Customer review
This will be a long list, but I want to give a chance to many of my customers to speak about their experiences with my wooden toys and Nativities. I would never find those words, so encouraging and positive. It is highly important to me to find out something about my work in your hands and in the hands of children. I am deeply touched to hear, that so many of you treasure them, keep them dear and close even after many years. You showed me I do not work in vein and I thank you so much for that.
Nothing has broken off these toys and we’ve had many pieces break off our Ostheimer wooden toys- impressive!
They are all still in use- being played with by our 5 and 6 year old who they were purchased for originally. Their 9 month old brother watches his older siblings telling imaginative stories with your toys and I will be excited when we pass them along to him. Many years of joy! While they are all loved, the unicorn is my daughter’s favorite.
The little animals have been very loved, both by my daughter who received them, and her younger sister. They are still all together in their box, and none have broken, although the little cat was chewed by our dog, so has a few teeth marks. They still smell beautiful. We will keep them for our (hopefully future) grandchildren when our kids have grown out of them. I suspect Ollie will want to keep them forever though. Thanks again for making something so beautiful.They have been treasured, and will continue to be.
Eckart, the items I purchased from you are beautiful and timeless. I was just looking at them today. After being in a small bin of sand tray toys for almost three years and used by many small hands, they are as perfect as the day they arrived. Thank you for your beautiful craft, and thank you for your inquiry.
These are the best! I gave the wooden animals to my sister for her first child. The animals do sit on a shelf, they are décor and toy all in one, and my nephew plays with them off and on. My sister actually used them specifically to occupy him while changing his diaper so it was a treat to get one.
He is now a little over 2 and he has a new baby sister and they both play with them. Nothing has broken and they still look fantastic. My nephew loves animals and really animal noises are the first noises he really made 🙂 He has an animal book that he flips through and makes the animal sounds while holding the wooden animal, it’s adorable.
Our cat family is still VERY much loved and in use. The pieces are all fully in tact and have been part of our daughter’s favorites since the moment she received them!
What a wonderful email- I teach art and love it when people really value the quality of their work. I ordered a nativity from you last winter and I love it and had so many wonderful comments on it through the holidays.
1. The quality is exceptional and I would not change a thing about the craftsmanship of my product.
2. I have it wrapped up safely with my Christmas ornaments- which are very important to me. I carefully pick them out and they are considered family treasures.
I will order from you again when I can.
We bought our nativity set last year. We kept it out only for a month at Christmas time, and will continue to do so every year. It is currently in our Christmas box in the linen closet. Nothing has broken, but the kids don’t really play with it in the normal way. It is at their level and they will sometimes rearrange the pieces or decorate them with objects from nature, but they are not allowed to take them off the shelf where they are displayed during the Christmas season.
Hello Eckart,
The farm animals you made for us have certainly not been thrown away, and I am sure never will be! My youngest is only two, and I already intend to keep the animals for my grandchildren (should I have any!). They are absolutely beautifully crafted and extremely durable. I originally gave them to my daughter for her 3rd birthday and she’s now nearly 7 and shares them with her brother. The live in a beautiful wooden barn in my daughter’s room. We’ve had no issues with them and have received many compliments from friends. I would not hesitate to recommend your work, and would look for your etsy shop again if I needed anything similar.
Many thanks again,
Kate
Hi Eckart. Thanks for your message.
To answer your questions:
1. We have only had two minor breakages in the years we have owned our set of animals, the beak of our goose (which I believe was chewed rather than broken) and the kangaroos foot (which was some too vigorous bouncing during play) But all the other animals are in great condition and have lasted extremely well without any breakages.
2. Our animals are still in use and our second child also plays with them. They sit on our shelf while not in use but they have lasted through the different ages of our growing children and will be kept to pass on in the future.
Keep doing what your are doing, your toys are wonderful. In comparison I bought a toy tree at a market locally to go with the animal set, and it was snapped at the trunk in no time – no where near the same quality.
Hello Eckart,
We still enjoy the horses and goats that you made. None of them have broken. I’m not exactly sure where each of them are currently, but we have a pretty disorganized household. They are all around and my kids choose to play with them often.
We love our set. I do wish my children would play with if more often. It seems they are more attracted to bigger toys like the water guns and bicycles. I’m not sure how to encourage them to be more imaginative and play with the figurines. To answer your questions-
1. None of the figurines ever broke. The quality was superb! And they still look beautiful. We bought for my oldest son when he was the only child. Now we have three boys who enjoy them. I expect many more years of play.
2. We keep the figurines in a small wooden box with a lid and a handle; it has the scene of a pasture and farm painted on the sides. This keeps them together and prevents them from getting lost at the bottom of our big toy box. The box is on the floor next to a big toy box and wooden farm to encourage play. We lost one figurine. Two more were damaged by our dog when we left them on the floor after play. We learned a lesson and Now we all do a good job of cleaning up right away so that doesn’t happen again.
Hope my feedback helps. If I could offer any advice to your business I think you could sell a beautiful wooden box to help keep them together.
So – these pictures should answer your questions – we play with the animals every day and they are kept in this basket. I have taken pictures of what is broken. Also to mention that any bark (mostly birch) has come off.
Hi Eckart. Here are your answers: 1) The small fox I ordered is exactly what I wanted. He is still in great shape. A little more detail would have been nice but he is perfect to travel with. 2) Mr. Fox sits on my mesa. I just finished my 1.5 year shaman program and he is the doppelganger for my animal ally. He has journeyed to the top of Roan Mtn and Mt. Mitchell here in North Carolina and he journeyed with me to Tokyo, Japan, Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as Mexico this summer. Thank you for creating him.
Your workmanship is beyond compare, as I knew it would be. I ordered colored farm animals from other vendors because I thought my about to be 2 granddaughter would appreciate the colors but I also had to have a piece from your shop. Possibly we will add to the collection in the future…
We love your pieces, I am a childminder and look after many children between the age of 1 and 12, the animals often receive quite rough play, they are all still doing really well, with no breaks or noticable marks… plus they are dearly loved. I always look forward to our collection. The only animal we have lost is one of our rabbits which was chewed by the dog, not normal play.
I bought the barnyard animals for my granddaughter as part of a Christmas gift of a handmade barn.
She has played with these animals figures since I purchased them,they still maintain their look and feel as when I purchase them.They have been stored in a box and baskets.
I have been pleased with the quality of these carvings.
Hi Eckart,
Our animals are very much in use with my 15 month old boy, and none of them have broken with play.
Thanks very much!
I am delighted to answer your questions.
All the toys you have made for us are in wonderful condition, none of them have broken. My son went through a phase where he was really rough on toys, and all your toys are still in wonderful condition, including the bremen town musicians custom set in plum wood you made for us.
The animals are on the shelf awaiting heir next turn to play, the puzzle is in our library, the whale and dolphin close to the bath tub. All the toys you have made us are treasured above all the other toys and are definitely still played with daily. My son adores the whale and dolphin, and I especially treasure the plum wood pieces.
Thank you for your wonderful, magnificent work!!
I am happy to answer your questions and tell you that the nativity we purchased is a treasured part of our Christmas. It is used more for display than play but our children help set it up and handle it occasionally each December and we’ve never had anything break or be damaged in any way. We store it in our attic with our Christmas decorations and bring it down every year for the month of December. I hope you will continue to carve and create these lovely treasures.
Dear Eckart,
Your carved figures arrived in perfect condition. They have not broken nor have they lost their magic.
The wooden collection is in my classroom so that more than 20 children ages 9 and 10 can be inspired by them daily. All of them sit together across the book shelf in the novel center, except the cat. As we know, cats are very independent, so I moved Plum Kitty closer to my work area. She is still available to the children too, as cats bring balance to their surroundings.
Thank you for the genuine quality, workmanship, and love that went into carving each piece. I hope you will have many more years of creating and carving inspiring art.
Hi Eckart, I love my shepherd and sheep and have them proudly displayed in my living room armoire. They are in perfect condition, though they are not played with. They feel very substantial and I feel they would endure being played with. I used them in my table centerpiece at my church’s Christmas Tea this past Christmas. I loved how it looked. I’m attaching two pictures for you to see. You are very gjfted and you have blessed me with your beautiful work. God bless you!
I must say that I have had no difficulties with any of the animals I’ve purchased from you. I asked you before buying if a teething child would leave marks on the wood, and I’m happy to report that he never did!! He is now almost 2, and the donkey, shepherd, and other animals we bought are still very actively used. We used them as a Nativity last Christmas, but I’ve kept many of the figurines out for his use and enjoyment outside the Advent season. I’m very pleased to report that I could wholeheartedly recommend your figurines to any of my friends!
Thanks for inquiry. I ordered a nativity and I love it! At the moment it is carefully boxed and stored until the upcoming Christmas season. Every year one of my favorite parts of Christmas is pulling out all of my nativities and carefully unwrapping each one. Thank you for carving such a beautiful one.
My son is older now and no longer ‘plays’ with the figures I purchased from you. But the deer come out every Christmas and help us celebrate the season, and the whale has been placed in a bowl of shells and stones and other natural sea things, and I have had many people pick it up and compliment the workmanship. These will never end up in a trash heap if I have anything to do with it! I hope my son carries them with him to share with his children in the future.
Thanks so much for your beautiful craftsmanship and care. It’s a pleasure owning things that are made from natural materials. I hope you are still doing well through these interesting times.
Our Dear family is currently in storage. They are brought out as part of our Christmas decorations and during that time I let my children display them as they want. They love making little scenes and playing little games with them. They have become a very loved and special Christmas tradition.
The quality and make is exceptional, no breaks or chips.
I hope you are very proud of your work and the joy it brings to others.
We still enjoy the little chickens. They are mostly for decoration but have held up fine when played with by visiting children.
Thank you for your careful and cheerful work! I love that they are so natural.
1) I think the quality of the nativity scene I purchased from you is excellent. It is amazingly detailed and symbolic with the figures that fit into the wood triptych being light color wood on one side and dark color on the other. None of the pieces have chipped or broken.
2) The nativity is in a box right now. However, I may display it this coming Christmas in my home, in a curio cabinet. I have collected nativities for over 29 years and have had to donate a lot of them recently because we can’t afford to keep paying for the storage unit we have been renting. I am also selling some of the better ones but keeping the ones I like best, that have special meaning to me. I have chosen to keep your nativity. I really appreciate all the workmanship that went into it. At first, I had to get reconciled to the triptych pieces not being carved exactly alike (I mean the triptych itself) but then I realize that you carve the pieces of wood you select in a special way and I find the triptych and all the figures in it to be a very special design and craftmanship. So, I plan on keeping it and hope it will be selected for display at the annual Christmas Creche Exhibit of my church: www.christmascreche.org. (The Creche Exhibit has been the main reason I continued collecting creches for many years.)
Neither of the figures are broken. They are both fully intact and as lovely as the day I bought them.
And they were played with today! They are a part of the barn my son loves to play with. The gnome is a very diligent farmer and takes excellent care of the wolf and the other barn yard animals. The gnome has been on many adventures but his favorite activity is driving the tractor.
Your toys have been lovingly played with by all four of my children. Keep up the excellent work!
I purchased a small wooden hedgehog for my oldest son in December of 2013. We still have the hedgehog. It sits on a shelf in his room with several other hedgehog figures. He actually collects hedgehogs so it hasn’t been played with too much which means I can’t really help you with durability, but it is still a beloved part of his collection.
We love them still! As much as when they were first received. The animals have aged well w no broken bits – they are very strong and durable. They are scattered around our house, but still very much in use. The deer actually rides around in our car sitting on the dashboard like a talisman!
Eckart, I so love the birch book with people and animals. It’s on the shelf. It was not played with much which is my disapointment at my kds 🙂 as your work is great.
A couple of things: some animals are very hard to fit in back and some days won’t go in the book at all, so we could not much use it as a puzzle. Must be humidity problems though I don’t have it with other toys. And the strings holding “pages’ together got torn just another day – it was a guest child, so I don’t know how rough she played.
Everything else is good. I feel I was so treasuring your pieces that I did not really offer it for the kids to play, kinda holding back or running too much “be careful! Be careful!” 🙂
First let me say that I’ll never trow our beautiful figures away for any reason!! What a silly idea 😉
They’re all still in use, and always will be even if only on display after my kids will stop playing with them. No one has ever got broken or chipped so far, but they’re gently played with.
Hopefully I’ll pass them to my grandchildren 🙂
It’s been nice hearing from you, keep up the amazing work!
I have bought wooden angels. They are kept in a basket in the kitchen and my younger son plays with them sometimes. At other times I take them to church for children age 2-7 to play with if we are retelling a story involving angels.
Although they seem robust, two of the wooden angels have lost small parts (one hand, one wing tip) in the course of light play.
They are still playable with though!
We still have the bunny – we bring it out at Easter so it doesn’t get played with much.
It is still in great shape. Your carvings are very reasonably prices and I think the quality is very good! I love wooden toys and figurines and I know I will have this for a very long time.
Best of luck in the future
– Nothing broke for my little fox but I mostly keep it for decoration and not for playing. When I let my child played with it, nothing wrong happened (she is rather careful with everything and the fox is solid)
– As I was saying, the fox is on the shelf, I like its presence 🙂 I work mostly with children, I stopped to take care of my daughter for the moment but when I return, this fox will be with me, I’m sure it will please the children as well and it’s a little wink to my family name.
Everything is holding up great. Nothing is broken. The nativity comes out every Christmas, much cherished. Everything is still loved. 🙂
I bought all the little wooden angels where you engraved my daughter Roses name on the bottom. I may order some more of these in the future. The recipients of these angels all commented on how gorgeous they are so I appreciate your beautiful craftsmanship. I kept several and they stand up[ in prominent places in my home, as they do in everyone else’s homes! Thank you again for your kindness!
1. The quality of our wooden goats is wonderful! They are played with on occassion by our younger (7yr old) son and are in great shape, no damage at all.
2. The goats spend much of their time displayed on top of our piano. However, occassionally they are taken down and played with by our younger son. We enjoy them.
All animals are good,even tough my son plus with them a LOT Very good quality.
He has them in his three shelfs of farm, forest and savanna-animals.
The nativity set is given to a friend of mine where I have seen it on Christmas.
Over the past few years I have purchased a nativity set, wooden Easter egg, and cat family in plum wood. The nativity set and Easter egg are carefully packed away at the moment until their appropriate season arrives, at which point I take great joy in displaying them. The cat family is permanently on display and brings me constant joy during the rest of the year. I do not have children playing with the figurines so cannot speak to their durability, though my cats have knocked the carved cats onto the floor a few times with no adverse effects (they are now displayed out of their reach). I continue to be extremely pleased with these purchases and the quality and care you put into each item.
I still have all of the pieces from the Easter Egg set. It is put away for the entire year until spring. None of the details have broken, and the quality has been excellent.
You have added to the seasonal celebration we have each year, and I thank you for your beautiful work. Your craft has added beauty to the world, and not increased the garbage heap!
Please continue,
It is very good for you to ask these questions.
These items i bought from you aren’t in use yet because my child doesn’t still find the use in them:) for he is one year and 8 months old. So… I bought them for future use and because i appreciate this kind of art.
Nothing is broken and still in excellent shape and place.
Nothing has broken. The small carved animals are part of our nativity and will be brought out for enjoyment every year! I am adding animals to our nativity every year and it will be an heirloom for my children, which they will treasure, I hope.
Thank you for checking back on your products — the mark of a truly caring craftsman! I purchased an angel from you some time ago, and it is a beautiful piece — being used in a preschool setting to decorate year-round, not just at holidays or festivals. It did look as though there were a slight crack at the neck of the piece that had possibly been glued to fix and then sanded down, but it didn’t seem to affect the integrity of the angel and the person who received it as a gift still loved it. I think it was well-made, very simple in details and classic in look. Thank you for making the beautiful things you create and helping the world be a better place because of them! And thank you for the 10% discount — I am planning to get one of your little burlwood turtles!
) dear Eckart, your charming little wooden horse (I have gotten several so I hope the one pictured is actually yours) that I got is actually sailing the world in a display case on Viking life onboard our ocean ships for Viking Cruises. The horse represents the types of toys that Viking children might have had. At this point, it’s likely he’s (she’s?) put in more miles & “seen” more ports than either of us!
Your carvings are truly wonderful and I think you for your craftmenship & attention to detail.
I response to your questions. In September 2016 I purchased the musicians of Bremen set from you for my daughter. I chose this set as my husband is German and his family is (some still are) from Bremen. I was drawn to the beautiful detail in your work and I absolutely love your carving style.
When my daughter received the animals they were the first wooden animals she had been given. She was 1 at the time. She has always loved animals and loved them very much right away. They have been played with regularly since then.
1. There is no damage to any of the animals. They are played with often and sometimes not very gently as toddlers are not always gentle. They’ve held up very well and are in great condition. I found the size perfect for her hands. They are thick enough to be durable and stand up well but small enough to fit in little hands easily for play. I would rate the quality as 5/5.
2. They are currently sitting on my daughters toy shelf in the lounge room. She is now two and a half years old and still plays with them very regularly, everyday that we are home. Even on the days that we are out all day or go out somewhere, sometimes one or more of the animals will accompany us to keep her entertained, for example if we go to a restaurant for dinner. She likes to carry the smaller ones around in her pocket or backpack sometimes and they are also excellent car companions. We are due to have another baby in two months and know that these animals will be loved by another child for many more years to come too.
Your work is beautiful and I do hope to add to our collection some day. Thank you for sharing your talent with the world. I hope this feedback is useful.
Hello – The two pieces I have purchased (Angel, and Fox) are still with us. No problems with either piece. The Angel we use at Christmas. The Fox sits on my desk at work every day, to remind me to be clever, but not too clever!
To answer your two questions we have not experienced any breakage with the nativity, although it has not yet encountered our two and a half year old, and our five month old will see it for the first time this Christmas.
As far as where it is, it is resting comfortably in our box of Christmas decorations. My wife (whom I bought it for) intends in the long run to find someplace for it to be on display folded up and then unfold and place the pieces for the Christmas season, but our current house doesn’t have a good place for such a display. I sincerely doubt that it will go into the trash any time in the near or far future. My assumption would be she would want to patch up any breaks that happen and continue using it for years to come.
My wife and I have searched for years to find a good wooden creche, yours is exactly the kind she wanted, and we are very very pleased with it.