There are many classic toys I remember from my childhood, and all of them were made out of plastic. Lately, though, we've been seeing wooden versions of originally plastic toys cropping up, and we think they're pretty cool. Here we've rounded up 5 of our favorites.
• Wooden Boggle from Funny Farm Toy Barn: Maybe it's just that I'm obsessed with Scramble with Friends these days, but I love this cool wooden Boggle set.
• Wooden Tea Set from Plan Toys: I had a plastic tea set as a girl, and the fancy pants among us had porcelain ones. But while porcelain can break and plastic is, well, plastic, a wooden tea set makes for a beautiful and sturdy design.
• Wooden Rubik's Cube from Rubik's: Kick it back to the 80s with a 30th anniversary wooden Rubik's Cube. Yes, the inside is plastic in order to make turning it easier, and yes, it comes with a plastic stand, but the faces are all wood! The stickers are even translucent to allow the wood grain to show through, and one side is naked wood.
• Rocky Color Cone from Holgate Toys: This toy was probably originally all wooden, but all the versions I knew as a child were that plastic. You know what I'm talking about. So investing in a wood version is taking it back to its roots.
• Spiral Drawing Toy from Rocking Frog: Who didn't have Spirograph as a kid? Rocking Frog on Etsy has made their own wooden version out of bamboo. It's sized to the exact dimensions of a piece of notebook paper so you don't have to fiddle with those traditional small parts.
Do you have any unusual wooden toys, or traditionally plastic pieces now made out of wood? Share them in the comments!
(Images: as linked above)
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Again, please explain to me how deforestation is green.
These cars still have a bit of plastic in them but mostly not, and they are great fun.
@Emmi, There was no mention in the article of these being green. Also, using wood does not have to mean deforestation. There are tree farms that are certainly better for the environment than almost any plastic producing factory. I think, however, the main point here is that these are more beautiful and durable than their plastic counterparts. I love the boggle set!
@KTS911 LOL really, this post in on the Green Living blog and you're saying there's no mention of it being green, really? Anyway....tree farms are absolutely not better than plastic. You have a nearly 95 percent reduction in species when you clear land for these nasty monocultures. And for what, a game that could be made out of something else or be bought used??
We have the tea set pictured here, and I can attest to its durability. My son is pretty rough on his toys, and this set has held up beautifully. I gave it to him when he was 2, so I just stashed the tea bags and little spoons for when he's older.
We have and love the tea set. My two year old plays with it all the time. The little pieces are the most fun! (Second kid, not a mouther, and supervised of course)
Although larger than the toys featured here, we love our birch plywood/hardwood play kitchen.