Bilibo

The Bilibo is a big favourite in our house! It is mostly used for spinning but there are unlimited ways to play with Bilibo's - from rocking, spinning, sitting in, to hiding under, carrying with and peeking through. Not only it great at home, you can use it at the park, in the sand or water.

The Bilibo was designed by Swiss designer, Alex Hochstrasser, in consultation with childhood development experts from the University Children’s Hospital in Zurich. The shell shape and bright colours invite a wide range of interpretations and encourage children to use their imagination and invent their own games, providing hours of open-ended play.

The Bilibo is made of high-density Polyethylene, that’s shock resistant, non-toxic and 100% recyclable.

Bilibo's unique form arouses curiosity, stimulates the senses, engages the imagination, and encourages creativity.

Bilibo comes in 6 great bright colours and can be purchased from our shop for $38.00.

Big Hugs - Laa Laa Teletubbie

The Teletubbies are back in fashion after popping on our screens 10 years ago. These four unlikely looking characters captured the hearts of little ones everywhere and remain much loved to this day! My son still has the 4 Teletubbies from when he was a baby and last year he was given the Big Hugs Laa Laa to test drive for us.

Our son having problems sleeping (not wanting to sleep by himself and thinks 5 hours a night is enough sleep for everyone in the house) I thought the Big Hugs La La would be perfect to help sooth him to sleep.

Laa Laa Big Hugs is made from super soft yellow material that is patterned with stars and moons. Laa Laa has two night modes 1. Lullaby mode plays the Teletubby theme tune to comfort baby and shuts off automatically after 5 minutes and 2. In night mode the tummy glows and gently changes colour to soothe and comfort baby.

Big Hug's Laa Laa also has interactive features for daytime fun - Laa Laa gives a yawn when tummy is pressed, giggles when kissed and says 'ahh' when hugged.

Laa Laa has worked wonders for our son - he uses Laa Laa's lullaby and night light every night and you can even hear the lullaby at 2am when he wakes. Laa Laa's night light tummy is just bright enough to see around the room.

Laa Laa is now part of our family and I think will be for a long time to come.

You can purchase Laa Laa Bug Hugs from our website for $68.00.

I am Back!

Hi Everyone,

This is a long time coming but am back on track and ready to get stuck back into work. Once again I would like to thank everyone for their understanding with my time away after the death of my brother.

To get started I have revamped my website a little so I would love to hear what you think of it - I welcome any suggestions (good or bad).

I have also done a Links Directory on the website but am very excited about the Autism Resources Links I am in the process of updating. I am listing all the sites I have found invaluable with my son. I found a lovely song written for Autism by Mark Leland. Mark's song is called "Missing Pieces", a song he wrote for Autism. The proceeds of this song benefit Autism Awareness, research programs and those who have Autism.

It is a beautiful song and made me cry - go have a listen at:
http://www.markleland.net/markleland.net/HOME1.html

I am looking forward to bringing you some blogs on new stock and am going to do some blogs on the toys that have helped my son with his therapy on our Autism journey.

So please make sure you come back and check out my blog regularly.

Have a Great Day!

Cheers Jo :-)

The Toy Bug Open Again & Heartfelt Thanks!

I hope you all had a good Christmas break and a Happy New Year!

Some of you may have notice that I had closed The Toy Bug down for 3 weeks - this was due to my only sibling (brother) being killed in a car accident just prior to Christmas. It has been hard for me and my Dad as my Mum was also killed in a car accident 9 years ago. I have decided to open The Toy Bug up again so I can keep busy and to try and get back into every day life - Life goes on as they say!

I wish to thank all of my customers who have sent messages of sympathy - your support has been overwhelming and greatly appreciated.



We have some new products that will be added to the website in the coming weeks and we look forward to bringing you new, exciting and fun toys during the year.

Cheers Jo :)

Melissa & Doug Puzzles

Your never too young or too old for one of Melissa & Doug's puzzles.

A little about Melissa & Doug - they started their company 20 years ago in their garage. They are now one of the leading designers and manufacturers of educational toys and children's products.

The Chunky puzzles are a favourite of mine. They are perfect for little ones with large colourful pieces that fit neatly into board and also stand alone allowing for additional pretend play.

The puzzles are beautifully designed and excellently crafted and are sure to become a favourite in every little ones toy box.

These puzzles can be purchased from our shop for $17.00 each.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Giant Board Book & Plush Toy

You know those books that stay in your memory from when you were a child - well The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of them.

We have the small version and the giant book version with the plush toy. The Very Hungry Caterpillar giant board book was the first book our son would let us interact with him as I could you the plush caterpillar as a puppet and keep his attention and make it fun.

I love this Eric Carle story – it is a simple story but keeps little ones captivated with its colourful and lovely illustrations and wonderful narrative about a hungry caterpillar growing up to be a beautiful butterfly.

Along with reassuring repetition--"He was still hungry ..."--the book includes some wonderful interactive moments – with the plush caterpillar the little ones can push and pull the caterpillar through the holes while easting his way through various delicacies or what little one can resist sticking a finger through that hole in the page. I also love that this story is educational – in that little ones learn about numbers, food and butterfly life cycles.

A favourite in our house and it can be in your house too – it can be purchased from our shop – it is currently on sale for $40.00.

Dado Cubes from USA!

Dado Cubes - a specialty toy that's as BEAUTIFUL as it is EDUCATIONAL...Dado™ combines art and science as kids of all ages explore architectural principles...proportion, balance, structure, composition, and color. A contemporary twist on classic stacking blocks, Dado™ engages the imagination as the slits on each cube are interlocked to create an unlimited number of three-dimensional structures. Constructed horizontally, vertically or nested together, Dado™ invites visual spatial development and problem solving through design-centered, attention-grabbing fun!

This fantastic toy is made by Fat Brain Toy Company - they are a dynamic, fast-growing company serving the specialty toy industry. Fat Brain Toy Co. designs, develops and distributes specialty toys throughout the world. They identified a need for the development of more design- centered toys. This great company combines style with educational substance to develop innovative products.

After our order from Fat Brain Toy Co arrived, I gave a set of Dado Cubes to our son to see what he thought. Although he could not tell me in so many words what he thought (due to his Autism) I could tell that he loved it as it kept him engaged and me too! It is quite addictive - in that you want to see how many different things you can create.

As well as the fun aspect of Dado Cubes they also help children improve fine motor skills, including hand strength, finger dexterity and coordination of small muscle movements.

They are made from durable, heavy gauge plastic and each set features 10 cubes, scaled from 2.5 to 12.7cm, capable of building structures over 81.3cm high!

Dado Cubes are developed, manufactured, and assembled in the USA.

They can be purchased from our store for $41.00 a set.