So I may have been a little too cynical last night in my post about how Pastel Toys are produced. Turns out there actually is a remarkable, harmonious, nurturing village in Israel where community members of all races, religions, and political backgrounds band together to help provide their fellow villagers with special needs achieve a fuller measure of normal life. And when the Lebanon war erupted last year, that village was getting the crap bombed out of it, and yet everyone stayed to keep the village together rather than let it be dissolved by haphazard southward evacuation. So yeah, my bad.
Also, did you see that awesome station wagon??
And they have a combine! My grandfather had a combine. Who else makes a wooden combine? Do they use natural, milk-based dyes? Hmm? Did they make them during an air raid?
And did you see these trucks? Trucks full of blocks?
I haven't climbed any mountaintops, but let me tell you, people, I have seen the Promised Land, and it has some mighty sweet-looking wooden toys.
No retailer list, but you can Google: Pastel Toys main export-oriented website [pasteltoys.com]
A fuller selection, priced in shekels, I believe: Pasteltoys: Special toys by special people [kishorit.org]
08/2006: Coping in Kishorit [cbc.ca]
If you could just get them to put their toys out in some different colors - or better yet, a natural wood finish.
[yeah, the name kind of locks them in... I've decided to think of them as Piet Hein Eek colors. -ed.]
sillywagon.com carries a lot of them...I 'm glad for this repost I thought the jews were really gettin a beating on dt yesterday
[it's not just for yom kippur anymore!. As a NY'er, I always say I'm Jewish on the inside... -ed.]
Just wanted to let ya know, Lalinka are the distributors for this fabulous company here in the United States. Pastel Toys rock! If You want to sell Pastel Toys in the United States or Europe, email us!
whitney@lalinka.com