Toys
Product Comparisons
Lead from paint and hormone disruptors in action figures don't make for playthings most parents want to bring home from the toy store. The toys below are free of such unwanted chemicals, but they're still entertaining and engaging. Who knows? Your kids may play with these toys longer than they play with the boxes they came in.
Wondering what these table headings mean? They're the criteria we used to choose and evaluate the products in the chart below. Learn more about their importance in What To Look For.
| Name | Material | Age Range* | Product Description | MSRP | Purchasing Information | Reader Rating |
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| Tiny Love Soft Developmental Toys | All plastics are PVC-free | 0-12 mths. | varies | www.tinylove.com, 888-TINY-LOVE |
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| Froggy Friend | Organic cotton | Infants and preschoolers | Stuffed frog whose hands and feet can be moistened and frozen to soothe a teething baby's sore gums. | $10.99 | www.organicgiftshop.com, 800-895-6045 |
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| Holgate Baby Rattle Block | made primarily from wood sourced from FSC certified vendors. | Infants | unfinished, sanded rattle | $6 | www.holgatetoy.com, 814-368-4454 |
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| Lamaze Baby Toys | All plastics are PVC-free | Infants | varies | shop.learningcurve.com |
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| Wild Things Recycled Sweater Stuffed Animals | recycled sweaters, filled with polyfill | 1 and up | Stuffed elephants and lions made by a handicapped artists collective. | $26 | www.uncommongoods.com, 888-365-0056 |
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| Beka Standard Block Set | well-managed maple | 1–3 yrs. | 36-piece set of blocks including simple and more complex shapes. | $79 | www.peapods.com, 866-wood-toy |
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| Poppywood Toys Blocks | Reclaimed ash, cherry, mahogany, black walnut and maple | all ages | 30 blocks in various shapes and sizes. | $25 | www.poppywood.com, 541-512-9447 |
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| Holgate Rocky Color Cone | Reclaimed ash, cherry, mahogany, black walnut and maple | 1–3 yrs. | Cone with six brightly colored rings | $18 | www.holgatetoy.com, 814-368-4454 |
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| Magic Cabin Rolling Sorter | wood from thailand | 18 mths-6 yrs. | A pounding board with eight colorful pegs and a hammer. | $18 | www.magiccabin.com, 888-623-3655 |
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| Holgate Wagon of Blocks | made primarily from wood sourced from FSC certified vendors. | 18 mths-6 yrs. | 48 blocks, 11 different shapes, that fit inside a pull wagon | $100 | www.holgatetoy.com, 814-368-4454 |
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| Nuno Organic Stacking Boxes | Birch wood, treated with non-toxic water based stains | Boxes can be stacked or used as drum. Each box makes a different sound. | $25 | www.nunoorganic.com, 914-762-6159 |
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| Veggies in a Crate | organic cotton | Four stuffed vegetables in a wooden crate. | $25.99 | www.organicgiftshop.com, 800-895-6045 |
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| Egyptian Organic Cotton Big Bear w/Baby Bear | 100% organic cotton, including thread and stuffing | Stuffed bear with pocket pouch for baby bear | $19.95 | naturalbaby.stores.yahoo.net, 800-922-7397 |
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| Legos | PVC & phthalate-free ABS plastic | 2 and up | Colorful, interlocking plastic building toys. | varies | shop.lego.com, 800-453-4652 |
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| Nova Natural Toys and Crafts Play Kitchen Appliances | Local northern white pine, finished with polemerized linseed oil. | 2 and up | Handcrafted, child-size play kitchen appliances. | $174 & up | www.novanatural.com, 877-668-2111 |
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| Eco Express Gecko Puzzle | Felled rubber trees, cut down in rubber production. | 2-5 yrs. | Puzzle designed to teach the alphabet. | $25 | www.ecoexpress.com, 800-733-3495 |
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| Pedella Duck Push Toy | German maple, finished with food-grade colors and natural beeswax | 3 and up | Wooden duck waddles as it is pushed. | $33.99 | www.organicgiftshop.com, 800-895-6045 |
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| Magic Cabin Tabletop Workbench | Hardwoods from Germany | 3-6 yrs. | Tool kit including a hammer, wrench, screwdriver, nails, nuts, bolts, six pieces of wood, clamping device, and a bench that can be taken apart and reassembled. | $35 | www.magiccabin.com, 888-623-3655 |
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| The Playstore's Wooden Toy Cash Register | Alder | 3 and up | Equipped with push buttons, a number display, a money drawer, bell and paper-receipt roll. | $59.95 | www.playstoretoys.com, 650-326-9070 |
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| North Star Toys Little Rollie Animals and Vehicles | Unpainted wood from a sustainably managed lumber company. Wood types vary. All American hardwoods and softwoods. | 3 and up | Small animals and vehicles with wheels. | $6/each | www.waldorfresources.net/nstoys, 800-737-0112 |
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| Rosie Hippos Wooden Camera | hardwood with childsafe mineral oil finish | 3 and up | Equiped with a viewfinder, a shutter button, and three turnable dials. | $24.95 | www.rosiehippo.com, 800-385-2620 |
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| Tree Blocks Wooden Tree House | Reclaimed Cherry and Apple Wood Branches | 3 and up | Miniature tree houses, forest forts and "fairy construction sites." | $149.95 | www.treeblocks.com, 800-873-4960 |
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| Maple Landmarks Natural Classic Trucks | FSC certified maple with beeswax finish | 3 and up | Styles include a fire truck, a log truck, a moving truck and a school bus. Some have interactive features, such as Tic Tac Toe pieces. | $41 | www.maplelandmark.com, 800-421-4223 |
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| Plasmacar | ABS plastic | 3-12 yrs. | A ride-on car that moves by way of the drivers bodily momentum. | $69.95 | www.plasmacar.com, 613-829-4035 |
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| Flying Turtle Ride on Toy | 3-13 yrs. | A "sit-skate" toy that moves when rider swings handlebars side to side. | $78 | www.sensoryedge.com, 800-734-8019 |
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| Rosie Hippos Pushing Car | well-managed wood | toddlers and older children | Colorful wooden car for giving rides to dolls and stuffed animals. | $149.95 | www.rosiehippo.com, 800-385-2620 |
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| Nova Natural Toys and Crafts Marble Run | Local birch, finished with light beeswax and mineral oil. | 4 and up | 37-piece, Build-it-yourself marble run with 5 glass marbles included | $38.90 | www.novanatural.com, 877-668-2111 |
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| Edmund Scientific's Cybug | 10 and up | Robot kits that run off of solar energy when completed. Models include the "Hornet," the "Flitterbug," the "Queen Ant Drone" and the "Solar Fly." | $49.95-69.95 | www.scientificsonline.com, 800-728-6999 |
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| Edmund Scientific's Power House | 10 and up | Model house kit that includes solar panels and appliances, windmill, greenhouse, desalination system, electric train and a few other accessories. | $150 | www.scientificsonline.com, 800-728-6999 |
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| Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Hydrocar | ABS and PC plastics | Motorized toy car runs on hydrogen fuel. Oxygen and hydrogen gases are formed in two transparent containers in the back of the vehicle. | $85 | www.horizonfuelcell.com |
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| K'Nex Solar Energy System | PVC-free plastic | Use K'Nex rods to build robots and vehicles powered by solar energy, wind, and water. | $190 | www.acsupplyco.com, 800-536-0238 |
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| Lego's eLab Renewable Energy Set | PVC-free plastic | Build a model ferris wheel, solar car, windmill, or watermill powered by solar energy, wind, and water | $175 | www.legoeducation.com, 800-362-4308 |
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| Brio | All plastics are PVC-free | all ages | varies |
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| Eco-artware's Sweater Critters | recycled sweaters, stuffed with recycled polyester | all ages | Styles include piglets, ducklings, penguins, and elephants. | $26 | www.eco-artware.com, 877-326-2781 |
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| Fair Trade Sports | lined with FSC-certified rubber | all ages | Fairly-traded footballs and soccer balls | $29.99-$59.99 | www.econsciousmarket.com, 866-444-8864 |
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| Honeysuckle Dreams Dolls | 100% organic cotton and plant-based dyes | all ages | Handmade dolls in a variety of styles including "nursing mommy," "mermaid," "mouse," and "puppy." | $18-$98 | www.honeysuckledreams.com, 301-217-0546 |
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| International Playthings (Primetime & Early Start) | All plastics are PVC-free | all ages | varies | www.intplay.com, 800-445-8347 |
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| Jamtown Junior's Musical Instrument Junior Pack | all ages | Instruments are handcrafted by village artisans in Peru and Bali. Pack includes a pair of claves (wood rhythm sticks), a shaker (carved dried gourd), a drum (double headed goat skin stretched over wooden bark frame), an audiotape, rhythm cards, a 30-page activity guide and a carrying bag. | $39 | chec.greenhome.com/products/kids/toys, 877-282-6400 |
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| Kenana Knitted Critters and Puppets | Wool with natural dyes | all ages | Stuffed animals/finger puppets knitted by women in rural areas of Kenya | $12 and up | www.kenanausa.com |
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| Mama's Earth Stuffed Animals | organic cotton, no dyes | all ages | Styles include big and small bunnies, an elephant, a teddy bear, a whale and a turtle | $9.95-$24.95 | www.mamasearth.com, 800-620-7388 |
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| Recycled Plastic Radio Flyer Earth Wagon | Body is made from 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE plastic | all ages | Classic toy wagon made from 230 million milk jugs rather than wood | $140 | chec.greenhome.com/products/kids/toys, 877-282-6400 |
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| Recycled Reflyer Fastback Frisbee | 60% post-consumer recycled polyethlene | all ages | Frisbee | $4 | www.dtworld.com, 714-522-2202 |
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| Sassy Toys | All plastics are PVC-free | all ages | varies | www.sassybaby.com, 616-243-0767 |
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| Chicco | All plastics are PVC-free | varies |
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| *As specified by retailers/manufacturers | ||||||