Comments (8)

By Mom Unplugged, January 3, 2009 9:18 pm

For me, the New Year inspired many diverse hopes for a better 2009 and beyond. However, it was also the official start of my Selecta Mourning Period.

As I mentioned in a previous post, German toy company Selecta is the first casualty of the overly broad new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Unable to afford the additional testing required by the CPSIA, Selecta ceased the distribution of its toys in the US market on December 31, 2008.

My prediction is that Selecta is simply the first of many high quality European toy manufacturers who will eventually succumb to the new burdens placed upon them. As for the lovely homemade toys currently available from Etsy sellers, or lesser-known “Mom and Pop” toystores such as Wood Toy Shop, Quiet Hours Toys, Down to Earth Toys, or many other favorites from my Unplugged Toystore list - their future is very uncertain.

Honestly, only mega-manufacturers such as Hasbro or Mattel and their Chinese mass-produced toys will be able to afford to jump through the added hoops. Although these toys might be deemed “safe” at the end of their journey, for the most part, they are not what I want to offer my children.

Since my newly 3 year-old daughter has a January 2nd birthday (so close to Christmas, poor thing!), I decided to buy a farewell Selecta birthday gift for her. I chose the Stellina Star Sorting Puzzle. She really likes puzzles and this is a puzzle and a sorter combined. Put the arms of the star puzzle together, choose an awake face or an asleep face for the star in the middle, and then add the pegs of assorted sizes and colors.

She loves it! At this time, there are only three left at Amazon and I don’t know about other stores. So hurry up and Google Selecta to stock up before all these wonderful German toys are gone.

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To learn more about the new CPSIA and how it affects small and foreign toymakers, read more here: Help Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA.

For some suggested improvements: Possible Solutions to Improve the CPSIA.

What can you do to help? Write to your Congress Person or Senator to request a change to the CPSIA which would exclude toys made in the US, Canada or Europe. Here is a sample letter, or compose your own.

Useful links:

Find your Congress Person

Find your Senator

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Comments (0)

By Mom Unplugged, November 14, 2007 8:19 pm

This is one that I don’t have yet, but that I am planning on buying for my almost 2 year-old for Christmas.

I like these wooden cube puzzles and we have had several of them, but usually the pictures are simply paper that is glued on to the block (including one that was a Melissa & Doug, I was very disappointed). Trust me, that never lasts long. Selecta doesn’t glue the image on, they use some sort of a transfer that doesn’t seem like it will ever come off (we have a few Selecta games with images on wooden tiles so I know how they do it and that it lasts).

Do the math, and you will find that these four cubes can make six different cute pictures. If you want to see them all, then click on the Amazon link.

Plus…Selecta toys are made in Germany. Need I say more?

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By Mom Unplugged, October 3, 2007 7:16 pm

While searching for a new unplugged toy to feature this week, I stumbled upon the Filino Pull Toy by German toy manufacturer Selecta. I have already written about our much loved wooden stacking mouse pull toy by French manufacturer Boikido, but this one looks just as cute.

Selecta makes wonderful, high quality wooden toys that are very durable. We have a few of their toys and they have lasted through three children and are still going strong. Plus, all Selecta’s toys are actually made in Germany and conform to European toy safety standards, so no lead paint. I am so sorry that this has had to become a consideration for parents nowadays.

This toy is fun because it is really several toys in one. Not only can children pull the cute dog and mouse around, but they can disassemble and stack the pieces too. I found that my little one first enjoyed taking our mouse toy apart, but couldn’t stack or pull. Now, at twenty months she loves giving the mouse family a ride, but still can’t stack it well.

If you want a multipurpose baby toy that can accommodate your child as she grows and develops, then I recommend the durable, heirloom-quality Filino Pull Toy.

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By Mom Unplugged, August 24, 2007 6:15 pm

Varialand is not really a puzzle, I would call it more of a collage. It consists of 80 wooden picture tiles that can be combined any way a child wants to make different scenes. Some tiles are parts of houses, some are clouds in the sky, many are animals or trees.

This is the ultimate in creativity for children. I guarantee that kids will never make the same scene twice!

Plus it is made out of very durable wood. The images are printed on the tiles, not glued on. All in all, this is a toy that should last for generations to come.

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By Mom Unplugged, June 5, 2007 9:07 pm

We have several Selecta games, and they are all good quality, simple, nice games.

This one, “Grief Zu” in German, “Grab It” in English is fun for younger players. Adults joining in will have to slow down a little.

There are 24 wooden tiles (images are printed and lacquered on to last - not like glued on paper which peels off quickly) and four dice, each side of which depicts a very simplified, silhouette image of one of the tiles.

Players take turns throwing the dice, then all players try to be the first to find and grab the matching tiles. The player with the most tiles wins.

Adults will find this boring, but little ones really seem to enjoy it. Plus it is built to survive a lot of play.

Another great thing is that the picture tiles can be used for sorting or story-telling activities too!