which wooden figures are nicer...

[AdoptChina]

Holztiger
Ostheimer
Engelberger
Kinderkram


any info about them?


Want to get a few for DS and am leaning towards the Holztiger b/c they have an extra finish on them (if he happens to throw one in the pool for a minute I don't want it to be ruined)

thanks!

[luckymom]

Hi-

I've only seen the Holztiger and Ostheimer ones. I have the Holztiger and prefer them. I like the extra finish on them, and like the fact that they have brighter colors and look more like "toys", the Ostheimer ones that I saw were more muted in color and to me looked more like "display" than toy, although I know many will disagree with me there! The Holztiger's are nice and smooth as well. For what its worth, I have a 10 month old, and I let him play with the Holztiger animals, he bangs them and does put them in his mouth, and so far they show no wear at all. He loves the ones with tails. Oh, minor point on the Ostheimer ones, but the tails on the cows etc were more of a fuzzy rope than the Holztigers, not something that looked like it would stand up to the chewing and pulling my son gives them (the tails are the best part.... :) ) I plan on getting a few more for his birthday, he loves them, and I think they're great, except I wish they were a bit more affordable!

I'll be interested in hearing what others have to say, I have a fairly limited experience with these wooden figures, but am really liking them.

[June Mommy]

Sorry to bump this up, but I'm literally agonizing over Holztiger vs. Ostheimer. I even had both pulled up in browsers next to each other and made DH pick which one he liked best. I really like both of them and can't decide! (And I know of nowhere near me IRL to view them.) Thanks!

[eb1]

I went through the same thing, and ultimately bought Holztigers because they're more readily available and I was able to use coupon codes. Ultimately, I preferred some of the Holztigers and some of the Ostheimers, just depending on the figure. And Holztiger has some figures that Ostheimer doesn't. Generally speaking, I think Holztigers are slightly larger than Ostheimer and a bit more colorful. The Ostheimers are supposed to have more "neutral" expressions I think, whereas the Holztigers tend to smile more...but that's not really always the case either (and I think a couple of the Ostheimers have a very fierce look).

To the OP, long ago!, the only online place that imports Engleberger, to my knowledge, is Nova Natural. Nova told me that Englebergers are slightly smaller than Ostheimer. The Englebergers are so lovely, but I haven't seen them IRL.

Personally, I dislike Kinderkram in comparison to the above. They seem crude, though perhaps more affordable.

Depending on how much play my son gets out of the Holztigers, I will probably buy more wooden figures but I will not necessarily stick to Holztigers. I don't see anything wrong with a combination of varieties, depending on which specific figures appeal to you the most!

[lizamann]

Don't agonize - it's not worth it because they're both nice. I've seen Ostheimer in the store, and they look very nice. We have a bunch of Holtztiger, which are nice too. But dd doesn't really play with them much, so I feel like I wasted time picking them out (not to mention the money!) Just pick some cute ones and be DONE with it.