After Chandrayaan 3, “Make in India” should hold a really high place in our hearts and what better way to instill this pride in our children than buying them toys that are made here! Some brands make quality toys and to add to the appeal the toys are made of wood and by indie artisans. If you’re taking steps to eliminate plastic from your home in whatever way you can, I suggest you give these toys a good long thought. 

Shumee

This brand has a lot of variety for different age groups and the beautifully crafted wood toys are brightly coloured and rounded well with no sharp edges. Tops, memory cards, pull-along toys, bowling pics, rattlers, building and constructive games, jigsaw puzzles, puzzle boards, alphabet blocks, activity games, chef sets, board games and even stamps for art are all available for ages 0-7. They even have fabric and crochet plushies for infants.

Shumee products are priced well and you don’t feel like you’ve overpaid. That’s not to say they’re cheap. But are worth considering for gifting or if you intend to keep the toys in the family and hand them down to the younger children when your child has outgrown them.

The finish, quality and usefulness of their toys are quite a delight.

Kidology

With a mix of plastic and wood toys, Kidology does have a good collection. Race car tracks, puzzles, take apart and build toys, stacking toys, sensory boards, STEM building DIY toys, magnetic toys and fabric plushies have all found space on the brands list of offerings.

The prices are competitive and do hold their own. 

Smartivity

These are educational construction toys and are meant for children from the ages of 3- 14. Meeting safety standards of multiple countries, these aren’t so much toys as they aren’t colourful or noisy or just something to pass time with. They are DIY machines that are fully functional at the end of the process. It aims at piquing children’s interest in building, machinery and science. From microscopes, to pinball machines, to hydraulic plane launches and even a 150-experiment science kit, the brand has some very interesting kits.

The price point is quite affordable considering the learning your child will get from it. 

Wembley

A true-blue toy brand, they have everything you’d probably consider when buying a gift for a child. They have on their portfolio games like Air powered hockey tables, scale model RC cars, arts and crafts toys, plushies, light and musical instruments, board and card games, scooters and trikes.. You name it. 

The pricing is fair and you might have to really search through their vast product list to zero in on something great!

PoPo

This list and variety of toys by PoPo is a long one. Memory games, puzzles, bath toys, RC cars, action figures, collectibles, LCD writing boards, party supplies and many many more. Pricing is reasonable and you’ll have to really know what you want to buy, otherwise it’ll be easy to get lost in the pages and pages of products. 

Faircraft Creations

Crafted by Channapatna artisans and focusing mainly on wooden products, Faircraft Creations’ toys and gewgaws are worth a look. Wooden Christmas ornaments, fridge magnets, rattlers, tic tac toe, key holders, tops, baby walkers, push toys and crib danglers are some of the more prominent products.

Well-priced and with a lovely finish, a really good find can make for a pretty thoughtful gift.

Skillofun

With interesting toys – both educational and skill-based, Skillofun has a lot of choices. The artwork is quite Balbharati-esque and might seem nostalgic to the 80’s kids. The colours aren’t as bright as vivid, but they make for good gifts.

The pricing is on the lower side and if you’re interested in buying and donating educational and skill toys – these make for a very good option. 

Brainsmith

On the higher end of the price spectrum is Brainsmith. Flash cards, stacking blocks, memory games, DIYs, magnetic STEM building, rocking horses are all part of their product list.

The price points are high but the quality and variety justifies it.

Woodbee

Minimalist in design, Woodbee’s toys are mostly wood playsets and as you can imagine those would go in thousands of rupees. The colours are lovely pastels and calm vivids and could work well for a nursery school, creche or montessori.  

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