There's a particular quality to certain wooden toys that you recognise the moment you pick one up. A satisfying weight. Smooth surfaces that feel wonderful under your fingers. Details painted with genuine care. The sense that someone, somewhere, genuinely cared about what they were making.
Every Tender Leaf toy we stock has this quality. It's what drew us to them in the first place, and why we keep discovering new pieces to add to our collection. But understanding where these beautifully crafted toys actually come from – and the hands that make them – adds another dimension entirely.
From Sketch to Small Hands
Tender Leaf Toys began with a simple conviction: children deserve toys that will outlast their childhood. Not just physically surviving, but remaining genuinely treasured – the sort of toys that get carefully packed away and brought out again when the next generation arrives.
Every piece starts as a sketch by designer Danielle, who dreams up these charmingly quirky worlds before working closely with craftspeople in Indonesia to bring them to life. The same family-run factory creates every single Tender Leaf toy, with the brand's team spending months there each year working alongside their suppliers. From raw timber to finished, hand-painted toy wrapped in recycled cardboard, every stage happens under one roof.
They work exclusively with reclaimed rubberwood – a by-product of the latex industry – and plant a new tree for every one they use. The packaging follows the same thoughtful approach: paper wrapping, recycled cardboard, almost no plastic. Their ICTI Ethical Toy Program seal recognises genuinely ethical supply chains, not just clever marketing. There's something quietly satisfying about giving a gift that respects both the child who'll play with it and the world they'll inherit.
Building a Logging Empire
The Wild Pines Train Set is Tender Leaf at their best. Ninety-five pieces transform any floor into a bustling timber operation deep in the forest. Children configure their own railway using thirty track pieces, then operate the whole enterprise: an engine pulling carriages loaded with colourful logs, a logging truck with magnetic timber connections, a loader vehicle that can transfer cargo between train and truck.
But here's what makes it brilliant. Three fir trees rotate to block the track. Children must work out how to move them, coordinate the magnetic loading operations, manage a tree nursery with saplings in various growth stages. Meanwhile, a sleepy bear rests by the log pile and a watchful big bear stands guard at the lake with its magnetised boulders. The problem-solving happens naturally within the play, not as a separate learning objective.
The quality of the rubberwood and hand-painted details means this substantial set survives years of enthusiastic reconfiguring. It's the sort of toy that sprawls across the living room for days because dismantling it feels premature when there's still so much logging to do.
Wild Pines | Tender Leaf Toys
The Range: From Simple to Sprawling
What strikes us about Tender Leaf's collection is how it spans from beautifully simple to wonderfully complex. The Rainbow Tunnel – seven vibrant arches that nestle inside each other, topped with a smiling sun – proves that sometimes the most enduring toys need nothing more than smooth wood and lovely colours. Children stack them traditionally, then discover they make perfect bridges for toy cars or tunnels for woodland creatures.
The Wooden Stacking Forest follows similar logic: nineteen chunky animals and plants that balance precariously on a tree trunk. But these pieces rarely stay stacked for long. The owl, wolf, hedgehog, and their friends migrate throughout the house, appearing in dollhouse windows, on nature tables, wherever stories need woodland characters.
For children ready for more elaborate worlds, Cottontail Cottage opens its hinged front to reveal a cosy interior with retro-style furniture already in place. An Aga-style range in the kitchen. A bed with coverlet in the attic. Even a tiny sewing machine. It's ready for play straight away, yet leaves room to grow as their collections expand. The natural wood roof with its scalloped edges and bunny motif works beautifully in any room.
The Bird's Nest Café takes the cafe experience seriously – forty hand-painted accessories including clicking dials, a proper milk steamer spout, fabric tea bags, chocolate shaker. Young baristas can toast paninis and brew cappuccinos with various toppings. The level of detail invites authentic role-play, and what children actually do with it changes daily. Today's elaborate coffee service becomes tomorrow's spaceship galley.
Birds Nest Cafe – Tender Leaf Toys
Why We Champion Them
When we select brands for Haliburtons & Co., we're looking for makers whose values align with ours. Tender Leaf's approach to sustainable production and genuine craftsmanship simply shows in every piece.
But values alone wouldn't be enough. These toys must also bring joy – that simple, irreplaceable pleasure of play.Tender Leaf achieves this consistently: thoughtfully designed and beautifully crafted. Toys that invite authentic play rather than directing it.
The fact that they're built to last generations makes them particularly satisfying to give. You're starting a family legacy, creating heirlooms that carry the marks and memories of childhood adventures.
Explore our complete Tender Leaf Toys collection and discover beautifully crafted wooden toys that invite imagination, respect childhood, and bring lasting joy.
