Noisy click-clacking and stuttering movements are both characteristics of wooden pull toys that make us smile. The first two videos below are of Plan Toys' Dancing Alligator pull toy, which has a smooth but clattering gait; the third is of Sevi's Pull-Along Cowboy, which rattles along with a comical, rollicking gait. Sevi uses a variety of materials creatively, integrating fabric into wood in clever ways, including a slot at the rump holding a felt tail, and its off-balance momentum is poetry for babies. Plan does a great job thinking about what wood can do in a compact pull toy, making the curving of the alligator's body a source of warm and engaging sound.







Oh, and those paint chip marks you see on the adorable Pull-Along Cowboy? The next time you feel like running around dragging a $40 infant pull toy in the street, don't.



Plan's alligator, which runs $18-20 on Amazon, fared better under such abuse because of the rubbery guards built into its wheels.