Almost every child has grown up playing with alphabet blocks. Whether they were yours as a kid and grandmom saved them for her grandbabies or you bought a set because who doesn’t love blocks. But most of the blocks you find have a weird animal illustration on one side and a primary color painted around a letter on another.

They serve their purpose and our kids don’t really care what they look like. But if you are like me, you care! You have critiqued the chunky comic or old-school serif style letterforms. You judge the decision to put a spider illustration on a children’s toy. You get the feeling that there are better blocks available.

Fortunately there are alternatives out there! One option I fell in love with focuses on typography and natural wood. They even paid attention to the subtle details in packaging! Introducing Typeblocks.

Each block presents a different typeface whose name begins with the letter of that block (ex. “A” is for Avant Garde) and includes a large upper and lowercase specimen, typeface name, designer(s), date, and classification.

These 2 inch blocks are safe as well. The natural beeswax finish and lack of paint prevent the need to worry about anything chipping off as your child gnaws on them.

Products like typeblocks prove that there are products available that pay attention to all of the details. They span the gap between designing for children and focusing on good design. The best part about these blocks is that once your kids are done playing with them you have a perfect desk accessory to help you pick the prefect typeface for your next project.

If you love these blocks then head over to typeblocks.bigcartel.com and support my friend who is making these right here in the US. Have you found other amazing alternatives? If so tell me about them in the comments.