We are so excited to announce that Maileg toys have just arrived at The Creative Toy Shop!
We have wanted to add this gorgeous Danish brand to our shop for so long and we are so happy to finally include them in our range. They are such a beautiful complement to our small world and creative toy ranges.
Who & what is Maileg?
Maileg was started in 1999 by design duo Dorthe Mailil, a celebrated designer & illustrator and Erik Mailil, the name being a combination of their surname and leg, the Danish word for play. Dorthe remains today, the creative director of Maileg and each year, a new range of furniture and clothing is designed and produced to allow new creations to be added to your collection.
Maileg is famous for its tiny mice, rabbits and bunnies and stunning dollhouse furniture.
Pronounced My'lye, their toys encourage a child to explore their imagination with their miniature world of wonder and whimsy where tiny matchboxes make cosy homes for little friends and elements of fairy tales, circus & playfulness help to create this fantastical world for your little one to get lost in.
Maileg toys are of heirloom quality with Danish design and carefully handcrafted to ensure their toys are passed down through the generations.
They have a range for all ages - babies, toddlers and young kids and their unique, whimsical and seriously cute designs will make it hard for you to choose just one product!
Maileg also produces some of the most exquisite, modern dollhouse furniture and by combining their miniature soft toys and the furniture, you have the most wonderful, whimsical magical world of Maileg.
The company has a strong focus on the environment for the production of its toys. They use recycled or FSC certified cardboard & paper for their packaging, they ship their products by sea to reduce their CO2 emissions and follow responsible sourcing/production in their production facilities.
Their toys are handcrafted from materials like cotton, wool, linen, wood & metal to ensure they are long lasting and there is minimal impact on the environment.
All their toys meet EU (EN-71) & USA ( ASTM 963) safety standards.
One thing we have found is the world of Maileg can be a little more complex when you decide you want to start a collection. They have varied sizing for their mice, bunnies and rabbits.
We have added some helpful guides to help you navigate the world of Maileg. As each item is handcrafted, sizing is approximate.
Maileg Mouse Sizing Chart
Maileg Rabbit & Bunny Sizing Chart
How to play with Maileg?
Maileg toys are wonderful for small world play in particular the Maileg mice range due to their unique sizing. They work well in dollhouses, wooden treehouse & work wonderfully with Sarah's Silks, Papoose toys, Grimms and Grapat. They add a whimsical, almost magical touch to your child's small world play allowing them to really delve into their creative & imaginative play.
The smaller size bunnies and rabbits ( micro & my) also tie in well with the mice and again, are great for dollhouses or small world play.
At The Creative Toy Shop we have started with a capsule range of Maileg that we will slowly add to help you grow your collection.
How should I start my Maileg collection?
It really depends how your child wants to play with them. Will they use them in a pre-existing dollhouse like our Drewart wooden dollhouse, a wooden treehouse like our Magic Wood Classic treehouse or on a shelf? Or maybe they will want to play with in combination with other toys like Sarah Silk's, Grapat or Grimms on the floor as part of small world play?
We feel the best way is to allow them to choose from either the mice, bunny or rabbit and go from there.
Which one resonates with them the most?
It might be the Ballerina Mouse in a Suitcase because they have just started dance classes. You could then add the Ballet school which gives your child the opportunity to further their imaginative play creating a whole world of dance & movement.
Or perhaps they are about to become a big brother or sister? You could start with a big brother or big sister mouse and then a baby boy mouse or baby girl mouse. Then you could add things like the Babysitter bouncer chair or the change table. This will allow them to play and immerse themselves in their brave new world as a big brother or sister. They can help change the clothing and rock the bouncer just like their mummy & daddy soon will for their newborn baby.
Or maybe they are about begin daycare or preschool and they need a soft toy friend to help them with their transition? The Maileg Rabbit Size 1 are perfect for this new journey.
Another gorgeous option is to start with one of their tooth fairy mice, these make THE cutest gift to any young child who has lost a tooth. We stock the Tooth Fairy Sister Mouse in a box and also the Tooth Fairy Mouse with a pouch.
Dollhouse furniture sizing?
Dollhouse furniture is normally sized in a 1:12 scale. You will need to check what scale your dollhouse is before deciding on purchasing Maileg dollhouse furniture. Maileg vary their furniture sizing from 1:12 to 1:6 scale.
For each piece of Maileg furniture that we stock at The Creative Toy Shop, we have given helpful suggestions as to which toys then fit with the furniture, whether that is the mice, bunnies or rabbits.
Generally speaking, the furniture we stock fits our Maileg mouse family as well as our Micro bunny and My rabbit.
If you have a dollhouse with a scale 1:6, then these fit the larger size toys like our Size One rabbits and Size one bunnies.
How do I clean my Maileg toys?
Maileg provide care instructions on the best way to clean their toys (see their chart below). Please refer to these care instructions which are provided on a swing tag when your toy arrives from our shop.
We hope you enjoyed our Guide to all things Maileg!! We will continue to add photos and information to this guide as we grow our Maileg toy range at The Creative Toy Shop.
AND if you are after handcrafted, aesthetically beautiful toys which evoke your child's imagination through play, wonder and whimsy, you need to check out the world of Maileg!
