Ancient wooden toys were made of pure wood, while modern ones adopt the combination and processing of materials and crafts to varying degrees, achieving diversification and multi-functionality in toy functions.

Wooden toys form a major category of toys with a long history. Their historical development in European and American developed countries was intertwined with the unique cultural ideologies and national histories of each nation, among which German wooden toys emerged the earliest and enjoy the highest reputation. In ancient Germany, belt lathes came into being, with wooden toys processed on such lathes and then polished by hand. These wooden toys ranged in size from tiny ones a few inches big to large-scale pieces, with the Noah's Ark being the most representative work.

A German man named Albert immigrated to Philadelphia, the US, in 1872 and began making wooden horse toys for circuses. His handcrafted wooden horses featured flexible movements and vivid appearances, were adopted by many local circuses, and can still be seen to this day—they were the most popular wooden horses of that era. Later, circuses attached four wheels to the wooden horses, which became the embryonic form of ancient carriages.

Inspired by wooden horses, a variety of wooden toys such as trains, cars, ships and tractors were successively created in the subsequent manufacturing of wooden toys. To this day, wooden airplanes have become children's favorite toys. This fully demonstrates that wooden toys not only boast a long history and profound cultural connotations but also embody the zeitgeist of each era.

Among other wooden toys, stilts and spinning tops are also popular among children. Stilts are simple wooden toys that combine education with entertainment. Spinning tops are the easiest to make in terms of craftsmanship, yet the most widely used by kids. Many of us played with spinning tops on the ice in childhood: watching a top spin helps children learn knowledge such as mechanical principles and acceleration. It can be said that wooden toys have made an indelible contribution to human intellectual development.

In China, wooden toys have an even longer history. The famous Huarong Path, a classic wooden toy, was a childhood favorite for many. Playing it teaches people that the role, strength and tactical interaction of each character are all crucial. Later, wooden building blocks emerged as another classic wooden toy. The process of building blocks helps children understand architectural principles: a scientifically constructed structure will stand firm, while an unscientific one will collapse. This toy may even have inspired many future architects. Therefore, toys are the first intellectual mentors of human beings—children who play with toys well tend to have significantly outstanding intelligence, which also endows toy manufacturers with a glorious mission.

Wooden toys are generally divided into natural, abstract and artistic forms in terms of morphology. The natural form reflects the essence of toys and soothes the soul; the abstract form highlights the intellectual elements of toys and sparks boundless imagination; the artistic form embodies the aesthetic value of toys and brings people a sense of beauty. When someone is in a low mood, admiring a clumsy and oversized toy will only make them feel worse. In contrast, appreciating a brightly colored, elegantly shaped toy that brings joy at first sight will totally lift their spirits.

Wooden toys exude unique charm not only in intellectual development but also boast excellent features in other aspects, with safety and practicality being the top priority. Made entirely of wood, wooden toys are non-toxic and odorless, which is beneficial to children's physical and mental health. Furthermore, they are unbreakable, wear-resistant and shock-resistant—these advantages are also the reasons why foreign consumers are keen on buying Chinese wooden toys.