The Cheekeyes Giveaway!

The Cheekeyes Wooden Animal Sets $29.99

Announcing the arrival of some truly gorgeous wooden animals at Oompa Toys. The Cheekeyes are handcrafted from the finest wood available. They are oh-so-smooth to the touch that your kids will have to pry them out of your hands to get started with playtime. Just trust me on that one.

There are several distinctive features that these animals share. For starters, only the perimeter of each animal is painted, while the two largest sides remain a natural color. This technique gives you the best of both woods, er, worlds. More importantly, each figure sports a round pink spot of color on each cheek, and a delicate half moon for the eye. Hence, the name, Cheekeye! Pretty darn cute, aren't they?

Intended for children ages 3 and up, these are the ideal toys to spark imaginative play. They are simple in form, just waiting to be put into action. Eco-friendly parents will be pleased to hear they are made from sustainable rubberwood and non-toxic paint, handcrafted in Sri Lanka.

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio awarded Cheekeyes the prestigious Portfolio Platinum Award of 2009, and also named them as one of their favorite green toys for 2008. These are available to U.S. consumers exclusively at Oompa Toys.


The Arctic Animal Set includes five of the greatest polar critters: orca, seal, whale, penguin and polar bear. Icebergs sold separately, $16.99 each.


The African Animal set makes a charming collection of inhabitants for your desert terrain. The five piece set includes a lion, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, elephant and giraffe. Tree set and rock sold separately, $16.99 each.

The Forest Animal set will make any child roar with delight! This comes complete with a bison, wild boar, wolf, goat, and grizzly bear. Cave and tree sets sold separately, $16.99 each.

Oompa Toys is generously giving one winner an animal set of their choosing.

1) Visit Oompa Toys.
2) Leave a comment below with your favorite item. Please be sure to leave a valid email address so we can contact you. Or email your comment to firrkids(at) gmail.com. You must choose an item other than the Cheekeyes. One entry per person.
3) Get an extra entry for blogging about this entry. Provide a link in the comments section or email us the link.

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for participating!

Joobles Organic Cotton Cuddly Toys

Fair Indigo
$29

Can a baby’s toy make much of a difference in a world of global warming and economic recession? Of course, say the founders of Fair Indigo, a company where gifts have a purpose. Meet the Joobles, a new line of incredibly soft knit stuffed characters made for cuddling: Bella the Bunny, Buzzy Bug, Calley the Cat, Fair Bear, Icy the Penguin, Jiffy the Giraffe, Mel the Monkey, Mooey Cow and Pip the Dog.

Each animal is incredibly soft because they are made with eco-friendly dyes and organic cotton. Parents hunting for green toys will be happy to know all the Joobles are made with cotton grown without the use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other chemicals. Eliminating these chemicals is not only better for baby, but also for workers and for the environment.

“Equally important, we pay fair wages to the good people who make our clothes and accessories instead of the minimum wages that are often the norm today,” explains Robert Behnke, Co-founder and Vice President, Merchandising for Fair Indigo.

These precious playmates are hand crafted from artisans in Peru under fair trade conditions, providing work and hope to hundreds of rural and urban Peruvians. This is why their tagline reads Responsible, Sustainable, Adorable™. Started by a Peruvian family (a mom, a dad, and their daughter) this company provides work and hope to hundreds of rural and urban Peruvians all over the country.

Small groups of impoverished workers are trained to run their own small businesses making hand-knit clothing and accessories. In addition to providing much needed employment, they train workers throughout Peru in such valuable skills as quality control and production planning. Fair Indigo also works with this company's charitable arm by donating free breakfasts and school supplies to children of the workers.

Parents who have shopped for organic toys will appreciate the value of Joobles. Other pricier knit toys not only cost more, but are often made of acrylic yarn and not made under fair trade conditions. Joobles are not only 100% adorable but will improve our planet for the next generation by supporting small sustainable farming and fair trade. Isn’t it amazing how the right toy can make a difference?

Thomas' Great Race Game

Briarpatch
MSRP $24.99

Let Thomas the Train help your children improve their number and color recognition while playing this great new board game from Briarpatch. Intended for ages three and up, this game focuses on sorting, counting and color matching skills while the players race their trains to the station. Hey, it's fun and educational! That's real sneaky like.

A simple explanation on the game basics: Up to four players choose an engine (Thomas, James, Percy or Molly), which fit into slots on the track. Players take turns drawing cards and answering the simple questions. The questions are age appropriate such as "How many people in this picture?" or "How many red engines?" When a player answers a question correctly, they consult the back of the card which depicts which coal blocks they earn. They must select and count the appropriate blocks to insert the designated "coal block" into a slot on the back of their engine, which moves it up the track. And the race is on!

Get your kids counting, sorting and racing across the track with Thomas! It can be difficult to find games for this age range that don't have parents rolling their eyes and watching the clock. Be a devious parent and sneak in some learning on your unsuspecting children. Currently, Briarpatch offers more than a dozen different Thomas & Friends themed board and card games that have won multiple national awards.

For more information about all Briarpatch board, puzzle, card and travel games, visit www.briarpatch.com.

The Runaway Dinner

Allan Ahlberg, Illustrations by Bruce Ingman
Candlewick Press

Each night a hungry little boy named Banjo eats a sausage for his supper. Except on THIS night, that sausage (named Melvin) stands up and runs right off his plate! And wouldn't you know, the entire table follows right behind Melvin - fork, knife, plate, table, chair and all. Thus begins a merry chase all over town to catch ... the runaway dinner.

The whole party runs right down the sidewalk, across the street and straight into the park. One by one, the group dwindles until only Banjo and Melvin remain. Reading turns into a fun adventure to find out the fate of each character. The carrots are quick to escape, but what happens to the three peas? Who knew french fries were so clever?

So many factors make this book quirky, and oh, so enjoyable. Each item has facial expressions and a name - the plate is named Saskia, and the carrots are all girls - Caroline, Clara, Camilla and Christabel. The writing style is unusual, a bit drawn out, almost like having a conversation with someone. Overall, definitely off the beaten path and absolutely, positively worth the read!

For a great gift, pair with ...

a Crocodile Creek dish set from Oompa Toys. Whimsical pieces are beautifully designed using bright colors and fun graphics. These unique sets are sure to make

your little diner feel extra special at the dinner table.

Five piece set consists of plate, bowl, sippy cup, fork and spoon. Jungle 123 shown to the left, Barnyard Sounds to the right. Constructed of melamine for durability. Dishwasher safe. $22.99

The Pencil

Allan Ahlbert, Illustrations by Bruce Ingman
Candlewick Press

This is a definite winner from the team that created The Runaway Dinner. The combination of humorous text, quirky drawn out writing style, and clever illustrations all point to another runaway hit! Many of the same characters reappear from the first book, which is extra fun for the readers.

Once there was a pencil, who loved to draw. He sketches wonderful things - a boy and a dog, a cat for the dog to chase, a house, a family for the little boy and even an entire town. He even draws a paintbrush to make his drawings rich with color. And is everyone happy? No! The pencil is overrun with complaints and must draw an eraser to clean things up.

The eraser starts rubbing away and everyone seems satisfied. Yet rather suddenly he gets too excited and starts erasing all sorts of extra things. Poof! The house and town are gone. The pencil must quickly come up with a plan to stop this eraser and save his own skin, er, graphite.


What a wonderfully imaginative story this is. It's a fun read that will have readers rushing through the pages to find out who will prevail in the end. Whimsical illustrations and a quick wit make the entire book fly by far too quickly.

For a great gift, pair with . . .

Nils and Neles Note Box from Oompa Toys. This charming set makes a great addition to any child's desk. Colorful and sturdy, it holds up to 500 sheets of 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 note paper. Three colored pencils fit perfectly into their respective repositories and are nicely topped by smiling Nils and Neles. $16.99

Biofino Grill Set

MSRP $11.99

We have play food at our house. We boast a vast collection that ranges from dented plastic bananas to a rubbery chicken leg the dog has staked a claim on. We most certainly do not have play food like this. The Biofino Mixed Grill Set includes a slab steak, three sausages, a silvery fish and a fourteen piece shashlik. And oh, what a set!

Snuggly chocolate brown fleece is banded by a border of cream velour "fat" on the steak. The sausage trio is sewn in matching cream velour, carefully constructed to mimic the curve of a real sausage. For the fish, metallic stretch fabric is filled with tiny beads. The result is a satisfying heft of slippery spawn. Shashlik layers slide easily off the wooden skewer thanks to metal brads secured in each center.

Play food is a great way to let children role play while stretching their imaginations. This set is more non-traditional than some, and definitely superior to most. Each piece is made from quality materials and the construction is solid. The attention to detail sets it head and shoulders above typical toy foods. It's the small black x of the fish eyes, the dark brown grill lines embroidered on the steak's surface, and the seed sticker on each felt cucumber that make this set so beguiling.Biofino offers a diverse selection of toy foods, including desserts, available at Oompa Toys.