Wooden Toys

By TDmonthly Staff
November 2011

See these recently added specialty and mass-market wooden toys.

Villetta by LEARNING MATERIALS WORKSHOP

Villetta by LEARNING MATERIALS WORKSHOP Inquisitive hands will transform Villetta into a village of colorful cottages, a tower of balancing prisms, or an abstract sculptural masterpiece. This artful open-ended building toy expands the possibilities of building ideas never before imagined. The color, form and sheer beauty of Villetta will attract young children as well as artists, designers and playful adults. "With a beautiful array of vibrant colors, this block set combines the function of an open-ended classic wooden toy to be played by generations of children, yet also has the aesthetic appeal to attract designers, artists, architects, and playful adults," Karen Hewitt, president/designer of Learning Materials Workshop, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011. 10/5/2011 (MSRP: $29.99; Age: 3 and Up)

Quadrilla® Twist and Rail Set™ by MANHATTAN TOY

Kids can send marbles down the wooden 99-piece Quadrilla Twist & Rail Set. Curved rails, straight rails, and a big twist make up this set. 50 marbles are included along with a cloth bag for safe storage.
Awards: Dr. Toy's 10 Best Toys - 2011 9/16/2011 (MSRP: $150.00; Age: 4 to 12)

Beautiful Building Blocks by TIMBERWORKS TOYS

Beautiful Building Blocks by TIMBERWORKS TOYS This 51 piece set helps kids get back to the basics. With the addition of square locking widgets this simple block set turns into a building set with ability to build stable horizontal and vertical structures as well as endless stacking fun. Launch date: 2010.
Awards: 2011 Parents' Choice Recommendation 9/2/2011 (MSRP: $79.00; Age: 3 and Up)

SLOTTER Tabletop Coin Game by CHANNEL CRAFT & DISTRIBUTION INC.

SLOTTER Tabletop Coin Game by CHANNEL CRAFT & DISTRIBUTION INC. Play more than 20 classic tabletop coin games with this unique contraption- Basketball, Baseball, Football, Hockey and many more. Includes the official SLOTTER, flip card & instructions in a Peg Pack package. Launch date: May 2011.
— In a February 2014 survey, Dean Smith, owner of Jazams Toys in Princeton, N.J., told TDmonthly that Slotter is their best-selling wooden toy. They sell around 10 each month. 9/2/2011 (MSRP: $5; Age: 6 and Up)

Geoform Wooden Magnets by HOTALING IMPORTS

Geoform Wooden Magnets by HOTALING IMPORTS Kids can create shapes, animals, and people with the 42 geometric shapes included in this set. The set includes 24 idea cards. The wooden storage case with metal closure doubles as a playing surface for the pieces. 9/1/2011 (MSRP: $29.99; Age: 4 and Up)

Wooden Hamburger Educational Stack Toy by CHARLIE'S WOODSHOP

The Wooden Hamburger is a non-sequential educational stack toy that delights kids of all ages, from 1 yr to 101+. Hand/eye color coordination, finger dexterity, and non-sequential stacking capability, can all be measured with our stacking wooden Hamburger. There's no right or wrong way to stack it. Made of rugged Western Ponderosa White Pine. The colors are non-toxic stain-like impregnated finishes. Launch date: September 1980. 8/29/2011 (MSRP: $39.95; Age: 3 and Up)

Schoolhouse Naturals Play Furniture by MAPLE LANDMARK WOODCRAFT CO.

A nine piece set of simple durable hard maple furniture. Great for imaginative play. Chairs are 2" high and the table is 3 1/2" long. Crafted from responsibly harvested hardwood maple with laser engraved designs, this set comes shrink wrapped. Set comes unfinished, can be painted. "Simple furniture for basic play that can't be broken," Barbara Rainville, marketing manager at Maple Landmark Woodcraft, told TDmonthly. Launch date: August 2011. 8/29/2011 (MSRP: $18.00; Age: All Ages)

WudWorkers™ Air Racer by MAXIM ENTERPRISE INC.

WudWorkers™ Air Racer by MAXIM ENTERPRISE INC. The WudWorkers™ line is a “Build and Play” construction line that allows children as young as three years old to begin their love affair with creative play and construction. They can be built into one specific set and become a work of art on a shelf, or they can be played with, taken apart, and then turned into something entirely different. "Our line stands out from any other wooden construction set through our design and creative engineering," Kris Millington, SVP of Maxim Enterprise Inc., told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2011. 8/29/2011 (MSRP: $24.99; Age: 5 and Up)

Monsieur or Madame Wooden Clutching Toys by HABA USA/HABERMAASS CORP.

Baby’s new best friend! The Monsieur and Madame wooden clutching toys have charming faces and colorful moving parts to keep baby interested. Made in Germany using beech wood from sustainably managed forests. Approx. 4 ½” Launch date: September 2011.
— Kai Rady, owner of Shenanigans Inc in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly in a 2012 survey about infant and toddler products that wooden rattles from HABA were one of her best sellers. 8/23/2011 (MSRP: $14.00; Age: 0 to 5)