Oompa Blog – Baby Toys, Gear, Furniture

As we’ve come to learn over the years, true innovation in the wooden toy industry doesn’t exactly happen every day, or even every year for that matter. In fact, when we think about the fact that wooden blocks have been around for centuries and constitute the simplest form of educational, open-ended play, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could outdo the simple wooden block. And then, we met Tegu.

Surprisingly, brothers Chris and Will Haughey didn’t start Tegu with toys on their mind. In fact, the company began with the simple notion that Honduras needed businesses which offered living wage jobs. Home to beautiful hardwoods, the Country could have been the perfect spot for sustainably manufacturing any number of wooden products. However, the brothers were inspired by classic wooden toys on a trip to Europe and embarked on a quest to breathe new life into an old industry. Today, Tegu blocks inspire children while addressing unemployment, neglected natural and human resources and the need for entrepreneurship in Honduras.

The Tegu Story from Tegu on Vimeo.

If you haven’t yet seen or played with Tegu blocks, they’re remarkable. Somehow (patents are pending), the Company has found a way to safely and invisibly embed magnets inside traditional wooden building blocks. The blocks currently come in four shapes and all index to a 30mm cube unit.

Tegu Design Video – Nate Lau from Tegu on Vimeo.

There are magnetic poles running through the blocks, which means that sometimes the blocks attract to each other and sometimes they repel from one another. As a result, the play value is tremendous because the blocks present a child with open-ended creative possibilities — utilizing the right brain — while requiring problem solving for magnetic polarity — utilizing the left brain. The magnetic nature of the blocks means that created structures can defy gravity and allow for cantilevering, too, which youngsters find fascinating. And, if that’s not enough, the quality of manufacturing is fantastic — something we have come to expect from Europe, and yet, refreshingly, something we’re excited to see coming from a poor nation that has great needs. While the blocks are more expensive than your average wooden block, they’re worth every penny. You’ll keep these ones for years to come. And, we think you’ll agree that it feels good to know that each set that’s sold is helping Tegu do good for those in need.

We’re delighted to have discovered the innovation that is Tegu blocks and we’re pleased to present you with a product that you’re sure to agree is an instant classic. And to top it all off, unlike your average play kitchen or piece of kids furniture, we think you may just enjoy Tegu Blocks as much as your children do.

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The holiday season may be over, but Oompa is still handing out presents.  The perfect example – Oompa’s WaterBlocks Giveaway!

As an introduction to this incredibly fun collection, Oompa is giving you the chance to win one each of eight sets, plus a Free Mesh Storage Bag! Here’s a list of the wonderful block sets you’ll have a chance to win!

• WaterBlocks Super Set – 20 pieces
• WaterBlocks Seaport Set – 20 pieces
• WaterBlocks Starter Set
• WaterBlocks Coast Guard Set
• WaterBlocks Expansion Pack A
• WaterBlocks Tug Boat & Barge
• WaterBlocks Ball Fall Set
• WaterBlocks Coast Guard Ship & Helicopter

A twist on classic block sets and ball runs, WaterBlocks stick like magnets to tub walls and tiles when wet! Better yet, they’re safe; mildew and bacteria resistant, and pthalate free! WaterBlocks let your children build big water runs, ball runs, water falls and more in the bathtub and pool.

The contest ends Sunday, January 16th, 2011.
To enter, click HERE or visit the Oompa home page.
You can also enter on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

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Our sincere apologies to our wonderful customers,

Unfortunately, many of the brinca dada Emerson Doll houses purchased in our recent giveaway were slightly damaged upon arrival.  To prevent this problem from continuing we have removed all brinca dada products from Oompa.com until the shipping methods have been perfected. As always, we appreciate your patience and feedback in these matters.

Sincerely,
- The Oompa Team

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Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you from Oompa!

As we move into 2011 be sure to stay up to date on our New Products, and watch for changes and updates to your favorites. To view Oompa’s newest additions, simply click the What’s New tab on the Oompa homepage.

Looking for other great ways to keep in touch? Follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Better yet, you can subscribe to our weekly E-Mail list by adding your e-mail to the Oompa News section, found at the bottom of every Oompa page!

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Introducuing brinca dada, a team of people who believe that toys don’t need to be noisy or flashy to be exciting, and yet create beautifully modern, and surprisingly realistic designs!

The Emerson House is the perfect home for the modern doll family, with six elegant rooms. With its large, open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Emerson House enjoys year-round sunlight. It even has working solar panels which power recessed LED lights. Better yet, from now until December 7th, pair the Emerson House with brinca dada’s Classic Contemporary furniture set, and recieve $50.00 OFF!

The Classic Contemporary furniture line from brinca dada is the perfect complement to the Emerson House. The line’s clean and sophisticated aesthetic mixes classic modern design with contemporary “in fashion” highlights. 32 pieces total.

And now for the best part. In combination with brinca dada’s introduction to Oompa, and the $50.00 OFF sale, Oompa and brinca dada are giving you a chance to win a FREE Emerson House, furniture included!

Click HERE to enter, a $549.99 value!
You can also enter using our Facebook or Twitter pages.

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Greetings Oompa friends and fans!

Once again the Holidays are upon us! To be sure your presents arrive before the celebration begins, check out our Holiday Shipping Info.

HANUKKAH SHIPPING DEADLINES
For Hanukkah delivery, order by 12:00 pm on the following dates:
November 23rd: Deadline for UPS Ground
November 24th: Deadline for UPS 3 Day Select
November 29th: Deadline for UPS 2 Day Air
December 1st: Hanukkah Begins at Sundown!

CHRISTMAS SHIPPING DEADLINES
For Christmas delivery, order by 3:00 pm on the following dates:
December 20th: Deadline for UPS Ground
December 21st: Deadline for UPS 3 Day Select
December 22nd: Deadline for UPS 2 Day Air
December 25th: Christmas Day!

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After many requests both online and at our retail store, Oompa is happy to add ERGObaby to our always growing collection of parenting Gear!

Offering the perfect way to keep your baby close while ensuring healthy growth, the ERGO Baby Carrier’s ergonomic design supports the correct sitting position for a baby’s hips, pelvis and spine. It disperses most of the baby’s weight between the hips and thighs, which helps to eliminate compression of the spine when hanging by the crotch (which many other carrier designs require). The ERGO also balances the baby’s weight to parents’ hips and shoulders, alleviating physical stress and keeping you as comfortable as your little one!

ERGObaby’s founder Karen Frost says, “My mothering instinct to keep my son safe, secure and content has always been my driving force. My intention was to create a product line that would promote and enhance the ability of parents to safely and comfortably keep their babies close to them as often as possible.” After eight years of research, Karen released the Original ERGObaby Carrier. But she didn’t stop there. Additional carriers have been created over the years, each built to meet a different set of parenting needs.

In addition to the Original, ERGObaby has also created the Performance, Sport, and Organic carriers. Each a variation on the original, with its own set of important features. ERGObaby has also released several useful accessories, including the Infant Insert (which allows you to use the carriers from birth) and Teething Pads (to help keep both your carrier, and your baby’s mouth clean).

Safety

The ERGObaby Carrier has gone through rigorous safety testing and has been certified by the European testing agency TUV since 2008, and by the Juvenile Products Manufactures Association (JPMA), according to the American Standards for Testing Materials (ASTM), since 2008, and, most recently, has met all the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Information Act) standards mandated by Congress in 2008.

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One of our favorite companies is here with wide collection of new items! Plan Toys is famous for its incredibly green manufacturing standards and a wonderful line of brightly colored children’s toys made of eco-friendly, renewable rubber wood.  We know you’re going to love these new additions to the Oompa family.

Baby Toys
Adding to their already well-rounded collection of Baby Toys, Plan Toys introduces the Rattle, Baby Car, Peek-a-boo Roller, and Clapping Roller.

Great for holding, teething, shaking, and more, the Rattle and Baby Car make for great early motor-skill building toys, easy for little hands to grasp. With bright colors and the ability to make pleasant noises when moved, these toys also make for great early age musical instruments. The Peek-a-boo Roller and Clapping Roller have a little different concept in mind for early child development. Designed to be thrown and rolled, these fun toys are perfect for getting your little one moving. With fun ways to watch and listen, your baby will be crawling after these toys all day long!

Play Food
It’s always fun to pretend with wooden food, but it’s even more fun when that food can be chopped up!

Plan Toy’s two new sets, Meat and Fruit, are a great addition to any little chef’s collection. A rich imagination is important for all children, and being able to chop your food adds to that wonderfully, in addition to helping teach early motor, and counting skills. Let the kids prepare a play meal as you cook a real one, or give them a recipe to help them learn the names of each item.

Musical Instruments
Plan Toys has a varied and beautiful collection of musical instruments. To it, they’re adding the Big Drum, Clatter, and Tambourine!

Colorful material, smooth surfaces, melodic sounds, and a simplicity of use make these toys ideal for any young musician. What’s more they’re easy and safe to use alone or in a group. Invite a few friends over for a jam session and let the kids practice rhythm skills until they’re ready to start their own band!

To view our full collection of Plan Toys, visit: www.oompa.com/plantoys.

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As promised, we continue to add more 360-degree spins every day. Next up on the chopping block – the Haba Master Builder Sets.

These wonderful, realistic block sets inspire as well as educate your little architect. Until now, purchasing these blocks online would give you only a basic idea of just what to expect when you opened the box. With a full 360-degree view, you can inspect almost every piece from multiple angles!

Currently the Master Builder Antiquity, Baroque, and US Capitol sets have rotating images included for you to view. If you have a specific set you’d like get a closer look at, don’t hesitate to ask! Email your requests to support@oompa.com, and we’ll be sure to make your favorite toy a priority.

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When I was younger, I loved nothing more than building a fort. This often ended with my parents coming home to overturned furniture and the blankets from their bed missing. Now, I find myself wondering how much less trouble I would have gotten into if I’d had a Fortamajig!

Simple and ingenious, the Fortamajig is an 8×8 foot square of brightly colored nylon ripstop that is washable and water resistant. It has a built in door flap and window that can be secured open, to keep an eye on the outside world, or closed for a secure hiding place. Eight corner pockets allow for extra stability and securing the walls of your fort, while simply sticking in a shoe, book, sand or rock helps keep your structure stationary.

The Fortamajig has 24 outer adjustable, stretchy loops, ready to strap on to chairs, door knobs, fences, or trees. With a little imagination and creativity the kids can build a tent, a tee-pee, put a canopy over the bed, or even create a roofed-in snow tunnel! Want a more open-ended fort experience? Add in the Fortamajig Connectables, and the possibilities become endless.

With no pieces to lose, break, or replace, the Fortamajig and Connectables pack easily into included carrying-case totes to become a perfect travel companion.

Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award Winner

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It’s never too early to start looking for holiday presents, not to mention birthdays, baby showers, and any number of other great reasons for a gift. For those times when you’re looking for inspiration, or working within a specific budget, the Oompa Gift Center comes in handy!

The Gift Center can easily be reached anywhere on the Oompa website by clicking the “Gifts” button, located furthest to the right of Oompa’s main navigation tabs. The Gift Center breaks down the Toys, Gear, and Furniture Oompa has to offer into three simple sections:

Price:  Allowing you to select the budget you’d like to work whithin.
Under $10
$10-$25
$25-$50
$50-$100
$100 and Up

Age: Breaking down the gifts available for under $20 into age groups.
Baby Girls and Boys
Toddler Girls and Boys
Preschool Girls and Boys

Catagory: Seperating gifts into the same great categories found on the left of the page.

Additionally, once you’ve selected the way in which you’d like to see your gift choices sorted, you can alter the order in which they’re presented.

Two drop down boxes located under the navigation tabs allow you to sort the toys shown by price, brand, top reviewed, and allow you to select how many items will be shown per page.

Have a gift idea that a little one loved? Let us know! Send an email to support@oompa.com and we’ll be sure to add your gift idea to list from Boys and Girls gifts sorted by age.

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At Oompa, we never stop adding new products.  With a great wide world of ever-expanding educational, green, or just plain fun toys out there, we have our work cut out for us.  Here are just a few of the new items added this week:

Little Hand Puzzles – Construction from Haba

Six little hand puzzles help your littles ones refine their fine motor skills! Big pieces are easy for little hands to grab, while coordinated single motif pieces make the puzzles fun to solve. The six puzzles include; a Dump Truck, Excavator, Bulldozer, Cement Truck, Steamroller, and a Crane.

Soft Book from Wee Gallery

Wee Gallery Accordian-Style Soft Books combine six beautiful Wee Gallery animals with fine, natural fabrics to create a touchably soft tactile experience that also appeals to a baby’s visual strengths. The 5×5 inch book is a one-piece panel that comes with a cloth carrying bag. Hand-made in India.

Aquababy Bath Ring – Blue/Green from Thermobaby

This ring seat is the perfect solution for safely and securely bathing a baby that is just beginning to sit up. The rounded shape gently holds baby, yet leaves freedom of movement. The seat is non-slip with a high contoured back for extra support. Extra large suction cups offer excellent stability and six legs screw-fit into the bath ring so you can adjust the ring to fit the shape of your bath.

Table and Chair Set – 3 pc from bObles

These terrific foam animals are suitable as children´s furniture, but are designed for creative play. With a maximum weight of 350 lbs, kids are able to tumble, roll, balance, seesaw, rock, jump and gain some bodily experience.

The Table and Chair Set comes with 2 six-layer Fish (1 Turquoise, 1 Lime), and 1 ten-layer Purple Snake. The Tumbling animals are tested especially for children and are free of any toxin or phthalates. Made of EVA foam with a soft surface, the whole set wipes clean easily with a wet cloth.

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Always happy to lend a hand, Oompa has donated several lovely toys to Mothering Magazine for their Toy Giveaway Extravaganza!

For every subscription you purchase you’re automatically entered into Mothering’s drawing for 30 Monthly Prizes, 10 Grand Prizes, and new this year – 1 Mega More Prize! Only accepting Natural Toys that educate and entertain today’s children, Mothering Magazine has succeeded in doubling the size of its giveaway from last year!

Mothering.com

A wonderful source of information for mothers everything since 1976, Mothering Magazine, and now also simply Mothering.com, covers a wide range of important topics. The headings visible on their website say it all: Pregnancy & Birth, Breastfeeding, Parenting, Health, Education, Recipes, and Green Living.

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Oompa is proud to add the Pebble Organic Crib Mattress to our collection of high-quality infant and toddler bedding!  With a fun and whimsical look, this mattress has an ingenious design, loaded with attractive features.  Lets start on the outside and work our way in.

First off, the soft, asymmetrical pebbles do more than give this mattress a unique look – they also act as little valleys of airflow, allowing infants more oxygen, and a longer more restful night’s sleep. Materials like organic cotton and eucalyptus help increasing in the fabric’s breathability.  The pebble wrap is also easily removable, machine washable, and comes with an easy-wipe, stain and microbe resistant surface.

Under the hood,  there are three layers of material at work.  The outer-most is an organic wool barrier, making the mattress fire resistant without the addition of harsh chemicals.  Next is an “air layer,” actually made of wide-spaced light weight fibers, allowing again, as much airflow as possible to your slumbering little one.  The heart of the mattress is a natural latex core, aerated with channels to create a breathable, supportive surface.

Made in the USA

Nook Sleep Systems is independently owned and operated out of Hermosa Beach, California, just blocks from the ocean. But at Nook, a “Made in the USA” philosophy extends beyond the office. They source as many local and organic materials and manufacturing processes as possible. Packaging, printing and manufacturing all take place around the corner in Southern California. Certified organic wool comes from family-owned farms in Northern California and Oregon, while organic cotton comes from deep in the heart of Texas.

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We’re always brainstorming ways to make our website as user-friendly as possible. With the addition of several new Maclaren strollers, the time seemed right to give our customers the ability to sort the full stroller collection by color! At the moment, the strollers are sorted into 13 lucky colors – of course, if more colors become available, the number will increase.

The current colors are:
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue, Blue, Purple, Pink, Light Brown, Brown, Gray, Black, and White.

Use the “View By Color” drop down menu at the top to search via the written color names, or scroll down to the bottom and use our handy color swatches to search. Enjoy!

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Our collection of “360-spins” continues to grow!  We started with many of our smaller toys, but now we’ve been moving on to the big stuff!

Viewing all 360-degrees of a large block set like Little Amsterdam gives you a great opportunity to see everything that comes in the box!  And if you like that, be sure to check out the Haba Ball Track Construction Set, and the Haba Ghost Tower and Knight’s Castle!  We’ve even begun capturing 360-spins of our games.

For games like Sleepy Princess and the Pea with many small pieces, sometimes a clear understanding of how the games works is difficult without seeing it from every angle.

Have a product you’d like to see spin?  Let us know!  Email us your suggestions at support@oompa.com.

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Our wonderful friends at CitiBlocs have just released two new color schemes; Hot and Cool!

Made from strong New Zealand Pine, these blocks have always been fun, but until this point have come in a maximum of two colors per set. The new Hot and Cool colors sets change that, including: red, yellow, orange, pink, and natural as Hot Colors, and blue, turquoise, dark green, lime green, and natural as the Cool Colors.

For those of you who haven’t checked out CitiBlocs yet, they’re a wonderful product.  Sets come with a variety of quantities and colors, but always with the same size blocks, each block being approximately 4.6 inches long, 0.9 inches wide, and 0.3 inches tall.  This allows children limitless use of their imagination while challenging their creativity and fine motor skills.

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Another giveaway opportunity has arrived, this one from one of our blogging friends, Knitting with Ólöf!

As an avid knitter, Ólöf was kind enough to review one of the many Threading Toys here at Oompa, the Bajo Lacing Shoe.

Here’s what she had to say:

“Since I work a lot with yarn and needles my 2 and a half year old of course becomes very interested in what I am working on. I didn´t know what to do for him since I really didn´t want yarn all over the house. When I saw this toy I thought that it is perfect. Something to hand him while I am working. The string is long enough where he can pretend to knit with it but short enough to keep him out of trouble. He also loves that there are wheels on the bottom of it. He can drive it around when he gets bored with the string and needle part of it. The pros for me are that it is made with wood and that it is made in Europe and not Asia and that it is a learning toy. He can make a mess of the string and then figure out how to untangle the thing on his own now. The only thing that I would like to change about it is the fact that there is no way to attach the string to the front of it and drag it around.”

For a chance to win your very own Bajo Lacing Shoe, check out the details of Ólöf’s giveaway at knittingwitholof.com. To enter your own review of our products, visit oompa.com, locate the product you’d like to review, and click on the “Reviews” tab!

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For all the healthy babies of the world who prefer a homemade meal, Oompa introduces Baby Cubes, from Juvenile Solutions.

The set includes eight independent 2-ounce cubes, each with its own attached lid for hassle-free travel from the freezer, to the microwave, to the dishwasher!  The containers are stackable, airtight, and ideal for individual snacks, freezing homemade baby food, or even storing breast milk.

You can also write directly on the included freezer / storage tray with a dry erase marker to help keep track of date and contents.

Safety

Baby Cubes are manufactured in Brazil, using non toxic, raw, Virgin Polypropylene to be certain of the highest quality.  Juvenile Solutions does not accept Recycled Polypropylene in the fabrication of Baby Cubes. As a result Baby Cubes are; Non Toxic, Microwave safe, Dishwasher safe, and Freezer safe!

Toxicology

Polypropylene plastics are basically inert materials and do not present a health hazard to the consumer in either handling the plastics or consuming foodstuffs with which they have come into contact. All polypropylene plastics packaging that come into direct contact with foods and beverages comply fully with the safety requirements in the relevant European Directives on food-contact plastics, and are prepared under the responsibility of the ILSI Europe Packaging Material Task Force.

To check out other new products at Oompa, check out our What’s New section!

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We’re all familiar with baby’s favorite game, “Grab, and Chew.” Of course half the fun of the game is to chew on whatever’s closest; car keys, wallets, necklaces.  Many moms stop wearing their jewelry for just that reason.  Now, the good people at Smart Mom Jewelry are helping create a fashionable solution - Teething Bling!

Made from the same material as most teething toys, these pendants and bangles look great on the adult wearer but are safe for curious babies to handle and chew.

Teething Bling are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC, latex and lead free. All the pendants also come with a breakaway clasp as an added safety measure.

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