Virkade leksaker - Charming!

We have just put these charming toys online - rattles and balls that are crocheted. The soft colors and wonderful textures are sure to keep your child happy and engaged! They all come from Sebra, a Danish company with new and fresh designs.









Direkt länk till skallra - blomma

Direkt länk till bollar

Wacky Track - Finally at ABC Leksaker!

We bought Wacky Track for our Thomas the Train set many, many years ago in the USA, and it is the one piece of track that is consistently part of our track layouts. Children (and grown-ups) can't always make the track layouts come out right - it is hard to get the right amount of turn and length to always ensure a functional track that trains can drive on. Wacky Track is a great solution. It bends and flexes to join up most layouts.

We have tried for a couple of years to source this product, and FINALLY have found it and can make it available to you. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Direct link to Wacky Track

Mjuka Klossar - Still Popular 9 Years Later!

One of the best baby gifts I ever received was a set of foam blocks, given to me by a British friend when Annika was born, more than 9 years ago. These blocks have seen it all. They have been in the bathtub and the sandbox, and some of them have survived winter cold, summer heat and the added indignity of small teeth. Some are a bit faded (the poor ones who survived a few winters in the sandbox) and some do have teeth marks, but they still remain one of the best toys we have ever had. I remember sitting on the floor and building tower after tower with 9-month-olds, only to have my wacky constructions knocked down again and again to the accompaniment of baby giggles. Or building fences for make-belive zoos... our houses for pretend animals...

But I thought we were done. My baby is now 5 1/2, and it seemed like it was time to move the blocks into retirement. But no sooner had I shifted them towards the door had my 7-year-old rediscovered them and brought them back into the mainstream again. So I guess we will have them for a few more years...

I searched for the same blocks to offer in ABC Leksaker, and finally found them. These foam blocks are great additions to any toybox. They are light and don't hurt if thrown. They are quiet and don't make a big crash. But best of all, they are "sticky" and don't slide easily past each other, giving creative construction a whole new dimension! Great - and great fun!

Direkt länk till Mjuka byggklossar - färg

Världskartan - AWESOME!

We gave Christopher (age 5 1/2) the Oskar & Ellen Världskartan for Christmas this year. We started with just the map and the animals. leaving the flags, monuments and people for a later date. The detail on the map is excellent, and the map key (included) is really useful to point out the rivers, mountains and other details.





Now you might not think a map makes a great surprise under the Christmas tree, but Christopher was thrilled. He immediately donated his ski pole to hang it (note: it helps to have an 80cm pole for hanging) and set about putting all the animals in the right place. The map now hangs proudly in his room, and he makes sure all the animals are in the right places, moving a few around (the moose from Sweden to Canada and back again) just to make sure he has everything correct. If an animal falls off or ends up in the ocean, he comes running to check where it should be.





As a parent, I'm thrilled with the quality of the map, and the level of detail will be great from now (age 5) through the early teen years. It actually sparked a family discussion, since Annika (age 9) couldn't name the continents...

Direkt länk till Världskartan

Back in the Saddle Again!

We had a wonderful break over Christmas. With all the Christmas rush, it felt really good to just close the warehouse doors, secure in the knowledge that Santa's work was (mostly) done.

And the break also made me appreciate how nice it is to be in Sweden. We're a small company, and we just can't staff the office 24/7, or even 8/5 (8 hours a day, 5 days a week), especially during holidays. For all of you customers who wrote to us during the "mellandagarna" I want to personally thank you for your understanding and patience, especially when it took several days for your e-mails to be answered. Not one of you was angry about our break - on the contrary, you were more than understanding when you realized that we took some holiday days.

But now we're back, revived and rested, ready for 2009! Many of our shelves are empty after the Christmas rush, and we are doing our best to fill them - and bring in lots of new products - as quickly as possible. We have been to Formex, the best "toy fair" in Sweden, and are on our way next week to the big TOY FAIR in Germany. 14 exhibit halls full of toys... I'll bring my running shoes!

Santa's List

So... what's are my children getting for Christmas this year? It is a bit difficult, since they are in the shop/warehouse often, and have a pretty good idea of the product range. Since they don't know about the blog, I'm pretty safe in letting you know what they have coming to them - just don't tell!

Christopher (5) has been begging for a "cook" outfit for weeks. Every time he comes to the office, he asks for one, and wants to try it on. So far, I have been able to hold him off, but I think one might find its way under the Christmas tree... perhaps with some baked goods to go with it.

He has also been the "map king" at his dagis, drawing world map after world map, and is fascinated by the continents. I think the wonderful Världskartan from Oskar & Ellen might be just the thing for his room. I don't think he gets the flag concept yet, but the animals will make a nice addition. We can always add the other sets later.

Annika (9) will get a new room this Christmas. She is - quite understandably - tired of the Noah's Ark wallpaper that we chose for her before she was born (and before we knew if she would be a girl or a boy). She wants a pink room that is either High School Musical 3 or horses... we discussed it and since she wouldn't want a HSM1 room now, she agreed that the lifetime of a HSM3 room would be limited. So we are going for the horses. I have my eye on some wall stickers that will be perfect.

Otherwise, she has her eye on an Adora doll...

Benjamin (7) is the hardest to shop for, since he prefers couch cushions to toys. But this year, I think Creatiles will be perfect. Even though they are intended for slightly younger children, I think they will be perfect for him. He is always building houses for animals - real, stuffed and imaginary - so Creatiles should be great.

And of course, I'm looking for a reason to add a fort or pirate ship under the tree... and perhaps a few more games...

Tävling!

We are offering a 500 kr gift certificate for participants in a lottery on Tant Ulrika's Blog. She has done a wonderful job of capturing some of our favorite products in the web flyer. It will be fun to see what is on everyone's wish list. You will find the details here and here:




Vinn ett presentkort värt 500kr från ABC leksaker i Tant Ulrikas blogg. Tävla du oxå!

Lycka till!