American Plastic Toys
Walled Lake, Michigan
About American Plastic Toys
From toy cars to play kitchens, American Plastic Toys has you covered when it comes to toys for your kids. You can find the company’s products at major retailers, including Walmart, Family Dollar, and Walgreens. Just remember to check labels as a small percentage of their products are Made in the US with imported components.
American Toyworks
Columbia, Missouri
About American Toyworks
The wooden block sets from American Toyworks and Timberworks Toys are heirloom quality toys designed to encourage play and creativity. The company makes building block sets, dollhouses, and even kid-appropriate furniture. The brand is part of Traditions in Woodworking Inc., which makes custom cabinets and furniture. Reader Pick
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American Whistle
Columbus, Ohio
About American Whistle
American Whistle makes all of its whistles at its factory in Columbus, and even offers tours of its factory. Whistles are priced quite affordably, including the Victory Pealess Whistle at $5.95.
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AnnaBears
Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma
About AnnaBears
Hand crafted at Duchess Creek Farms in Lake Eufaula, AnnaBears are adorable bear dolls that any young child will cherish. Billed as full-figured bears, Anna Bears are a work of art that will last for decades. Choose from a variety of styles or design your own. Each bear is $60.
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Artifact Puzzles
Port Townsend, Washington
About Artifact Puzzles
From Port Townsend comes Artifact Puzzles’ intricately detailed jigsaw puzzles. These are really cool. The company uses a small batch manufacturing model to avoid overproduction and offers a wide variety of styles, including by level of difficulty for more advanced puzzlers and even has a few hand-cut puzzles, made with a real jigsaw!
Baldwin Toys
Omaha, Nebraska
About Baldwin Toys
Plastic toys rule kids’ rooms, and, though they’re no-fuss, they’re not exactly easy on the eyes. Baldwin Toys has been handcrafting heirloom-quality wooden toys in Omaha since 1976. Made from locally sourced hardwoods like walnut, cherry, maple and padauk, each toy is built without paints, stains, nails or screws and finished with food-grade mineral oil safe for little hands. Some favorites include classic cars, airplanes and a beautifully crafted chess set.
Bannor Toys
Madrid, Iowa
About Bannor Toys
The handcrafted wooden toys made by Bannor Toys are designed to spark imagination and are purposely low-key, without the battery-operated lights and noises found in many modern toys. The Iowa-based company makes age appropriate toys for babies to big kids, ranging from wooden baby rattles and building blocks to dominos, shape puzzles and even a wooden cash register for pretend play.
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Bear Creek Felting
North Dakota
About Bear Creek Felting
Crafty adults and kids alike will adore Bear Creek Felting’s needle felting kits, composed of felt milled in North Dakota from local sheep! With a variety of kits tuned to varying skill levels, the only challenge will be choosing which adorable felt sculpture to gift. Will it be a charming snowman, trendy llama, a darling dinosaur? There’s a kit to appeal to every taste!
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Begin Again
Fort Collins, Colorado
About Begin Again
Begin Again makes its line of toys from sustainably harvested rubberwood, plant-based plastics that aren’t derived from oil, water based stains and natural rubber, ensuring kids can play safely. The Fort Collins company sells a variety of colorful interactive toys, including a line of John Deere-themed tractors. But, be sure to check the country of origin label, as some of the company’s products are made abroad.
