Rubber Wood

Not all wooden toys are of the same quality. As with most things there are various qualities in the raw materials used.
Traditionally toys found in Europe where made from European hardwoods (some still are Haba and Selecta Toys spring to mind) but more and more toys are being soured from the far east where sometimes quality is questionable. It is therefore important to check from what wood the toy is made.

You may have noticed that alot of the quality toy manufactureres use rubber wood sourced primarily in Thailand. Why is this? Well rubber wood is already comercially grown to produce latex but after 25 years the latex production tails off and traditionally the trees were felled and used for charcoal creation and a new tree planted. Rubber wood however is ideal for toy production as it has a beautiful feel to it, hard to splinter (although can dent) and fairly easy to work. So through the 80's and early ninties more and more companies turned to rubber wood as their source material anf there is now a thriving toy manufacturing industry in Thailand. Companies using rubber wood include Pintoy, Plan Toys, Wonderworld, Voila, Santoys amongst others which enable sustainable managed forests.