The Best Hand Puppet You Can Imagine

Peace.  Quiet.  Alone.

I failed these words on my last vocab quiz.  I totally forget what they mean.

Especially in the context of the bathroom.

Are you with me, moms?  I’ve given up believing that the abstract concepts of peace, quiet, and solitude can exist in the context of the bathroom.  There’s nothing sacred about moms and bathroom breaks.

My children have a high propensity for pretend play.  And these days, for whatever bizarre reason I can’t begin to discern from the fogs of their brains, my littles feel the need to invite the.entire.cast of the Neverland Fairies into the bathroom with me when I need to escape from, well, from nothing, since my everything, including the cat and all imaginary fairies who love cats, follows me to the throne.

It’s understandable with the 5-year-old.  Little Friend likes having long, detailed conversations with The Fairies, and since no one else is stepping forward in our days to supply voices for The Fairies, that duty falls to yours truly.  But two days ago, I was alone, as in alone but with someone, in the bathroom.  The 2-year-old.  And then I heard it, as she pointed in the vicinity of the bathroom sink faucet: “Yook, Mom!  The Fairies!!!”

What?! For the love!  How’d they get in here? She can barely string together sentences and now she’s inviting the fairies to the john party too?!

Let’s review, because my memory is failing hard on these:  Peace?  Quiet?  Alone?

If you’ve experienced bathroom pretend scenes like these, or if you have or know of the kind of children who like to pretend as much as mine, do, may I help you out by suggesting an item to add to your gift list?

We call them the Woodland Friends.  Their other mega-creative names are Fox and Porcupine.

They are the best hand puppets I’ve ever seen.  They’ve sparked hours of creative pretend play in my children.

The puppets are created by Folkmanis.  We bought them from our favorite local and independent toy store, Castle Toys and Games, but they’re available elsewhere too.

Why recommend these over other puppets?  To be honest, I’m not entirely sure.  A puppet’s a puppet, right?  But my children gravitate to these little guys over and over.  They tell these puppet things they won’t tell me (like how a kindergarten day went, for example).  They are kinder to these puppets than to their own sibling.  Fox and Porcupine bring out the cuddly, protective, lovey, giggly sides of both of my girls.

To break down the magic, our Woodland Friends have adorable faces, soft bodies, and happen to be the perfect size for an adult’s hand.  Compact enough to throw in a car bag for great giggles on road trips but large enough to be fought over by two (or more) children who each demand the puppet’s undivided attention.

Best yet, they’re small enough to accompany me on the occasional bathroom break without crowding anyone else out.

I’d say the Woodland Friends would be the perfect gift for that tricky-to-buy-for 1- to 2-year-old stage.  The puppets grow with children’s imaginations, and I’m sure they’ll become a beloved part of family life, especially when they can borrow a hand from mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, or grandpa.

Don’t miss out on Woodland Friends from Folkmanis.  Hand puppets range from $12-$35 depending on your animal fancy.  Looking for other pretend friends?  Allow me to recommend The Fairies.  I can assure you’re they’re free and available anytime and anywhere.