Classic Toys Shop

Uncle Goose Blocks - Classic ABC Blocks with Wagon

We bought these blocks for our 10 month old daughter's first Christmas. I knew we wanted to get her alphabet blocks, and I was drawn to them after reading all the positive feedback here. Then I saw they were made in the USA, and I was sold. I'm so glad I spent a little more to get the version with the wagon, as it neatly stores all the blocks. When we first opened the box, the smell of the fresh wood instantly confirmed the GREAT quality of the blocks. The blocks are a great size and painted beautifully. We are having so much fun building towers and knocking them down! She loves dumping them out of the wagon and putting them into a bucket, too. When she's older, I'm sure we'll have fun naming the animals, spelling words, and even doing math with the numbers! We couldn't be happier... and we highly recommend! -- Classic, quality toy

These are beautiful blocks! the cart them come is is a must for storage. I highly recommend this product - baby shower/birthday gift or for your own child- these will last generations! And your supporting USA made toys! -- A Quality product that keeps baby busy!

I purchased these blocks for my 7 month old daughter's first Christmas. I wanted to give her something special that would have longevity, encourage open-ended play, and was natural and made in the US. These blocks fit all of my criteria and then some. They're beautiful to look at and the craftsmanship is obvious. The wagon is not only functional but well-made and fits a multitude of uses. I think my two year old son is going to enjoy playing with these as well and I may have to purchase another set for him. -- Heirloom Quality Toy

I've had my eye on these blocks for quite some time, and finally decided to purchase them for my youngest, who will be two early next year. As expected, these blocks are exquisite, classic, and heirloom quality. The embossed detail on the front and back of each block is really fantastic. The wood is beautiful, the designs on the sides are nice - uppercase alphabet on two sides, stamped in bright red, the other two sides are dedicated to animals and numbers and are both a deep blue. There are four colors on the embossed sides; orange, yellow, blue and green.

We simultaneously bought the lowercase set of these blocks, and I mention this because a really cool feature is that for each of the adult animals in the uppercase set there is a matching baby animal in the lowercase set. So if you decide to buy both, you get the added bonus of a little game of match the mama (or daddy) animal to the baby. There are even some unusual pairs like a tadpole and frog and a butterfly and caterpillar. What a well-thought-out and fantastic tie-in between these two sets!

With all the letters available on the uppercase alphabet set (it essentially has the full alphabet 4 times over), kids will have the opportunity to make plenty of words as they enter that phase. Younger kids will enjoy building with something that is so brightly-colored and fun to look at. And with the safety standards of Uncle Goose - and, of course, the fact that they are made in the US - I don't think you could possibly go wrong with this or any other set they offer. And they have a lot of cool options. I had trouble choosing.

Anyhow, the wagon, which has gotten lukewarm reception with some reviewers was not originally going to be part of my order, but it happened that a combination of sale prices vs. non-sale prices made it seem silly not to buy the wagon; it only cost me an extra couple of bucks over what the blocks alone would have been. And for that price, I am definitely pleased with it.

However, I can understand the negative reviews of it. The wagon is more a really cool way to store these blocks, and less a really cool wagon by itself. Mostly, this is because it is small, as would be expected (13. 75" x 8.6"). It stands a mere 2.6" from the ground, and only has a depth of 1" in the block compartment. It seems sturdy enough, which is good, because my girls seem to like the idea of sitting in it. So far, it's holding up. They also enjoy toting toys and blocks in it a bit too.

Also, of note on the wagon is the pull string and the ball that is attached to it. The pull string itself, presumably in an effort to comply with CPSC rules (all pull cords must be 12" or shorter) to prevent strangulation hazards, measures about 9-10". This is really really short, and it was frustrating the heck out of my 95th percentile girls. They would have had to walk about on their knees. The ball at the end, which measures about 1.25", is a choking hazard, whether its becomes detached or not, without supervision. We ended up removing the ball, and replacing the nylon cord with a similar one, about 2 inches longer - which still meets CPSC standards while making the wagon functional. It's not a difficult fix to do yourself, and it's really a necessary one if you want this wagon to do anything but make the kids angry.

Bottom line: I wouldn't totally discount the wagon. My kids really seem to like it. If the price is right and you've got a clear idea of what you're buying it's a fine accessory to the blocks.

The blocks are worth every penny no matter how you package them. I'm so pleased to have found such a high quality toy made right here in the USA! -- Exquisite Blocks; Wagon Makes Nice Storage

Blocks are great. Large durable wooden blocks, great quality.
I docked a star because the string that pulls the wagon is too short for my 15 month old son. Slightly disappointing since I paid the extra for the wagon. The wheels don't roll all that well either, since it's made purely of wood.
Just get the blocks, forget the wagon. -- blocks great, skip the wagon