2009 July | Inhabitots

Kingdom Animalia Wooden Silhouettes by Enormous Champion

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 07/09/09

Kangaroos, bunny rabbits, dachshunds, oh my! Enormous Champion’s 15 solid-wood animal cutouts, which we snuck a peek at during the National Stationery Show, will spiff up any nursery or child’s bedroom in a jiff. Laser-cut and hand-finished in the United States from sustainably harvested maple, the decorative silhouettes (read: not toys) are painted and stained with non-toxic and low-to-zero-VOC finishes, then sealed with beeswax. They even have an educational angle: The slickly designed recycled packaging includes a few facts about the real-life versions of the animals contained within.

+ Kingdom Animalia $80

+ Enormous Champion

Ursa the Bear by David Weeks

by Desmond Williams, 07/09/09

Wooden toys come in many shapes and sizes, but few are more appealing than David Weeks’ sculptural creations. Weeks’ Hanno the Gorilla (released earlier this year) now has company in Ursa the Bear, a long-lasting toy crafted from eco-woods. Ursa, like Hanno, is made from sustainably harvested Beech wood and stands 13.5 x 6.5 x 5.75 inches. “Her powerful hardwood frame can hold many poses, and her elastic-band muscles and durable wood limbs make her almost impervious to breakage.” Ursa is the type of toy that will survive bumps and bangs, scrapes, scratches and falls from great heights — if only the kids playing with Ursa were as indestructible!

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AMBERintheSKY Birch Loft Bed

by Jennifer Chait, 07/09/09

Designed for the modern home, Perludi‘s AMBERintheSKY foldable loft bed helps conserve space, leaving plenty of room for both rest and play. To create AMBERintheSKY, Perludi stretches a durable loden fabric covering over a sustainable birch plywood frame, which gives the entire piece a unique look and playful feel. The loft’s short stature (135 cm tall) makes it perfect for rooms with low ceilings, and reduces the chance of serious injury if your little one should tumble out of bed.

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MultiBox by Green Lullaby Stores, Seats, and Schools

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 07/08/09

The MultiBox by Green Lullaby is a toy storage, seating, and learning tool all rolled into one. Constructed from mostly recycled corrugated cardboard and water-based finishes, the MultiBox features shapes, numbers, and letters on all six sides. Don’t be fooled by its diminutive stature, however; this pint-size cube is capable of supporting up to 220 pounds. And despite its pulp-based origin, the MultiBox can hold its own against damp and humid conditions, as well as accidental splashes. The clincher? You can keep the planet neat and tidy by recycling the box at the end of its life.

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Chalkboard Tee Shirts Let YOU be the Artist!

At the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, we discovered these awesome Chalkboard Tees: t-shirts with a chalkboard literally printed on the chest, for hours of doodling-on-yourself fun! Equally fun for your child or your inner child, Chalkboard Tees are like a wearable Etch a Sketch which lets you be the medium behind your own message. Each shirt is equipped with a tiny pocket to hold a piece of chalk; and by simply wielding the chalk, you can create images or messages on the fly — erasing and re-creating on one shirt, multiple times!