I was looking through an old issue of I.D. Magazine the other day and stumbled upon an article by William Bostwick, Ian Volner, Eva Hagberg and Jesse Ashlock entitled “Toy Stories.”  I found this article interesting because it went to the heart of why designers design – at some level, it’s about play and enjoyment.  The exploration of new ideas and concepts is what drives many to this field, and it typically starts at an early age.

I decided to search online for some of the toys listed in the article.  Coincidentally, I found a unique toy web site called Fat Brain Toys that has a wide variety of quality toys for all ages.  What I really like about Fat Brain Toys is that their selection is of high-quality and “open-ended” which ultimately translates into greater exploration and learning.

While I love just about everything that Fat Brain Toys offers, I was particularly interested in a construction set by Uberstix called Uberarc.  Uberstix are unique in that they connect with just about every building set imaginable – including Lego, Erector and KNeX.  In the spirit of building a mini metropolis, the Uberarc product offering is particularly cool:

“Learn to build from blueprints. Full scale blueprints are included that teach how to build from plan views, isometric views, detailed views and more. Download and print your building permit and learn about wind loads and seismic loads.”

In short, any toy that encourages prototyping and is taller than the child building it is simply awesome!