There's just something extra special in the simplicity of a wooden toy. No bells and whistles and batteries and flashing lights--just add a little imagination and magic begins to happen.
And when those wooden toys are made from eco-friendly rubberwood, that's just taking the power of green to a whole new level.
Buttercup and I have had the great pleasure to take an up-close-and-personal look at the sweetly simple Cheekeys Farm Animal set from Oompa Toys. And I am in love. The sheep, cow, horse, goat, and pig are easily recognizable in shape, smooth to the touch, and just plain cute. One thing I love about the Cheekeyes is that they are handmade and only partially painted, making each figurine unique.
Dutch designer Rogier van Zijp created his line of dinosaurs and forest, African and Arctic animals with a unique red cheek and painted eye (which is, of course, reflected in the Cheekeyes name.)
And if my opinion isn't enough to get you to order a set for every pre-schooler on your Christmas list, then how about the knowledge that the 2009 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio honored the Cheekeyes line with its prestigious Platinum Award for one of the year's best preschool toys?
The animals sets retail for $29.99 and are geared for children ages three and up. For added fun and imaginative open play, we added the farm fence and tree sets, sold separetly at $16.99 each.
I'd like to thank Oompa toys for offering my readers a chance to win one Cheekeyes set of choice! Perfect timing for Christmas, right? To enter to win a pair, stop by the site and then leave me a berrie (read: comment) telling me which wooden toy set you'd choose if selected the winner. You have until midnight, EST. on November 29 and the winner has four days from the announcement date to respond or an alternate will be chosen. U.S. entries only, please.
Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Tweet the contest and leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!
Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)
