July 27, 2010 Sheri

Giveaways Day 27 – Melissa & Doug Train Table and Train Set

To be honest, I’m still bitter about the disappearance of Brio, the company that became a household name with their simple wooden trains. The beginning of the end happened when Brio decided to turn computer innards into the next big metaphor in wooden trains. But there was one big problem – the little email-delivery techie thingies weren’t trains.

Not too long after that, Brio ceased operations in the US and signed on with K’nex to distribute the brand. That was a flop, and at this point, Brio is essentially a dead brand here.

So the door is wide open for others to grab a little piece of the wooden railway pie. And let me tell you – wooden railway is still big with the toddler set.

Melissa & Doug is very good at spotting opportunities to augment their expansive line of toys, and wooden railway was a natural direction for them to take. Their Wooden Railway Set is an amazing value, packed with over 130 pieces. There’s plenty of track for a variety of layouts, lots of trains, plus bridges, accessories and traffic signs. Their Multi-Activity table is the perfect surface for wooden railroad play. It’s solidly built and easy to assemble, reasonably priced, but it holds up to all kinds of toddler abuse. There’s even a nice storage drawer built right into the table.

As usual, the wooden track pieces included in this set are cross-compatible with track from Brio, Thomas the Tank Engine and Nuchi. So this set is a great way to kick-start a new collection or infuse some excitement into an old one.

The Melissa & Doug Multi-Activity Table and Wooden Railway Set prize package is our last Toy Tuesday prize in the 31 Days of Giveaways. Enter now.