Category: Kids

Categories / Kids

XYZ Wooden Blocks by Christian Northeast

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These XYZ wooden blocks by Christian Northeast offer a fun alternative to traditional kids alphabet blocks.

They're made like the classic wooden blocks that have been played with by generations of children all over the world. The difference here is their iconography. Executed in a retro style, Christian's illustrations offer a slice of pure Americana: from flamingos and eight balls to vinyl and x ray specs. There's no doubt that the set is bound to improve anyone's vocabulary too – how about U for Uvula? 

For your kids, or just to look pretty, the blocks cost £29.

Buy them from Indish

Categories / Art and Photography, Design and Interiors, Kids

Brian Wildsmith Liberty Art Fabric

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  LIBERTY

Liberty’s new season fabric collection features this rather lovely collaboration between the Liberty Design Studio and award-winning children’s illustrator Brian Wildsmith.

The collaboration draws on Liberty’s heritage, revisiting a relationship between shop and artist which dates back to the 1950’s. The design features pastel biplanes and jets and combines an original illustration from Wildsmith’s ‘The Amazing World of Words’, with Liberty menswear prints.

The fabric is 100% cotton and would lend itself to all sorts of creative projects.
It’s available both in-store and online and is priced at £19.95 per metre.

Categories / Food and Drink, Kids, Toys and Games

Lego Minifigure ice cube maker

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Lego

Back in the dark days of 2006, we featured a Lego ice cube maker, which knocked out frozen blocks the shape of lego bricks. Well, now the company has gone one better with the Lego Minifigure ice cube maker.

I think you've guessed how this works and what it does – just add water to the blue tray and in a matter of an hour or so, you'll have your own mini army of Minifigures, ready to pop into a glass, as well as impress your mates.

It's available via the Lego store right now, £3.99 gets you one.

Find out more at the Lego store website

Categories / Kids, Toys and Games

PlayPlax reissued by Portobello Games

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PlaypaxAnother reissue of a '60s design – this time a classic game as Portobello Games is now selling PlayPlax.

Though you might not remember it by name, the game is visually striking and is made up of 48 brightly coloured square that interlock to create vast structures. That's as complex as it gets really – perhaps reflecting a simpler time for children's entertainment! 

It was invented by Patrick Rylands in 1966 but the rights have just been bought by Portobello Games. They're making it in the same factory that was used to produce the game back then and using the same dye recipes to reproduce the original colours of the toy so the authentic feel of the classic game should still be there. 

The game is available for £15.99. 

Buy it online

via India Knight

Categories / Kids

Ingela P Arrhenius nesting circus dolls

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Ingela-arrhenius-nesting-circus-dolls
We've previously shown you the retro-style artwork of Ingela P Arrhenius and here, with this set of nesting circus dolls, her colourful designs are translated into 3D.

The set is a new take on Russian nesting dolls with five figures that each fit inside each other. The difference here is that they're all based on circus characters – including the lion tamer, the lion and the clown – from one of her prints. Made from wood, the resulting toy has a very traditional feel and is almost too nice to hand over to the kids. 

Each set costs £18.95.

Buy the set from Hus and Hem

Categories / Books, Kids

Portmeirion Children’s ABC

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Depending on your frame of reference, Portmeirion will either suggest pottery or the setting of The Prisoner. But the Welsh village was also the place where its designers Clough Williams-Ellis brought up his family and thus provided the inspiration for this book Portmeirion ABC.

The book’s author, Sarah Nachamkin was a family friend and wrote the book to help William-Ellis’ grandchildren to learn the alphabet. The book dates back to 1950 and the illustrations are evocative of that era and the Portmeirion location.

Buy the book online from the Portmeirion website, priced £5.99.