My colleague doesn't have children, so he enjoys discovering toys for his niece. As an illustrator and graphic designer, he naturally gravitates toward good design. And as a parent, it's fun for me to share toy ideas with him that match my design sensibilities - and more importantly, toys that my children enjoy.
Everything sounds more beautiful in Italian, including "Primi giochi - Quercetti - Giocattoli Educativi - Daisy Box Castello" We received the Italian-designed Daisy Box Castle by Quercetti http://www.quercetti.com/ita/prodotti-linee-primigiochi.php a few years ago as a gift for my daughter. At the time, she was just a year old. This toy is designed for children 1+ and certainly older children enjoy it, too. My son, at 2 1/2 years older, has always enjoyed building with this toy. In fact, now that they are two-and-a-half and nearly five, it's still an enjoyable toy. They just played with it again last night. Once built, my daughter calls it her "happy birthday cake" and given the design, you can see why.
Available at high-end toy stores as well as Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00267T4FW/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0006OHNCI&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1NBJQ2RSMPSY44WTKGY4 and Sears http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM2218551303P?prdNo=9 I highly recommend the Quercetti Daisy Box.
