New Year

Chinese checkers probably do not come from the Far East, despite their name. On the other hand, Chinese checkers are a variant of the game Halma, a game created in England at the end of the 19th century by the American George Howard Monks, who invented a game called Halma, a name derived from the ancient Greek meaning "jump" but also an ancient pentathlon event.

This first version of the game is played on the grids of a 16x16 square board. The version we know today was adapted under the name Stern-Halma (Halma: star) and patented in 1892 by the German company Ravensburger. This version of the game is played on a star-shaped game board. However, it can be seen that there is a rather similar version on a star-shaped board in Asia...

When the game was first marketed in the United States by the company J.Pressman & Co. under the name "Hop Ching", the expression "Chinese Checkers" was used for the first time. However, this game in its initial square form is still called "Halma" in many countries... Gift idea for playing with the family, a very nice wooden board game gift. Original gift idea for a birthday, or for the end of the year celebrations.   

The progress of human beings has been made through multiple small changes in the uses and ways of acting. One of these changes is undoubtedly the way of consuming, the utensils and objects used, as we have previously mentioned in our articles on mugs. Kitchen items have evolved over time according to cultures and needs. The mug is one of those famous instruments of our daily life that have a history and whose usefulness is no longer in question. The mug is now tending to be rivalled by the mug, which is a large, much more fashionable cup used without a saucer. A mug is a large cylindrical container with a handle, used without a saucer, which is equivalent in appearance to a cup and is used for drinking or measuring in Europe and Quebec, and only for drinking hot liquids in North America. A mug can also be made of clay, glass or enamelled metal. Its use varies from region to region and it can be decorated and personalised as desired. Mugs can be of different colours, quite usual and simple, fluorescent, flashy etc. sometimes with patterns or a colour inside the mug which can sometimes be very varied A mug has the singularity of being able to be customised according to one's taste and wishes. They are also available in different sizes and formats.

History of the cup The Calabrian goblet cup is slightly rounded at the base, with a slightly flared upper rim. The Etruscan cup made in 1786 for Queen Marie-Antoinette in the Rambouillet dairy. The jasmine cup, intended for chocolate: slightly flared, on a small base that serves as a pedestal, called a piédouche, it is decorated with animal claws and has rolled handles that are higher than the cup. The duck cup is small and is used to dip a sugar cube into three drops of coffee. The same name is given to the cup that bedridden patients drink from. It has a handle for the carer and a long spout that can be slipped between the patient's lips to avoid spilling the liquid. The analogy between the spout and the bird's beak led to the name "duck". The duck was mainly made of earthenware until the end of the 20th century, when this material was replaced by plastic. The filter or herbal tea cup is large and has a built-in filter. The broth cup is wide and flared, with a lid and two side handles. The moustache cup, created at the end of the 19th century, is a cup with a semi-circular inner rim. The rim has a crescent-shaped opening that prevents the liquid from reaching the hair of moustached drinkers. A children funny birthday mug with a decoration that will be dedicated to embellish with a special child drawing what is more essential for a personalised mug gift idea for kids . This is a great personalised kid birthday mug idea, and your child will never want to use another mug again.

History of the cup A children funny birthday mug with a decoration that will be dedicated to embellish with a special child drawing what is more essential for a personalised mug gift idea for kids . This is a great personalised kid birthday mug idea, and your child will never want to use another mug again. We know the story of the pottery kiln from an ancient Chinese poem, the "Shuihuzhuan" (poem about the origin of objects). It reads as follows... There was once a man named Zhou Bo, who had a son named Lu Buwei, who had a daughter named Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei was the first person to make porcelain ware, which she then presented to her father, who liked it so much that he gave her this land, where she built a kiln and started making pots for sale, with her father's blessing (he needed the money, after all!). She sold them very well and soon became rich; however, she wanted to give something back to her parents for their generosity, so she asked her father if he would accept these two cups, which she said were the best ever made. One day Lu Buwei decided to build a kiln so that his sister, Jiang Wei, could make pots. He went into the forest to collect clay and saw beautiful pieces of glazed porcelain lying in the ground among the roots of the trees! He took them home, and the next morning he called his son, Lu Buwei, and told him to take these pieces of porcelain to make pots, and then took him to see the kiln where they had been collected.

The puzzles, an original wooden game gift, are from Greece. The first puzzle game dates back to the third century. This gift idea for teenagers, young people, mothers or men is an unusual gift that can be played alone or in groups. But what is a puzzle? It's a game that starts from a situation that is usually random and disordered and ends in a well-defined order, following predetermined rules. There are different types of puzzles, geometric games (i.e. mathematical games), logogram games, numerical games, card games, so the best-known puzzle is undoubtedly success, etc... But the best-known puzzles are the Puzzle and the Rubik's Cube... The first puzzles were called "Stomachion", a square game divided into 14 parts, which had to be put together in a predetermined order and could be combined in many different shapes. Puzzles were very popular at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Professor Hoffmann published a book with the title: "Puzzles old and new." It described 40 puzzles with all the secret mechanical details. This puzzle book has become a reference for this exciting type of game. Wood is undoubtedly the most suitable material for puzzles, despite the fact that it is easy to work with, such as plastic.

Do you know the board games: Pachisi (Indian), Patolli (Mesoamerican), Ludo and the little horses? You win! They have an apron (playing surface) in the shape of a cross. However, all these games have a filiation that goes back very far in the history of civilisations, although they are called differently. Some have similar rules like the Korean game: "Yunnori", of Chinese origin, but the game board is different. And these board games were eventually called Ludo in Great Britain and "petits chevaux" in France. They were introduced in the United States and France around 1936. However, the rules and the number of squares where the little horses move to pass and go around may not be the same depending on the size of the game and the dressing of the small horse games or Ludo. However, even if the rules of the small horses or even if the boards are different, the fun of the game is still there. Nowadays, the variations of Ludo pawns are very important; pirates, small animal, Lego etc. When I was little, I used to go to my grandparents' house very often and the game of little horses was one of the first board games I played with my grandfather. The Ludo "Islands of the pirates" is a good birthday present for the little ones who often like pirate stories and cartoons.

To play Ludo (small horses or dada in France, Belgium), you need to be four and have a dice and 4 counters, farm animals or small horses whose colour corresponds to the starting box. The colour is drawn at random before starting the game which runs in the same direction as the clockwise direction. To start the race in this little gift game, the participants must roll a 6, which then allows them to get out and stand right in front of the box. The number 6 allows them to play again. To progress on this game, gift ideas for children, participants must roll a dice and move their mount forward by the same amount. If you roll a 5, for example, and you arrive exactly on a square where there is already an opponent's pawn, this pawn will have to go back to its stable and start the game again and you will take its place on the board. The winner is the one who arrives first at the centre of this ideal board game gift and ideal birthday present, while crossing the ladder opposite his starting "box" at the end of a compulsory turn of the board. To climb up, the number indicated on the ladder must be achieved: One on the one, two on the two, etc. Obtaining a different number does not allow you to move your horse or, in this case, your farm animal forward. Who will win the race? The donkey, the sheep, the mouse or the cow? A nice gift for children who love animals.

R2D2 is a small robot from the Star Wars saga, an iconic character for all fans who have followed the adventures of good versus evil for many years. R2D2 is present in the majority of the Star Wars films, in 10 of the 11 films so far (2021). R2D2 is a robot that speaks in electronic language and makes special whistling sounds that are understood by few, but understood by his companion C3PO, another "droid" robot, who forms an inseparable and amusing pair in the intergalactic adventure. The pair that forms R2D2 and C3PO has appeared in practically all the Star Wars episodes. In this saga R2D2 has multiple assets that are often very useful in the war against the dark side: recording and projecting holographic films, projecting electric current and getting into the computers of spaceships thanks to an articulated arm that connects to the computer network. In this way, the friendly droid finds a lot of important information in the fight against the dark side. Several small actors have taken turns to wear the R2D2 "suit". This R2D2 cuddly toy is sure to please as it is an original Star Wars gift for Star Wars fans and a great Star Wars gift idea for young and old.

This children's first aid kit contains standard medical equipment and is realistic and virtually identical to what is found in many first aid services, doctors' surgeries and doctors' offices.

Becoming a doctor is often one of the jobs that children dream of doing when they grow up.

In France, the dream jobs for boys are, in order of preference: aeroplane or helicopter pilot, engineer, scientist and in fourth place: "Doctor, nurse or emergency doctor.

The jobs that girls dream of are first: teacher and then doctor, nurse or emergency doctor. The tastes of young Belgians must certainly be similar to those of French children. The profession of doctor is still a dream for young girls and boys. In Belgium and France, the studies to become a doctor of medicine last from 9 to 12 years (for the specialisations).

Of course this doctor's case is only a toy for children, but this medical case is an opportunity to imagine oneself practising a beautiful profession and will perhaps give the desire to become a doctor. This first aid case is a birthday gift idea, a birthday gift for a child, girl or boy, an original gift for the holidays, in short an original gift idea for children.

The origin of croquet can be traced back to the game of pall-mall which was played in the French countryside in the Middle Ages. It was Louis XIV who had it transferred to the table in his palace so that it could be played even in winter and the game would then have become billiards. The English copied the game around 1300 and, after many developments, it became golf in Scotland and croquet in Ireland. Popularised during the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, contemporary croquet is mainly practised by Anglo-Saxons: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, India, etc. For many of us, this croquet game seems to be just a pleasant pastime and an ideal wooden game idea to offer as a birthday present for dad or as a fun gift for young people. Croquet also brings enthusiasts together in a Belgian federation that was founded in 1994 and which organises tournaments. Croquet can be played alone or in teams, most often on grass, but sometimes on the beach (sand) and even on ice. Teams range from two to eight players. The aim is to make the wooden ball go through the field as quickly as possible by advancing it with a mallet. The ball must follow a precise course, delimited by hoops, under which the ball must pass. The courses differ according to the number of hoops to be crossed, the direction of the course, etc. A fun outdoor game to play with family or friends.

This wooden game box offers the possibility to play with the two board games most practiced in many families: chess and jacquet. This box is portable thanks to its handle. It is a remarkable and practical gift that will please the lovers of wooden board games. The box is carefully worked with marquetry in the lid. The learning of the backgammon game is quite fast. The goal of the game is to be the first to have brought all his pieces to his camp, called jan, and to have taken them out of the board one by one. Backgammon is a game in which luck intervenes and where strategy and experience are paramount. While having fun, the game of chess allows children and adults to develop their concentration, creativity, and improve their strategy and memory. It is the king of the board game and has many followers all over the world. It is fairly easy to learn. The chess game is played on the outside of the box. All the pieces, except the king, can be taken from each other. The object of the game is to make the king mate because the king is threatened with capture at the next move and no parry is possible to avoid it. A fun gift for the whole family, from classic games that are passed down from generation to generation, to rules known by everyone, from children to grandparents. Offer these wooden board games, an entertaining gift for moments of relaxation and conviviality.

What could be more beautiful than a rainbow? Many children are amazed by this phenomenon and love to draw it.

They will certainly enjoy receiving this lovely wooden rainbow. Unlike many games that offer only one solution, the rainbow blocks offer many combinations. To begin with, the child can have fun making the rainbow again by sorting it from the smallest to the largest, thus learning the different sizes through manipulation. Then he can play with them on the ground and make a huge course. Unless he puts them one behind the other to make the balls pass through the arches like in a tunnel. He can also roll his little cars underneath or play toboggan on the arches with his little teddy bear.In addition, this rainbow block game is very colourful with its bright colours.The child who receives this very nice game will be able to spend a lot of time having fun. For young and old alike, the possibilities with this wooden game are almost endless and only our imagination could run out of ideas to play with these Rainbow XL wooden blocks.

A great original toy for children, an educational wooden game gift idea, a nice Christmas gift for children, a fun toy for girls and boys.