Ow, quit it.

This article is not to be missed.

Moral #1: never, ever disrespect the woodchuck.

Moral #2: once a woodchuck gets a taste for blood, look out - it's silver bullets only after that.

Woodchuck Etiquette

Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck has been getting questions about both woodchuck etiquette and woodchucks in general. Here are miscellaneous thoughts:

(1) Most woodchucks don't like being called groundhogs. The term "groundhog" is somewhat perjorative. For example, little chucks are often told that, if they don't practice their table manners, others will call them "groundhogs." Occasionally, you may hear a woodchuck referred to as a "whistlepig." Whistlepigs are just woodchucks that truly love life. They're cheeky and cheery and a real joy to be around.

(2) Even though most woodchucks don't like to be called groundhogs, it's perfectly okay to say that a woodchuck went a little hog-wild at a social occasion.

(3) If you're writing to (Even More) Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck, it's not necessary to use the "Even More" prefix, provided that she understands you think she is.

(4) Even good woodchucks sometimes get a little groundhoggish every now and then. However, 10-20 minutes of quality buckling time is usually enough to make all but the crankiest woodchucks feel good again.

(5) Woodchucks are like any group of individuals. Although most like both types of music (i.e., country and western), some like a variety of styles.

Making a list, checking it twice. . .

Well, it's that time of year. Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck and (Even More) Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck have finished their Christmas shopping. Everything is wrapped and ready for the big day. The only remaining question is what (Even More) Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck is getting Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck. Although Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck doesn't like being called a groundhog, no matter how fantastic, he very much wants one of these, if only so he can deliver buckle toys faster.

Christmas is coming!

Merry-almost Christmas. The little chucks are almost besides themselves with joy, and (Even More) Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck and I wish you the happiest of Christmases and the Merriest of New Years.

If you haven't already ordered a buckle toy, there's still time.

P.S. As excited as we are about Christmas, that's nothing compared to the way we feel about February 2, which, as everyone knows, is the best woodchuck holiday of all.

Can you guess what the famous little groundhog is doing right now? We'll give you a hint: he bought his here.

Our buckle toys are also used in occupational therapy

We're happy to hear that our buckle toys are being used by occupational therapists that work with children. One wrote to tell us that she uses the buckle puzzles with her clients "to improve hand strength, coordination, bilateral hand use, and problem solving."

The joy of buckling knows no bounds.

Will there be a buckle toy under your Christmas tree?

Just three months and change until Christmas - start planning now to make sure your little chucks have a buckle toy on Christmas morning. For that matter, what better way to celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving?

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Thinking of buying a buckle toy or buckle puzzle?

If you're thinking of buying a buckle toy or buckle puzzle for your child, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Look for the JL Woodchuck™ logo. If you don't see the logo to the right, it's not a JL Woodchuck™ buckle toy.
2. Consider whether the buckle toy was Made in the USA. JL Woodchuck™ buckle toys are made in Rhode Island with love by Fantastic Woodchucks.
3. Make sure the seller can deliver in a reasonable time. JL Woodchuck™ ships shortly after receiving your order because Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck drives to the post office herself.
4. Make sure the buckle toy is designed with safety in mind. The touchstones are whether the buckle toy complies with the standards set by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commision (CSPC) and the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM). JL Woodchuck™ takes safety seriously - we worked with an independent third party lab to ensure that our toys meet or exceed the relevant standards.
5. Look to see whether the buckle toy was designed by people that truly understand kids. Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck enjoys them, but (Even More) Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck really understands them. She has a Master's in education, and she taught elementary school for several years. She also has three of her own - four if you count Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck! She knows what's she talking about where kids (or woodchucks) are involved. Also, although not at as relevant, Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck has read Goodnight Moon several thousand times, and he is currently on his 300+ reading of Llama, Llama Red Pajama.
   

Bottom line, just look for the JL Woodchuck™ logo. If you see it on the website you're ordering from, you know you're getting a great buckle toy.

Happy buckling!

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More on car seat safety

Here is a two page article re car seat safety tips that provides some suggestions on dealing with a would-be escape artist:

Keep your child entertained. If she fights being put into her car seat,
distract her with talk or a toy. You'll get her buckled up before she knows it!
Bring along the special things that comfort her, like a blanket, doll, or stuffed
animal. Keep a bag of small picture books and soft toys for use only in the
car. Avoid sharp toys, pencils, or lollypops.

Yet another reason to consider our buckle toys - a child that is busy playing with the buckles on his car seat will ignore the ones on his car seat.

Car seat safety

The Mayo Clinic has a good introduction to car seat safety. Excellent tips, all.



We've found that when kids get older, they inevitably start to want to open and close their own car seat buckles - sometimes at the worst times possible. We try to keep them distracted. Our buckle toys are especially useful in this regard - kids become so focused on the toy that they "forget" about the buckles that keep them safely in their car seats.

Our second buckle toy - BucklePuzzle, Jr.™

Buckle Puzzle, Jr.™ was designed with the younger child in mind. The buckles are easy to clip, the straps are all sewn on so there are no parts to lose, and a young child can easily figure out which buckle halves go together. This toy also has a snap hook which can be used to attach it just about anywhere you need to keep little paws busy! We included a d-ring so the snap hook can also be used as another buckle - in this form the toy forms a sort of "ball." Fun!

Buckle Puzzle, Jr.™ is designed for children 12 months and older.

Joy and Fear

Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck was surfing the web, researching buckle toys. He googled "buckle toy" and found this site, which shows a wonderful family having fun. This post was cause for joy, since it talks about yet another toddler that loves buckling. As all true woodchucks know, buckling is simply and inherently joyous. Woodchucks buckle because they can. This post, however, made Mr. Woodchuck a little afraid.

Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck's Favorite Beverage

Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck sometimes helps (Even More) Fantastic Mrs. Woodchuck make buckle toys. After a long evening of trying to keep up the pace on the assembly line, Fantastic Mr. Woodchuck likes to relax with one of these.

Now available in Warwick, RI

Our buckle toys are now available at Learn All About It Toys in Warwick, Rhode Island. Learn All About It has a wide assortment of educational and fun toys. Be sure to ask about teacher/military discounts when you go!

Now available at Lizzy's in Cumberland, RI

Our buckle toys are now available at Lizzy & the Enchanted Creamery in Cumberland, Rhode Island. If you haven't been there before, the store combines an ice cream shop with a first-rate toy store. The ice cream is great - it's made on site. The store also hosts birthday parties, where the kids get to make ice cream during the party - each kid then gets to take some home.

We help keep your little escape artists in their car seats!

Terri Mauro writes a blog for parents of special needs kids. She made our buckle toys her site of the week. She explains that our buckle toys may help distract your little ones from the buckles on their car seat. Thanks, Terry!

Even if you don't have a special needs kid of your own, Terri has a lot of tips for parents generally, so this woodchuck recommends her blog heartily.

Our first buckle toy: THE ORIGINAL BUCKLE PUZZLE™

In 2004, we watched our first child become obsessed with working the buckles on her highchair, stroller, and car seat. Thinking we could buy a few minutes' peace, we looked for a multi-buckle toy that she could play with during a long airplane trip. When we couldn't find what we wanted, we invented it ourselves. The first prototype was a huge success. Since then, we've had two more kids and refined our original idea considerably. We're now proud to offer our first buckle toy (patent pending):

THE ORIGINAL BUCKLE PUZZLE™ now available at www.jlwoodchuck.com!

First!

Do you have a child that loves buckles? We do. Three of them. In fact, they love to buckle so much, that we started a company to make the buckle toys and buckle puzzles that we couldn't find anywhere else. Our toys are available NOW at www.jlwoodchuck.com or www.bucklepuzzle.com or www.travelbuckletoy.com.

For those who are about to buckle, we salute you!