Hippie Or Hipster? Harmony Ball Company Chiming Spheres Rattles At Areaware

So I read on notcot that Areaware, the NYC design studio/distributor is planning to launch a kid's collection called Areaware Jr. [they already distribute Salvor Fauna's silkscreen t-shirts and Onesies, as well as a few toys]. Then I see...
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And If Medicaid Doesn't Pay For Your Kid's Ringbo Riding Robot Chair, We'll Reimburse You!

Honestly, forget teaching your kid Mandarin; Korea is where the future is at. The future of ride-on toys that look an awful lot like the cart grandma gets at the mall; the future of snappy brand coinage ["RINGBO will be...
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The Playhouse That Love Built In The Garage

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } playhouse - full view, originally uploaded by shanecyr. A trip to Lowe's and a weekend...
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Lotta Jansdotter's Stuffed Toys Are Eco-Friendly!

Sure, I thought they were small and cute and pleasantly crafty, and the colors called forth fond memories of the fridges of my childhood. But thanks to the seven [seriously, I counted] mentions of their sustainable eco-friendliness in a...
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How! Sweet Creative Playthings Totem Pole [??] On eBay

Sure, there's a fine-looking Creative Playthings dollhouse on eBay at the moment, complete with a family of squatter dolls, who at least haven't tossed out the matchy [if not all matching] furniture. But who cares when there's a freakin'...
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Little Red Stuga Keeps Making Toy Versions Of Landscape

If you were wondering what features of the Swedish landscape the design team at Little Red Stuga has been turning into kid-sized play furniture lately, now you know: a folding screen house with mirrors on one side; and a...
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Now That's Vitalian! Sweet Nesting Dollhouse By Kaefer

Kaefer is German for "beetle," and this sleek, alderwood dollhouse by the toymaker Kaefer is German for, "You can't go wrong by taking a cue from Antonio Vitali." If only it was a little bigger than six inches--no, you...
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Playgoda: Slot-Together Playground Nirvana

So this morning Andy forwards me a link to a very promising blog, Playscape, which will focus on the art and science of playground design. And one of the first posts is the Playgoda, an awesome, slot-together laminated plywood...
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I.D. Q&A Re: Kid O Toys

I.D. Magazine just published a little Q&A with Kid O founder Lisa Mahar, who talks about the ideas, design, and production of the new Kid O Toys collection. Mahar sounds like they're doing things very right, and not just...
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We've Come A Long Way, Childcraft?

Hi-larious. From the hippies to the CPSC to women's lib, the times in 1974, they were definitely a-changin'. Here are some items from the 1974-5 Childcraft catalog that I can't imagine seeing at a Toys R Us near you...
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Bunker Hill Lacquered Steel Doll McMansion

Daniel Franzen's painted steel dollhouse has serious curb appeal. The shape is inspired by Swedish barns, and relates to a series of cabins Franzen's firm, Bunker Hill, is designing for the reclaimed wood specialty firm Arvesund. It comes with...
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Play-Dodecahedron! The Popular Science Meditator By Ken Isaacs

"'Bye for now,' says the man of the house as he retreats into think tank. Though it dominates a room, it can be quickly disassembled. At [right] Isaacs contemplates interior collage." Ken Isaacs, is there anything modular and plywood...
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Sweet Sport France Jouet A Bascule

Just in case you didn't learn how to say "rocking horse" in French--because frankly, you were only learning French to pick up chicks, not shop for playground implements--now you know: un cheval à bascule. Thus, this jouet à bascule,...
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Creative Playthings Houseboat, Minus The Wet T-shirted Playthings

The seller has titled this 1960's Creative Playthings boat Noah's Ark, even though there are no animals. Obviously, though, it's from the very rare Creative Playthings Lake Havasu Spring Break Playset. If only Antonio Vitali's hand-carved, bikini-wearing co-eds and...
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Oshiri Kajiri Mushi Goods, Finally

I've grown a bit skeptical of the origins of most every sudden Japanese trend. With the Oshiri Kajiri Mushi, aka Bottom Biting Bug, cartoon that washed over Japan last summer, it wasn't until the late fall/Christmas season before Japan's...
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"Blatantly Unfocused Play With Their Daddy"

I'm re-reading Calvin Trillin's 1998 book, Family Man, and it's rather more interesting now that I'm a dad. Jim's right, he's the godfather of all typing daddies, not just those who make a big deal about changing tables in the...
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Creative Playthings Tug Boat On The eBay

If there's wear on this vintage Finnish tug boat & barge set from Creative Playthings, I can't really see it in the photo. And before I start a bidding war at $22 shipped for a used wooden toy, I'd...
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Vamanos! NAFTAstic Dora Minivan Of Canada

Do not adjust your screen. You are not dreaming. NAFTA is real, and it is working hard for Canadian children every. single. minute. That IS a photo of an American minivan [the Chevrolet Uplander, made in Doraville, Georgia! Until...
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Vintage Kettler: Puts The Rad In Dreirad

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Chromjuwelen Kettler Dreirad, originally uploaded by chromjuwelen. With their Happy AIr, Happy Plus, Happy Plus...
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From Germany To Silverlake With Love: Flototto Kids Chair

So we went poking around Silverlake today, the girls and I. Yolk is nice. But hey-o, Monkeyhouse Toys?? Awesome. The hyper-indie toy store has more than a few kidult-oriented toys, but first and foremost, it's a toy store for...
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