Since the beginning of “fun” stacking toys have been a staple in the kids plaything realm. This practical toy teaches motor skills and size relationships while keeping kids (and adults) entertained for hours. I had never thought much of these toys until Lindsay and I were visiting Pittsburgh last summer. We were browsing the Carnegie Museum of Art and stopped in the gift shop on our way out.

Like a scene out of a movie the Tobbles Neo Infant Stacking toy seemed to be glowing on the shelf; screaming my name. I immediately started playing with it – stacking straight and stacking crooked. I was enamored! As Lindsay pried me away from the toy I glanced at the price in an effort to justify the purchase, but alas $30 was too rich for my blood.

Fast-forward a few months and imagine my delight when I walked in the door from work to see Juniper playing with the tobble toy! To my surprise, Lindsay picked one up at a consignment shop earlier that day for only $12! The floor playing world was now made complete because I… well Juniper, possessed the ultimate stacking toy.

What makes the toy so great?

While I prefer wood toys, I can get behind toys with a nicely textured matte plastic (another manufacturer that uses this type of plastic is Green Toys). From a design perspective, I love the choice of non-primary colors. The colors are still bright and fun but they don’t have to be primary to scream “kids toy”. I also appreciate the 2-tone color scheme on each ball. The added bit of interesting contrast between the dark and light hue is not lost on me.

Stacking shiny donut shapes onto a post or various size cups on top of each other falls short to the fun that this toy offers. Precision is unnecessary as the weighted balls allow for quick and easy asymmetric balancing. Because of this feature you are able to stack on nearly any surface, in multiple profiles. The elegant touch of the concave scalloped edging adds the perfect chewing potential. If that isn’t enough reasons to love these, their hollow construction easily turns them musical instruments for the child prodigy.

Your kids will be able to enjoy this toy for a long time which is the biggest benefit to me. My niece (3) and nephew (1.5) stopped by our house and were having just as much fun with this toy as Juniper. It may be that everyone has a little bit of a destructive nature and they love to knock towers over but I think it probably has to do with the asymmetric nature and multifunctional stacking balls.

I highly recommend that you buy this toy for your own kids or for a friends baby shower. This toy will not disappoint.