Luke's Toy Factory

As a child, Luke Barber was obsessed with trucks, cars, trains and anything with wheels. As an adult, he remains so—prompting him to become a designer of domestically produced toys with locally sourced materials. The Danbury, CT-based company’s “old-school” creations look as though they were handcrafted by a master woodworker. Its target age is 3 and up, at the point where kids are outgrowing "baby toys" but aren't ready for the precision of more complex models. Parts from Luke’s Toy Factory’s trucks are created to mix and match within the collection, which is based on organic materials such as maple sawdust and walnut shells. The objective, says Barber, “is to balance being eco-friendly with safety and sustainability while making toys that are affordable and fun.”