The Good Toy Guide

The National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries (UK) has published its 35^th annual Good Toy Guide. To quote from the NATTL’s website, “All of the toys in this Guide are tested by children and the comments come from the children. Watching the children and the pleasure they get from the toys they are playing with is how we know what to tell you about each product.” At least 250 families (around 600 children) take part in the appraisal process.

The chosen toys include the Leapfrog “Learn and Groove Activity Station” and the Vtech “Alphabet Phonics Teacher”, both of which are stocked by the toy rental club. We stock other Leapfrog and Vtech products too.

Rent a Stick?

The American National Museum of Play, located in Rochester, New York, has just 41 toys in its National Toy Hall of Fame. Among them are the humble stick and the cardboard box, a reminder that the toy rental club cannot solve all of your children's play needs!

Inducted toys are selected on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Icon-status: The toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered.
2. Longevity: The toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations.
3. Discovery: The toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play.
4. Innovation: The toy profoundly changed play or toy design. A toy may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

Needless to say, the list includes good old Lego, but there are other names that only an American would recognise. Raggedy Ann and Andy, anyone? Or Lincoln Logs?

Sale of Used Toys

We are having a sale of used toys and equipment on Sun 5 April from 9.00am until 5.00pm. All items will be sold "as is". The prices are extremely reasonable. Come to our playground on Level 6 to find a bargain.

62 LEGO Bricks for Every Human Being

The Guardian newspaper has a fascinating article about the history of Lego and its recent revival in popularity after a slump. There are 62 little coloured blocks for every person on the planet ... And did you know that the word Lego comes from the Danish "leg godt" which means "play well"?

After a 1930s yo-yo craze died down, the inventor Ole Kirk Christiansen sawed his stock in half. The result? Each yo-yo produced two wheels for a toy truck! Click here to read more about this clever carpenter-turned-toymaker.

Playmobil Inventor Dies

Hans Beck, the German inventor of Playmobil toys, has died at the age of 79. Beck created the 7.5cm tall figures with their clip-on clothes in response to a plastic shortage caused by the oil crisis of the early 1970s. They became so popular that over 2 billion of them have been sold in more than 70 countries.

Beck, originally a furniture maker, worked according to the motto "No horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends". His first Playmobil characters were a knight, a builder and a Native American. For the full story, read this article in the UK's Guardian newspaper.