Features:

  • BUILDING BLOCKS FOR CHILDREN: The Melissa & Doug Standard Unit Solid-Wood Building Blocks are comprised of 60 natural-finished, smooth-sanded hardwood blocks, inspiring screen-free play.
  • MULTIPLE DEVELOPMENTAL BENEFITS: Our blocks for imaginative play are ideal for introducing early math concepts, including shapes, parts-to-whole, and sorting. They also help to develop hand-eye coordination and teach patience.
  • PACKAGED FOR EASY STORAGE: Sixty natural-finish, smooth-sanded hardwood unit Melissa & Doug building blocks are packaged in a handsome wooden crate for easy storage.
  • GREAT GIFT FOR AGES 3 TO 8: The Standard Unit Solid-Wood toy blocks with storage crate makes a great gift for kids ages 3 to 8 years. Add the Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning Toy for even more developmental learning fun.
  • “THE GOLD STANDARD IN CHILDHOOD PLAY”: For more than 30 years, Melissa & Doug has created beautifully designed imagination- and creativity-sparking products that NBC News calls “the gold standard in early childhood play.”
  • 100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE: We design every toy to the highest-quality standards, and to nurture minds and hearts. If your child is not inspired, give us a call and we'll make it right. Our phone number is on every product!
These blocks made me kind of a big deal

I have a ton of nieces and nephews because my siblings have no self-control. When the family gets together, it is often at my house because I have nice stuff. I have nice stuff because I don't have little kids tearing my stuff up. In order to keep it that way, I needed something to keep the wee ones entertained. This was just the thing. The blocks come in all kinds of shapes and they are smooth and rounded. So there's no need to get into the band-aids, Morgan. You're faking when you say you have a splinter. I'm on to you. There are enough blocks to share here. I have to keep telling Alex that because he doesn't know how to share. He's my least favorite nephew. How can one kid produce so much snot? The wooden box that stores the blocks is great to sit the smallest nephew in. That way he isn't touching and gumming up the remote control. It also makes for a fun game when I'm ready for everyone to leave. I simply have challenged the kids by asking who is smart enough to fit all the pieces back into the box, like a puzzle game. Their competitive little spirits kick in and the blocks are cleaned up in about five minutes. Then they can go home. Overall, this was a great purchase. It was a cheap and easy way to score points as their favorite uncle.

Great blocks

Craftsmanship/quality: These Melissa & Doug 60-piece blocks are made of solid unfinished wood. The edges are smooth and slightly rounded so they don't hurt my little one or give him splinters. So far we haven't had any problems with them. Function: These blocks stack and balance well together and create all sorts of castles, cabins, garages, or whatever you and your little one can imagine. :) Since baby's bedroom is carpeted, we turn over the wooden box the blocks come in and build on top of the box for a firm supportive platform. Durability: Baby throws, bangs, licks, colors on, scrapes, and does goodness knows what else to these and they have withstood everything and remained in a build-able and usable condition. Safety: Watch out if baby likes to throw or hit things with these. They're solid and they hurt. Thankfully we haven't gotten any splinters from them yet. I'm happy that they're natural wood with no chemical crap on them, so when baby chews on them he isn't ingesting anything harmful. Ease of use: They're super easy to build with. Although they get scattered easily and you will be finding pieces of them hidden throughout your house for the next 18 years probably. Aesthetics: They look great. Summary: Get these blocks. They're safe, high quality, durable, and your baby will love playing with them.

and much better than I hoped for

I'm a public high school teacher. I bought these for my grandson's first Christmas, as an investment toy for the years of use ahead. Though I bought a similar set for my grown kids, these are so much nicer than their blocks, and much better than I hoped for. First, they are larger. These blocks are the size of good old fashioned kindergarten school blocks. Though the finish was better in the old days, they are price appropriate. That no reviews are below three stars is a good indicator they are wonderful childhood building blocks. I read the three star complaints regarding "tolerances" and build ability, but hey, these are for children, guys. The very most important thing about these blocks is they will be played with, hopefully, with participation of both parent and child. Adults enjoy handling well made objects, as those who spotted some flaws pointed out. But, they are smooth and pleasant to handle, and enjoy making little worlds to hold trucks, stuffed animals, dolls and imaginations. I had the time of my life playing with my little one year old grandson as he and I built his first tower. Thank you, Melissa & Doug.

My daughter loved them so much I bought her a second set ...

I bought these last year for my daughter who was a new four year old for a Christmas gift. My daughter loved them so much I bought her a second set and also Melissa & Doug architectural blocks for a Christmas gift and Birthday gift (now she is five) The first set was more than enough to make great castles and small imaginative cities. Now with the other set she can really go nuts with her imagination. The blocks are sanded and have no chance of splintering. They are all uniformed size and stack solid and sturdy. The wood is all natural so if your child wants to explore sticking them in their mouth there really isn't any worry. Very much love these blocks for my daughter and would recommend to anyone who has a creative, imaginative kiddo who loves to build. I could see these blocks holding my daughter's attention for many years. Hey even my 34 year old husband likes to do some independent building from time to time.

High quality blocks that inspire imagination and creativity

In this age when there are so many toys that do "one" thing (i.e., a spaceship or something) it's refreshing to see toys like this that inspire creativity and imagination. The first time I took these out of their wooden box I could tell they were high quality, and our daughter loves playing with them. They aren't perfect, but they are probably one of the best sets of blocks on the market right now. Here's what I really like about these blocks: 1) They are clearly high quality and well made: they're heavy and smooth, with no chips or rough edges anywhere. 2) They come in "quantized" lengths; in other words, the lengths of the blocks are all multiples of each other, which makes building with them much easier. Two of the small triangles together equal the size of the square; two squares together are the same size as one of the rectangles, etc. 3) They come with a wooden box that perfectly contains all the blocks for storage or transport (but it is rather heavy!). Here are a few minor drawbacks, or at least things to keep in mind: 1) As I mentioned, the blocks are heavy -- in particular, the two largest rectangle blocks are quite hefty. This normally shouldn't be a problem, but if a very young toddler was playing with these on the floor and stacked the large rectangle on top of a lot of other blocks, it could fall and cause a nasty bump on the head. We noticed the potential for this when our 18-month-old daughter played with these, and it's why we only let her play with them under our close supervision. This may also be a reason why the suggested age range is 36 months and up. 2) As other reviewers have noted, the lengths of some of the blocks are not exactly identical, especially with the wedge-shaped ones. I don't see this as an enormous drawback, but I suppose it could be an issue if you were building a really complex structure. 3) Not to state the obvious, but these definitely need a smooth hard surface beneath them. Playing with these on a thick carpet would just be an exercise in frustration! One final note: I was initially worried about being able to get all these blocks back into their storage box - figured if I didn't put them back in a certain way they wouldn't fit. As it turns out, there's no need to worry about this. It's probably easiest if you start with the largest blocks and finish with the smallest, but they go back into the box easily without needing a special order or orientation. A wonderful toy!

Endless hours of fun for our 2 grandkids!

We bought these blocks a year and a half ago for our 2 grandsons. At the time they were ages 4 and 2. They have now just turned 6 and 4. They use these blocks every time they visit and it is the one toy that they use together without a fuss. Our 3 1/2 year old grand-niece just visited and she had a great time with them too. These blocks are very well made and the kids do such creative things with them. They are worth every penny. Here's a tip. When these blocks first arrived, I took a photo of each layer of blocks (there are 3 layers) as we unpacked them. I'm posting those photos here, because I refer to them every time we put these blocks back in the sturdy box that they came in. The photos also give you an idea of the various sizes and shapes that are in the box.

Quality wood

I made the swap from plastic toys to wood toys a couple of years ago. I did some research and came up with the brand names like Hape, Haba, Plan Toys, Grimm's, etc. My personal favorites were the Haba toys made in Germany like their clutching toys, as well as toys from Grimm's which are all made in Germany. Those toys are pricey though. I wondered why Melissa and Doug toys were so cheap compared to most of the other reputable companies that make wood toys. I found that first and foremost, most of Melissa and Doug toys are made in China. I'm not a fan of child labor, so that was a no. I simply cannot bring myself to buy toys (of all things) for my own children to play with, when it's made by children in China who should be able to play like mine are. Rather those children are treated cruelly, like slaves, made to work in abhorrible conditions creating toys while being paid a pittance, if that. I furthermore found that this brand also fails it's tests. They found lead in the paint used on the baby toys, among other things. So, I have stayed away from the Melissa and Doug brand ever since I learned about how their company operates. They are not a simple mom and pop company like the name would innocently suggest. Last year I wanted some neutral colored blocks. These blocks kept coming up as recommendations. After a lot of looking and not finding a good alternative, I bit the bullet and just purchased this set. Upon arrival I inspected it thoroughly. I am very surprised by the quality I found. It arrived in a box which said made in Thailand. The crate, while not the sturdiest, will perform the job it's intended to do. The blocks themselves are beautiful. Not hollow and cheap, but a good heavy, quality wood. Smoothly sanded down, rounded edges. Just what I was wanting for my 2 year old toddler. I have a six month old baby boy who handles small toys right now. I look forward to him playing with these within the year as well. My 9 year old will like them fine and play with them, but I will get him precision blocks later. The kind you can really stack very tall and have an easier time doing that. Since these have rounded edges, in my opinion they are perfect for younger ones who will build smaller creations. While these are currently stashed away and waiting to be opened on Christmas, I will say I have been incredibly tempted to get them out and just start playing with them with my children. They truly are a five star product. I cannot find anything wrong with them at all. If a problem arises I will be sure to contact the company and come update my review here. For a company that is able to put out such a quality product and make it in Thailand, it's obvious they make most of their toys in China with inferior quality since money matters more than quality. Due to this, with the exception of their architectural blocks and depending on where those are made, I don't think I would personally buy anything else from this company myself.

Great blocks - highly recommended

My son (now over 3.25 years old) has had these now for over a year. It was an excellent buy. The blocks still get a lot of use and are of very good quality. I highly recommend these. See photos I uploaded. UPDATE 2010-09-01: Still makes use of these unlike many other toys he's had... I now consider a good set of blocks as a "MUST HAVE" toy for a young child. UPDATE 2012-07-01: My son is 5.5 and still uses these blocks... many other toys come and go, but this one lasts and lasts. UPDATE 2013-12-04: My son is almost 7 now and still occasionally uses these blocks. Again, I'm impressed with the longevity of how long a child can play with these. Again, highly recommended! I now wish I had bought 2 sets originally.

A year later...

We bought this a year ago along with the other architecture set. This was a Christmas gift mainly for my 2 and 5 year old (both turning a year old at the beginning of the year). As I am sitting here thinking of Christmas gifts for this year I was looking back at what was a hit last year and what was a waste of money. These are definitely a hit. My 5 year old plays with them the most, then my 2 year old and sometimes my 8 year old daughter too. My 5 y/o incorporates these with duplos and fire trucks and makes fire houses, sometimes they just have tower building competitions and other times he incorporates them in his railroad tracks. They are very versatile and help little ones use their creativity. I was hesitant to buy them last year due to the cost but I am glad they ended up being a great buy!

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