Wood Toys Make a Comeback

Looking for a great gift for a child or adult? A wood toy, game or collectible is sure to bring a smile.

Nostalgia and an appreciation for lasting quality are fueling growing interest in wood items. Specialty toy stores carry several wood toy lines, and even the big discount store chains are carrying more wood now. Wood toys also are widely available through Internet retailers.

Habermaass Corp., which makes the popular T.C. Timber brand of wood toys, this year introduced a 42-piece maple puzzle based on the geometric design of a stained glass window in the playhouse at the Coonley house, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Riverside, Ill.

"This is designed for adults," says James Carter, T.C. Timber's general manager. "It really appeals to Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts."

T.C. Timber also makes a line of white oak, doll-sized replicas of Stickley furniture. A rocking chair (which sells for about $120) was added to the collection this year. It joins a chair, bed, armoire and table.

"The pieces are meticulously crafted of the same wood, leather and finishes that genuine Stickley furniture is made of," Carter says. "You get the same quality you would get in a real piece of furniture."

Wood toys have grown especially popular with children. Why? Grandparents – big toy buyers – often choose toys reminiscent of the ones they had. And baby-boomers are willing to invest a little more in wood toys that will help their children develop the kinds of critical cognitive, social and motor skills nurtured through rich play. "Anything made from wood has an aesthetic that children need to play with," says Stevanne Auerbach, a noted child development specialist. "Children need to understand that toys are their first artistic experience, their first sculpture, their first art." Experts agree that wood toys like blocks, doll houses and train sets are wonderful because they are "open-ended," meaning they leave a lot to a child's imagination and are rich in "play value."

Train sets with buildings and people can be arranged and rearranged every day to create new and changing worlds of fantasy. Blocks can become castles, space ships or forts. A dollhouse becomes a beloved backdrop for role-playing. "These are toys that provide children with long-lasting, repetitive play," says Auerbach, who is also known as "Dr. Toy." "They can go back to these toys again and again. They lose interest in so many of the high-tech toys after a while." BRIO, a Swedish company, sells millions of award-winning train sets made of beech and birch. The sets are designed for children 3 and up, and can grow as new pieces are added.

"Having good wooden toy products really reflects our tradition, the classics and the wonderful way that nature really is a complete circle," says Peter Reynolds, president of BRIO Corp. USA.

At its factory in Kane, Pa., Holgate Toy Co. – founded in 1789 – makes train sets, blocks, beads and other toys out of maple, red oak and cherry. Jarvis Rockwell, the brother of illustrator Norman Rockwell, was the company's chief toy designer for 30 years and helped the company develop some of the first educational toys made in the United States. A replica of the trolley on PBS' "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" is a big seller for kids and adult collectors too.

Dick Bly, Holgate's president and self-described "chief toy maker," notes that while solid wood toys, especially those made of durable hardwoods, often cost more than plastic, they can last for decades.

"People use them after a child has outgrown them," Bly says. "Some parents leave them out. You rarely see them at garage sales."

Wood Gift Idea List

Want to buy a wood toy or gift for someone special? Here are some ideas:

Backgammon sets
Beads
Blocks and other construction toys (some sets are even made for adults)
Board games
Checkers
Chess
Doll houses and furniture
Instruments ranging from miniature pianos to xylophones
Peg boards
Pounding benches
Push-pull toys
Puzzles (made for kids and adults)
Ring stacks
Rocking horses
Shape-sorting boxes
Train sets-other transportation toys (cars, boats, trucks, planes, etc.)
Wagons
Yo-yo