In the past few years, environmentally friendly toys have become a growing segment of Toy Fair attendees. This year, for the first time, the American International Toy Fair has a dedicated space for Green Toys, and it's fitting, because this year's environmentally friendlier toys are showcasing better designs - and wider distribution - than ever before.

Of course, one of the anchors of this section is Sprig Toys, winner of this year's Specialty Toy of the Year at the fair for their Captain Owen's Dolphin Explorer Boat, which garnered a highly favorable review here on Z Recommends.


The big news for Sprig is that they've recently been purchased by Wham-O, makers of the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, and Slip 'N' Slide. Lest you fear that this will lead to the de-greening of Sprig Toys, it sounds like the opposite is true - Sprig is greening up Wham-O, right down to the packaging. Founder Justin Discoe shared with me that pricing of eco-friendly toys is always a barrier, but with Wham-O owned factories, they can start to bring prices down. [It remains to be seen how far Sprig's green influence will take Wham-O; the company currently has plans to introduce Sprigwood versions of some core catalog items, including the Hula Hoop, and will market them aggressively as green products. But whether there is any hope for the company's line of PVC water toys, and whether the Wham-O name will put a positive or negative spin on Sprig's very green image, will depend on how deeply Wham-O absorbs Sprig's eco-conscious culture. Sprig's former owners, who will now be able to focus once more on toy design, plan to remain in Boulder, Colorado. - Jeremiah]

Jennifer and Jeremiah have previously praised and criticized Sprig vehicle designs, but have always championed the company's willingness to experiment and innovate. This year marks another new direction for the former startup: Play food and stuff that goes with it. The Picnic Pack has a cake that cleverly opens up to hold real snacks. The Picnic Buggy is a wonderful 3-in-1 picnic basket, shopping cart, and stroller. Both are shown in the photo at the top of this post.

Sprig also has some new baby products, including chunky Eco Blocks, and the Shake 'N Stack, a shape stacker without a center post.




Interestingly, the Green Toys booth also had some nice chunky blocks and a similar concept for a no-post stacker. While I prefer the feel of the Sprigwood material, the Green Toys stacker was nice for play because the pieces could be stacked on top of each other in any order, an easier task for baby.


Both the Green Toys stacker and the cute little bathtub boat next to it shown here are currently being evaluated for a ZRecs review.

Speaking of babies, Apple Park has some of the cutest organic baby products I've encountered. The plush and blankets are luxuriously soft, and the thoughtful packaging helps make them perfect shower gifts.


I tend to like goofball-looking plush like the kind to be found at Planet Ogie. These little aliens have come to help the polluted earth. Each plush doll is made from a blend of hemp and organic cotton, and comes with a story card, a tote bag, and a packet of seeds to grow an herb garden.


Last but not least, there were some new goodies to be found at the Imagiplay booth. In addition to their great wooden-figure playsets, Imagiplay's new Toothie the Tooth Saver will keep your little one’s tooth safe and sound for the tooth fairy.



Read yesterday's dispatch from the 2010 Toy Fair if you missed Amy's great coverage of what's new in balance bikes. Tomorrow: Board games! And make sure to check out Amy's additional Toy Fair coverage over on her blog, Media Macaroni.