Serene, lovely, and environmentally-friendly Cheekeyes are wooden animals that cost $30 for a set of six. That fact alone would be enough to make your local woodcarver do a spit-take with his cuppa joe.

They really are lovely, and they really have a lower environmental impact than many, even wooden, toys. They're made of rubberwood, which is harvested from rubber tree plantations after the trees' sap has diminished and they'd be cut down anyway; it's the same wood companies like Imagiplay and Haba favor for infant toys for this reason as well as its tight, non-splintery grain.

As for the loveliness, it's a bit too much cream-on-top for me. Their serenity strikes me as a bit overbearing in a figurative toy; what if you want your animal friends to, say, NOT be lost in a happy daydream? But Z didn't seem the least bit fazed by their placid expressions - in her hands, bad behavior abounded, lending further credence to the argument that I may read too much into toys' facial expressions. And if there are toys mothers will actually want their kids to leave out on the coffee table, Cheekeyes are probably them, and kids and parents both win in that scenario.

Cheekeyes showcase the fact that they are made of wood by the clever use of paint around their outer edge, with an eyelid and cheek painted on each side. The paint-and-bare-wood pairing is a trend we've seen for a few years now as interest in wooden toys grows, but Cheekeyes may be the first to have figured out a simple way to do this with one-piece toys. The paint also emphasizes that these chunks of wood are thick, which contributes to both their play and material value. Their color palette is pleasing to the eye in every case, with pieces of sets complementing each other. Their forms are graceful.

The arctic set is my favorite.

The accessory pieces, unfortunately, are available at even less comforting prices - $17 for a cave, for two wooden trees, or an iceberg (you'd pay $34 to get both of the ones shown above). Some of these accessories are very interesting for children to play with; others, like those designed to accompany their African and dinosaur sets, seem less so.


I'd rather see puzzle- or building-oriented set pieces, like the hill stacker in this set of wooden bunnies on Etsy.


Which begs the question: What about your local woodcarver? OK, let's say you don't have one. Why not buy small wooden animals from a small craftsperson? Could they match Cheekeye's quality and beat them on price?

Dadswoodentoys could give Cheekeyes a run for their money in quality, although the style is clearly more rustic. I'm guessing he uses pine, but the craft is there, they have string tails, and you get six pieces for $25. That's $4 apiece plus the knowledge that you're supporting a small-time operator. Also, you could probably bug Joshua VanderKlok (the Dad in Dadswoodentoys) and inspire him to add a new animal to his lineup, if only as a one-off.

There are other good alternatives at lower prices. Imagiplay offers wooden toy sets in the $25-$30 that come with a lot more pieces. Their Arctic Expedition is actually kind of shocking - cute, also rubberwood, brightly painted, and comes with five eskimos, two wooden sleds and three sled dogs, mommy and baby polar bears, a walrus, a seal, and a fabric tote that doubles as an igloo.

But toys with the design restraint and modern cool of Cheekeyes are few and far between, and ultimately, that's what sells them. Cheekeyes are just an extension of the ethos of play espoused by simple, wooden, Waldorfy toys in general - that play is an unchaotic, reflective pastime which calm kids engage in under natural lighting and with little adult input. It's a good ethos, incomplete as it might be, and most of us can benefit from being reminded of it as we navigate our chaotic lives.


You can find Cheekeyes online at Oompa Toys.