With additional reporting by Chris Lundy and Brenda Ruggiero
This month, we're going back to basics! TDmonthly Magazine interviewed specialty retailers to find out which wooden toys are hot. From classic trains to modern blocks, check out their Top-10 best-selling wooden toys below. *No manufacturer paid to be included in this list. All products listed were designated by editorial staff without regard to the company's relationship with TOYDIRECTORY.com/TDmonthly Magazine.
Stacking Train by MELISSA & DOUG
It’s “all aboard!” for this toy. The train is leaving the station to have plenty of kiddie passengers. The 15 interchangeable brightly colored pieces let kids design their own cars. It measures 17" x 3" x 6". — This train moves off the shelves for Kim Walter, manager of Giggles in Stoughton, Wis. She told TDmonthly, “People seem to love all the vehicles in this line.” — “That’s one of our best selling items,” said Susan Waterstreet of Tree Top Kids in Washington, D.C. “We also now have a jumbo version; they’re fabulous sellers for kids 2 and up.” — This toy is a steady seller at Be Beep A Toy Shop in Columbia, S.C. — Since Jillie Beans Toys & More opened in Westminster, Colo., in fall 2006, Melissa & Doug’s Stacking Train has been a consistently strong seller, Owner Valerie Elsea told TDmonthly in April 2010.
The beat goes on…and on with this 5-in-1 percussion section. When the concert's over, everything stores together until it's time for the next gig. Includes a xylophone, a drum, a cymbal, a guiro, a clapper and drumsticks. Awards:2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award — In a February 2015 survey, two out of 11 retailers told TDmonthly that toys from Hape were their best-selling wooden toys.
Featuring detailed images of 8 favorite noisy vehicles, this wooden peg puzzle makes the vehicle sound when a piece is placed correctly in the puzzle board. Eight sounds in all. Full-color, matching picture under each piece. Dimensions: 1.2" x 8.5" x 11.7" Assembled. AAA batteries not included. — Michael O'Dell of Toys from the Attic in Rehoboth Beach, Del., told TDmonthly in a Summer 2011 survey that he sells 10 Melissa & Doug sound puzzles each month. — As of 7/12/2011 this product had 3 out of 5 stars from 23 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Affordable; engaging. Cons: Many reviewers said the sounds were poor quality. — In a February 2012 survey about wooden toys, three out of 14 retailers said that puzzles from Melissa & Doug were their best sellers in the category. “Melissa and Doug has been a core of the store for years and years," Mike Snyder, owner and manager of Cville's Hobbies, Games and Toys in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly.
This rural railway set has the classic Brio quality and features a barn with loading crane, farm engine with wagon, farm tractor with trailer, farm animals and hay bale. — In a February 2014 survey, two out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that Brio Trains were among their best-selling wooden toys. — Patti Tepper-Rasmussen, owner of Learning Tree Toys, Games & Books, Inc. in Oklahoma City, Ok., told TDmonthly in an August 2014 survey that Brio was one of the store's best-selling brand of collectibles. — In a February 2015 survey, Sue Hottel, co-owner of No Kidding (aka Sand Castle Toys Inc) in Mattapoisett, Mass., told TDmonthly that Brio trains are her some of her store's best-selling wooden toys.
Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway 5-in-1 Up and Around Set by FISHER-PRICE INC.
Create up to 5 different layouts with this 20-piece play set. Includes Thomas, 17 pieces of track, a bridge and a tunnel. — Grafton Stein, owner of Toys on the Square in Hummelstown, Pa., told TDmonthly in a May 2013 survey that Thomas the Tank Engine toys are their best-selling licensed products. — In a February 2014 survey, three out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that Thomas & Friends sets from Fisher-Price were among their best-selling wooden toys. — In a February 2015 survey, Sue Hottel, co-owner of No Kidding (aka Sand Castle Toys Inc) in Mattapoisett, Mass., told TDmonthly that Thomas & Friends trains are her some of her store's best-selling wooden toys.
This starter set of 26 Tegu blocks includes cubes, long planks and short planks in a natural finish. The blocks are made of European Beech and contain small, embedded magnets that allow the blocks to stick together and be fashioned in a variety of ways not possible with traditional blocks. Awards: 2010 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award, Gold Seal. — In a February 2015 survey, Terry Myers, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock, Texas, told TDmonthly that puzzles from Melissa & Doug are her store's best-selling wooden toys.
Toysmith 5000 Guillow's Balsa Sky Streak Glider by TOYSMITH
Made of genuine balsa wood. Rubber band powered. Easy to fly. — Mary Porter Green, owner of The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly in a November 2011 that Balsa airplanes are among her best selling flying toys. — Geoff Pendexter, owner of Whirlygigs in Brentwood, N.H., told TDmonthly in a Fall 2012 survey that they sell about 15 of these planes each month, making them a best selling aircraft toy in the store. — Gregory Faith, owner of Hobby Town USA in Nashua, N.H., told TDmonthly in a February 2013 survey that these gliders were their best selling wooden toy.
Get ready for a day at the races! Little ones can move the chunky bead pieces shaped like a car, plane, bus and trucks around the colorful maze. The beautiful sustainable table top design provides a sturdy surface for little learning hands to explore, move and discover. The beads even go through and under the tabletop! A great early learning toy for developing visual stimulation, hand eye coordination and cause and effect. For ages 10 mos+ — Donna Frederick, owner of The Play House Toy Store in Durham, N.C., told TDmonthly in a February 2015 survey that Alex's Busy Bead Maze is one of their store's best-selling wooden toys.
There are few things as appealing as a pick-up truck. They are what you take over back woods trails or what you throw your stuff into before zooming off to your next adventure. This truck will have your children imagining daring adventures over rock strewn trails and long trips to places only a beloved pick-up can take them. Awards:2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award — In a February 2015 survey, David Stelzer, owner of Shananigans in Baltimore, Md., told TDmonthly that Automoblox is his store's best-selling wooden toy. They sell around 50 every month.
Stacking & Nesting Animal Blocks by MELISSA & DOUG
Brightly colored animals and familiar objects illustrate the letters of the alphabet on these cardboard blocks. Nested, the ten vibrant blocks fit into the included carrying case. Stacked, they form a tower nearly three feet high! — In a February 2015 survey, six out of 11 retailers told TDmonthly that Melissa & Doug makes their best-selling wooden toys. Bebe Feimster , manager of Big Smile Toys/Hardware Center in Paoli, Pa., said these blocks do particularly well.
Writer's Bio: Justina Huddleston graduated Magna Cum Laude from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing in 2009. After graduating she was the on-site director of the Boston Children's Museum gift store for a year, selling educational, developmental, and creative activity toys that tied in with the museum's exhibits. Justina also interned at children's book publisher Candlewick Press before moving from Boston to Los Angeles, where she is now Editorial Director of TDmonthly Magazine. Read more articles by this author
Writer's Bio: Justina Huddleston graduated Magna Cum Laude from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing in 2009. After graduating she was the on-site director of the Boston Children's Museum gift store for a year, selling educational, developmental, and creative activity toys that tied in with the museum's exhibits. Justina also interned at children's book publisher Candlewick Press before moving from Boston to Los Angeles, where she is now Editorial Director of TDmonthly Magazine. Read more articles by this author
