Puzzles
Led by Ravensburger, with logic challenges and brainteasers for older players.
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RavensburgerRavensburger dates back to 1883 and published its first game, A Trip Around the World, in 1884. Its range today includes jigsaw puzzles, board games and GraviTrax marble runs.
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ThinkFunThinkFun was founded in 1985 by Andrea Barthello and Bill Ritchie and makes logic and strategy games. Its titles include Rush Hour, Gravity Maze and Laser Chess.
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HanayamaHanayama is a Japanese puzzle and game maker, based in Tokyo and founded in 1933. Its Huzzle cast puzzles are graded in six levels, from Fun to Grand Master.
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Rubik'sRubik's makes the puzzle cube invented by Ernő Rubik, along with newer cubes and puzzles.
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SmartGamesSmartGames makes award-winning logic games designed for one player. Each game has many levels, from very easy to very challenging.
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WasgijWasgij is a jigsaw puzzle range from Jumbo with an unusual twist. Instead of building the picture on the box, you piece together the scene its characters are looking at.
Games
Chosen title by title for families, friends and holidays.
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Blue Orange GamesBlue Orange Games makes family board games that are easy to learn, including Kingdomino. Many of its games help children build skills like dexterity, memory, maths and logic.
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Days of WonderDays of Wonder publishes family board games, including Ticket to Ride, Small World and Memoir '44. It deliberately releases only a few new games and operates as a brand within Asmodee.
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GamewrightGamewright was started in 1994 by four parents who wanted better games for their own children. It now makes more than 200 family card, board and party games.
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AMIGOAMIGO has published card, family, party and children's games since 1980. Its classics include Halli Galli, 6 nimmt! and Wizard, alongside Saboteur.
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Big Potato GamesBig Potato Games has made party and family games since three friends started it in London in 2014. It is a certified B Corp and turns reclaimed ocean plastic into game cards.
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CATANCATAN is a board game designed by Klaus Teuber and first published in 1995 as The Settlers of CATAN. It has since been published in more than 40 languages around the world.
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Czech Games EditionCzech Games Edition is a Czech board game publisher behind Codenames, Galaxy Trucker and Lost Ruins of Arnak. It focuses on games by Czech and Slovak designers, now published in over 40 languages.
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Drumond ParkDrumond Park makes board games and kids' action games, including Articulate and Rapidough. It has sold over 10 million games in the UK and is part of TOMY.
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Dutch Blitz Game CompanyDutch Blitz is a quick, energetic card game that tests players' skill, smarts and speed. It was created by optometrist Werner Muller, who hoped it would help his children learn colours and numbers.
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LibelludLibellud is a French board game publisher founded in 2008, known for Dixit and Mysterium. Its games aim to be easy for families yet tactical enough to enjoy with friends.
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NSVNürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag is a Nuremberg publisher of family card and dice games. Its titles include Qwixx and The Mind, a team game played without talking.
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Orchard ToysOrchard Toys is a family business in Norfolk, UK, creating educational games and jigsaw puzzles since 1971. All of its games and puzzles are designed, illustrated and developed in-house.
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PiatnikPiatnik is a game publisher from Vienna, Austria, making board games, playing cards and puzzles. The family company, Ferdinand Piatnik & Söhne, has been making games for 200 years.
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Rio Grande GamesRio Grande Games has published strategy board and card games since 1998. Its titles include Dominion, Race for the Galaxy and Power Grid: Recharged.
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Stonemaier GamesStonemaier Games is a tabletop game publisher based in St. Louis. Its board games include Wingspan, Scythe and Viticulture.
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The Op GamesThe Op Games has made board games and puzzles since 1994, based in Carlsbad, California. Many are licensed twists on Hasbro classics such as Monopoly, Clue and Yahtzee.
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Winning MovesWinning Moves has made board games, card games and puzzles in the United States since 1995. Its titles include Pass The Pigs, Rack-O and No Stress Chess.
Building toys
Magnetic tiles, marble runs and building systems to add to for years.
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CONNETIXCONNETIX makes magnetic construction tiles for open-ended building. It was founded by Brea Brand, an early childhood educator, and Dave Alexander, a mechanical designer.
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GraviTraxGraviTrax is a modular marble run system from Ravensburger. Children design their own tracks and watch marbles move through loops and ramps, exploring gravity and momentum.
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MeccanoMeccano is a mechanical construction brand, with building sets that start at ages three and up.
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Plus-PlusPlus-Plus pieces are designed and made in Holbæk, Denmark. Every piece is the same single shape, made from recyclable plastic using wind power.
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ClixoClixo is a magnetic building system from Brooklyn, New York, with flexible 2D shapes that click into 3D creations. Its makers spent years play-testing thousands of prototypes before launch.
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EnginoEngino began in Cyprus in 2004, started by an engineer and teacher. Its snap-fit system lets children build working models, with sets from age 3.
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MAGNA-TILESMAGNA-TILES started in 1997 with a 32-piece set made for classroom teaching. The magnetic tiles connect on every side, for flat designs and 3D builds.
Creative play
Art sets, dough, beads and kits that get children making.
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DjecoDjeco is a toy and games company founded in Paris in 1954 by Véronique Michel-Dalès. It designs creative games and toys for children aged 0 to 12.
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AquabeadsAquabeads is a bead craft system from Epoch, a toy company founded in Tokyo in 1958. Children place beads on a template, spray them with water, and the beads stick together.
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KidywolfKidywolf makes screen-free educational toys designed in Belgium since 2019. Its Kidydraw light tablet helps children learn to draw by tracing.
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MakedoMakedo, founded in Australia, makes tools for building with cardboard that are designed for children. Its saw, screws and screwdriver let children cut, fold and connect cardboard into their own playthings.
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OOLYOOLY makes pens, pencils, markers, activity kits and colouring books. The women-owned company designs its range in California.
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The Crafty Kit CoThe Crafty Kit Company makes cross stitch, needle felting and embroidery kits. Its award-winning kits are designed and made in East Lothian, Scotland.
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Wild DoughWild Dough makes playdough in Melbourne, using 99.9% locally sourced materials. It was started in late 2018 by Melissa Haque, a mum making dough for her own children.
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British FossilsBritish Fossils supplies rocks, minerals and fossils in display-ready gift packs from its Dorset head office. The office sits 20 miles from the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
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Floss & RockFloss & Rock makes gifts and toys for children aged two to ten. Tim and Gill started the brand in 2016 by the seaside in north-west England.
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HABAHABA makes games and wooden toys for young children. It also sells spare parts, so a lost piece can be replaced.
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Rex LondonRex London has been designing gifts, toys and homeware in London since 1981. Its range runs from stationery and storage to games and party supplies.
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Thames & KosmosThames & Kosmos was founded in Rhode Island in 2001, in partnership with a 200-year-old German publishing house. It makes science kits, STEM toys, magic sets and board games such as EXIT.
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4M4M is a Hong Kong toy company that has made creative and science toys since 1993. Its KidzLabs science range launched in 1999, and its kits are designed by its own Hong Kong team.
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Gui GuiGui Gui is a slime brand from Moose Toys. Each pack holds everything needed to create a slime and decorate it.
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HeyDoodleHeyDoodle makes reusable silicone colouring mats for children aged two to nine. An architect and mother of three started the brand in 2019.
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JohncoJohnco is an Australian-owned toy company, established in 1981, with a focus on STEM toys. Its own range includes coding robots and a gyroscope kit.
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Little BrianLittle Brian makes Paint Sticks, a mess-free way of painting that dries almost immediately on almost any surface. The brand launched in 2016 and is based in Rochdale, England.
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My Creative BoxMy Creative Box makes craft and STEAM activity boxes for children aged two to ten. The boxes are designed in Australia by teachers and scientists.
Early years
First toys for under-3s, led by Little Dutch and PlanToys.
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Little DutchLittle Dutch makes modern nursery essentials, wooden toys and accessories for babies and children. It was founded by Rinke van der Helm, and its in-house illustrators and designers create each collection.
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PlanToysPlanToys has made wooden toys from rubberwood in Thailand since 1981. Leftover sawdust from production is turned into a new material called PlanWood.
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JanodJanod is a French maker of wooden and cardboard toys, puzzles and games. Its range pairs traditional play with contemporary design.
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AquaPlayAquaPlay has made water play toys in Germany since 1977, using recyclable plastic. An engineer and an educator developed the first designs.
Imaginative play
Animals, small worlds and dress-up for story-led play.
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SchleichSchleich has made figurines and playsets for 90 years. Its ranges include Horse Club, Farm World, Wild Life, Dinosaurs and BAYALA.
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SikuSiku is made by Sieper GmbH in Lüdenscheid, Germany, a business founded by Richard Sieper in 1921. It has made die-cast metal toy vehicles since 1963, from tractors to trucks.
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Sylvanian FamiliesSylvanian Families is a range of animal characters with homes, furniture and accessories, made by Epoch. The families live, work and play in the land of Sylvania.
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B.T. ChapsB.T. Chaps is a plush line from Bon Ton Toys, with a strong focus on durability. Each Chap is handmade and ethically produced, with 100% recycled PET filling.
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Bon Ton ToysBon Ton Toys has been making plush toys, keychains and bag charms since 1933. The company is a certified B Corp and a member of 1% for the Planet.
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PapoPapo is a French maker of animal, dinosaur, knight and fantasy figurines, plus castles and playsets. For almost 30 years, its toys have been designed to last for children and collectors alike.
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MinilandMiniland is a Spanish maker of educational toys, dolls and baby care products, based in Onil, Alicante. Its range includes inclusive dolls that promote tolerance and diversity from the earliest stages.
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Super SmallsSuper Smalls is a New York accessories brand making jewellery, beauty, craft and dress-up pieces. Founder Maria Dueñas Jacobs started it, with her three daughters acting as an in-house focus group.
Outdoor play
Scooters, beach and water play for life on the coast.
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Micro ScootersMicro makes Swiss-designed kick scooters, along with helmets, balance bikes and skates for toddlers to adults. Its spare parts let scooters be repaired and handed down, even a 22-year-old Micro.
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Bling2oBling2o makes novelty swim goggles in sparkly and shark designs, for children 3 and up, teens and adults. The range also covers swim masks, snorkels, swim caps and beach towels.
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ScrunchScrunch has made foldable toys, buckets and beach accessories for children since 2003. The range includes sand moulds, watering cans and its signature Scrunch Bucket.
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NikkoNikko makes radio control toys and building sets. Its toy lines include Road Rippers, Rhino Construction and Machine Maker.
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PustefixPustefix has made ready-to-use soap bubbles since 1948, when chemist Dr Rolf Hein created his formula near Tübingen, Germany. His children's yellow teddy became the brand's bubble-blowing bear.
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TossitTossit is a suction cup darts game played like bocce, where players aim for a jack dart. The silicone darts stick to walls, doors and fridges, so there are no holes.
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WahuWahu is an Australian brand making outdoor toys for the beach, pool and backyard. Its range includes a Bluey line of swim vests and kickboards.
Most of these makers are on our shelves in Kingscliff. Come in, pick them up, and come and play at The Loft.