Naef’s Bauhaus building game turns Alma Siedhoff-Buscher’s 1923 design into a compact lesson in color, proportion and possibility. The pieces become boats, furniture, landscapes and small modernist cities without ever losing their sculptural presence. It is expensive, but it is also one of the few toys that can sit on a shelf for decades and become more convincing with age.

Grimm’s Large Rainbow is less a block set than a piece of domestic landscape. Its alder arches become tunnels, cradles, walls and improbable balancing structures, while the hand-finished color gives the object warmth without plastic shine. The open form invites a younger child immediately and remains useful as play becomes more elaborate. Few toys manage to be this recognizable and this unspecific at once.