Waba Fun is a company out of Broomfield that has brought us may innovative inventions! They were the first company to introduce Kinetic Sand to the United States. This incredible product comes from Sweden and is like beach sand covered in a magical substance that makes all the grains hold together like wet sand. It is the "no-mess" answer to sand play, and everyone who touches it is mesmerized by its texture! Before Kinetic Sand, they launched Bubber, the never-dries-out, light-as-a-cloud, modeling dough. And they are also the inventors of Superstructs, a play system that reminds people of Tinker Toys™, only better! The name "Waba" comes from the initials of the inventor’s children, and he himself helped me to pack up my vehicle with our first order of Superstructs. The Director of Sales for Waba Fun is a woman named Nan, who I first worked with 20 years ago when she was at Wimmer Ferguson when they were a small, independent company down on South Pearl Street. We still offer their famous black and white Stim Mobiles for infants. And Nan still comes to Timbuk Toys to buy them!
Another special local company is Zometool. This building system is used in college science labs to build models of cellular structures, and it is a favorite among kids for open-ended structure design. Zome uses little spheres into which rods are inserted. The shapes on the ends of the rods have to match the shaped holes in the spheres. One of our favorite Zometool kits is for making multi-faceted bubble wands. The bubble solution forms surfaces within the Zome shape to show the relationship between each angle. It’s science, construction, and fun, all rolled into one! And what’s doubly exciting about Zometool is it is 100% made in the USA, in Longmont, Colorado!
Begin Again is in Fort Collins and is a dedicated "green" company! The company was started by the same guys who invented Sprig Wood, an ecological material made of reconstituted cedar shavings. It became best known for its use in Sprig Vehicles. Begin Again now offers some of our favorite toys for the bath, as well as unique puzzles and baby items.
Toofeez is a very special baby teether from Oh That Baby! The inventor, who lives in Denver, observed how her teething grandchild constantly wanted to chew on the metal of her key ring. She created a teether made from engravable stainless steel and silicon that babies LOVE! Toofeeze has been featured in countless baby magazines and she has taken her idea from the simple prototype she showed me the first time we met to selling internationally. It has been a joy to be part of her story!
And there are so many more wonderful, noteworthy, Colorado Toy companies! Fractiles from Boulder has been going strong for decades and is now regaining popularity due to the surge in STEM curriculum. Sweet Locks comes from Centennial where they assemble scented hair brushes that little girls adore. Brand 44 Colorado created kid-appropriate Slacklines, and they are now branching out with more incredible back-yard play systems. And Little Colorado makes children’s furniture at its facility right off I-70 and Pecos. It is simply amazing how many great toys come from local companies! So when you are shopping for the holidays, and you want something extra special, you can find these products at Timbuk Toys by looking for the "Colorado Proud" signs on our shelves. Or find them on our website by clicking the Colorado Products link on the left side of the page. We love showing off these items that are from our friends at local companies because they are, indeed, among the best toys in the world!
Timbuk Toys
9315 Dorchester St., Suite #107
Highlands Ranch, CO
(303) 346-3030
