Tricycle or balance bike: choosing a first ride-on
How a two-year-old learns on each, what the push handle is for and how to choose for your home and your child.
A day trip to Channapatna from Mysuru
Workshops, the toy street on the highway and lunch on the way back: how to visit the town where our toys are made.
Channapatna is about an hour’s drive from Mysuru, on the way to Bengaluru, and most of our toys are made there. Families who visit our shop often ask whether they can see the workshops for themselves. You can, and it makes a good day out with children over five.
Leave Mysuru by 9 am, after the morning traffic, and take the highway north-east past Srirangapatna and Mandya. If you have time, stop for breakfast in Maddur, known for its crisp vadas. You will reach Channapatna by about 10.30.
Along the old highway through town, dozens of shops sell toys directly from their workshops. Prices are fair, but quality varies, so look for smooth finishes, bright and even colours and wheels that turn freely. The real interest lies in the lanes behind the road, where families work at lathes in their front rooms. Many are happy for visitors to watch for a few minutes. Ask before photographing anyone, and buying something small is a kind way to say thanks. We can introduce you to one of our seven workshops if you message us a week ahead.
Children are usually fascinated by the lathe and the lac sticks. Some workshops let older children try pressing a lac stick against a spinning piece of wood, with an adult’s hand guiding them, and take home what they coloured. Head back after lunch, around 2 pm, to avoid evening traffic. The return drive is a good time to ask the children what they would make if they had a lathe of their own.
