Janod Story Boxes

Wooden Worlds of Fun

I have yet to be disappointed with Janod toys, and their Story Boxes are no exception. We’ve owned our Janod Story Box Circus for years and years and my kids still love to take it out and play.

The sturdy wooden pieces in bright colors will appeal to young kids, though a dog or vacuum or determined toddler can snap off a head with some effort. The small people fit onto the other props for lots of imaginative playing combinations.

We like to mix our set with other mediums, such as Duplos, wooden trains, or magnet tiles, but they work fine on their own as well. Each set comes in a box so nice that I couldn’t bring myself to toss it. Instead, I cut out the paper that came with the packaging where it shows the entire contents of the set, and glued that to the inside of the box so I knew at a glance what pieces belonged. The box itself can be difficult to open, so I fixed that by folding some tape over to leave a strip hanging outside the edge of the inner box.

But the tight fitting box means it will stay safe from tiny explorers even if you store it within reach. The entire box of about twenty pieces weighs very little, which makes it great for taking on shorter trips, since everything packs up compactly. Unlike some toys we own, everything goes back into the box with zero effort, meaning even my three year old can clean it up with ease.

Express sets include a train that matches the theme as well as complete wooden track set. If you know you want to expand your wooden toy play, I recommend the set. It comes in circus, farm, safari, far west, firefighter, and city versions. We personally have so much wooden track that more seems silly, but they work with all other brands of wooden track to create even more fun.