Wooden Rainbow Stackers 101

So, you’ve converted to Woodtoyism and you’re ready for your christening? You’re ready to commit to your first wooden rainbow stacker. You sign online to your favorite store and BOOM! SO ….MANY….CHOICES!

There are five big giants in the wooden stacker world. For our purposes, I excluded Etsy stores (no matter how big and amazing) and boutiques. The former are usually one or two person operations and the quality assurance discussion wouldn’t be as relevant. The latter, specialty boutiques who source stackers from different artisans, complicate the criteria by stocking more than one vendor under their brand. So today, we’re talking about the big five!

Grimm’s Spiel und Holz Design, Glueckskaefer, Myers Natural, Raduga Grez, and Ocamora. Based in Germany, Germany, U.S.A., Russia, and Spain, respectively, these five are the powerhouses of handmade toys, the oligarchs of wooden stackers.

I’m going to give the rundown, a synopsis of pros and cons, as well as real pictures from either myself or a member of the wooden toy community I am a part of. I truly believe each company is special in their own way. Some people want aesthetics over stacking. Others like to buy from American companies. There are so many factors involved, that I truly believe it’s a personal decision equivalent to buying a car! So, without further ado….here is Wooden Rainbow Stackers 101.

Raduga Grez

Country of Origin: Russia

Color Way Option and Size Option: N/A as they offer different types of products but are stackers nonetheless

Raduga Grez, translates to mean “Rainbow Day Dreams”. Raduga prides itself on novel shapes and a variety of iterations of block sets. Unique is a word that falls flat in these instances. They do not use lacquer, but just water based paints, and the result is a striking velvet finish. They most often use lime and beech wood.

Things People Like:

• Finish
• Stackability
• Unique aesthetic, sometimes edgy in presentation (see the Woman Building Set and “Flame” Stacker above)

Things People Don’t Like:

• Size (they can be on the smaller side)
• Specific and unique shapes often curtail open-ended quality
• Reports of fragility with heavy play

Buy Raduga Grez here: Happy Monkey Miami (Use PEARLS10 for $10 off!

Ocamora

Country of Origin: Spain

Color Way Options: Yellow, Blue, Orange, Natural, Purple, Red, Rose, Green

Size Options: Currently 6 or 9 piece, but there is a 12 piece in circulation

Run by husband and wife team, Laura and Gregorio, Ocamora is breathtaking. What is awesome about their brand is that their 6,9, and 12 piece stackers come in a variety of color-ways. Since our wooden rainbow stackers often do double duty as both plaything and home decor, it’s great that you can find something to match your palette.

Things People Like:

• Aesthetic variety
• Bright vibrant colors
• Ability to complement with a multitude of toy building materials (currently lusting after their Casitas and Teniques)

Things People Don’t Like:

• Accessibility – living in the USA and desiring a 12 piece, it must be ordered directly from the company,
• Not as stackable as other brands

Buy Ocamora here: The Natural Baby Company

Grimm’s Spiel und Holz

Country of Origin: Germany

Color Way Options: Traditional, Pastel, Monochrome, Natural

Size Options: 12 piece, 6 piece standard, 6 piece mini

Grimm’s is to rainbow stackers what Mercedes-Benz is to luxury cars: Old and German. However, they couldn’t still be in the industry if they weren’t doing something right. Grimm’s has the lion’s share of the customer base because it was first, but also because their stackers are supreme in play. Quality control in recent years has been lacking, but their response to complaints is showing improvement. However, geofencing and supply chain management continues to be an issue.

Things People Like:

• Complementary colored toys in the Grimm’s universe
• Sets the standard for building and stacking

Things People Don’t Like:

• Lack of access
• Quality control

Buy Grimm’s here: The Natural Baby Company

Myers Natural

Country of Origin: USA

Color Way Options: Not including small batch releases, traditional, reverse, hidden, hidden reverse

Size Options: 12 piece, 6 piece

Myers is a unicorn. Restocks sell out in under a minute. Originally an Etsy store, Myers temporarily had a disastrous partnership with Rose and Rex. Once that didn’t work out, they then packed up shop and moved to their own e-commerce site. They still prove elusive, with certain batches going for upwards of $400 on Mercari While Myers wins point for that glossy sheen and dreamy color way, consumers often complain of it’s inability as a building toy due to poor stackability.

Things People Like:

• Durable and scratch proof as it is made from 3 separate pieces of wood glued together
• Astounding resale value
• Limited stock for those who value exclusivity

Things People Don’t Like:

• Not easy to stack
• Limited access
• Occasional color transfer due to type of wood dye used

Buy Myers Natural here.

Glueckskaefer

Country of Origin: Germany

Color Way Option and Size Option: N/A as they offer different types of products but are stackers nonetheless

Oh Glueckskaefer, the love of my heart. Always playing second fiddle to your bigger older brother, Grimm’s. While less well known, Glueckskaefer has all the charm of old world woodworkers without the quality control issues that come with being the biggest on the block. From bridge arches to sunrises, Glueckskaefer makes stacker production seem easy.

Things People Like:

• Easier access to market
• Lower price point
• No reported quality control problems
• Very very buildable and stackable

Things People Don’t Like:

• No traditional rainbows
• Resale value not as competitive as Grimm’s

Buy Glueckskaefer here: Happy Monkey Miami (Use PEARLS10 for $10 off!)

View From Above and Comparison Photos

Take a look at the view from the top and comparison pictures of the four types of stackers in my possession. I have, as of yet, not been able to score a Myers, but dreams do come true. Myers, if you’re reading, I am totally not willing to change my opinion on your stackers for a crack at one of your products. (wink wink)

I spoke with several retailers and conducted a few informal polls in our BST group. Using this data, I attempted to quantify the characteristics of the rainbows and give them an approximate score. Since none of them are particularly bad at what they do, the results showed averages that were very close together. However, once I added color coding it was easy to see what each brand did well and not so well. See below:

Like a car, the rainbow stacker has several different qualities that you will need to examine before you pull the trigger. At least this way, I’ve given you a virtual test drive.

So what do you think? Which one do you think you’ll buy? Reach out below with any questions!