modular parts from the ship can be mixed and matched with other sets in the Imaginext system, adding to play value.
--This set hones both building skills and imaginative play.

This magnetic ball and rod set, which offers many construction possibilities, was on children’s wish lists for Christmas 2004.
--This set is a top seller on such leading sites as Amazon.com, KBToys.com and Walmart.com.
-- This toy offers educational value as well as timeless appeal.
-- Magnetix was nominated for 2005 Activity Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association.

This interactive train offers a remote control that even young engineers can activate.
-- The track can be reconfigured to create various layouts, adding to the play value.
-- This set and accessories are top sellers on both Amazon.com and Walmart.com.
-- This train set received good reviews from parents of 2 to 3 year olds on Amazon.com.

This 718-piece set allows the creation of moving robot vehicles which can be programmed from a computer.

--This LEGO set is a best-seller on such sites as Amazon.com and Walmart.com.
--This set has a good rating among customers on Amazon.com, with one stating, “The best toy I have played with in 40 years.”
--Mindstorms is listed as a “core product” by the LEGO Company.

This unique construction toy comes in six different colors, all of different difficulty levels. The cube is sold as a two-dimensional flat foam rectangle. It's easy to pack because pieces fit together jigsaw-style. The challenge is to remove the six pieces and then reconnect them to form a seamless cube. In addition, each Happy Cube comes with instructions on how to make larger cube formations by interlinking various pieces of the different colored cubes. Although each cube has only a few small pieces, it can be quite a brainteaser. This European product is available through U.S. distributor, Kyp Henn.
— "The Happy Cube has been around since '92 and still is going strong!" Kyp Henn told TDmonthly. "Math teachers love it and so do 99 year olds. I get calls daily from people who are trying to find them."

Each large construction set contains 14 steel metal balls and 30 brightly painted, 4" plastic rods embedded with magnets. Children build imaginative designs and learn about geometry and science. The Construction Set has won the Gold Seal Award by the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and the Parent’s Choice Honor. - Andrew Robinton

What are Toobeez? Think of them like a life-size set of TinkerToys. Toobeez are an open-ended construction system that features a set of colorful tubes and spheres that can be connected to one another in a variety of ways. This allows anyone above the age of 4 to build life-size structures or create almost about anything that can be imagined. With 57 pieces inside of each box one can build many different types of structures, such as forts, castles, playhouses, mazes, obstacle courses, dollhouses, puppet theatres, soccer goals, airplanes, spaceships, or animals.

These classic 1-3/4" wooden alphabet blocks are made in the United States from basswood. Designed with cleverly detailed letters and pictures, they help children to spell and build while pleasing parents with their tasteful vintage decorations. The basic set comes in a wagon or box. Other variations include Braille, Braille math blocks or any of 15 different languages. There is even a version of nursery rhyme blocks.
— Owner Tom England of Dancing Bear Toys & Gifts in Frederick, Md., named ABC Blocks by Uncle Goose Toys as a best-seller in his store.

The Intelligence Mini-Building puts the construction in construction toys! Each set comes with real pottery bricks and mortar, complete with building plans for kids to construct their own villa, castle, or anything that they can imagine. It´s like LEGO building sets only with a twist of realism. It´s a great toy to stimulate future architects and civil engineers.