Sprig toys: eco-friendly, battery free fun

Sprig Toys earn an eco-friendly tick on two fronts. Firstly, they are made from a child-safe composite of recycled wood and reclaimed plastic with minimal packaging and no decorative paint and secondly, rather than contributing to the mountains of used batteries littering the planet they use a "kid-powered" system to operate lights and other electronics.

The recently released Sprig Adventure Series of vehicles is accompanied by its own guide character wearing LED-lit hats that plug into the vehicles and engage preschoolers with to accompany their play.

The core of the series is the Discover Rig (USD$59.99) – a sturdy, one foot high, battery-free vehicle with a removable push bar that generates power as a child rolls it forward. Smaller Sidekick pump-action powered vehicles - the Rally Racer car and Baja Scout dune buggy - make up the range including. Each Sidekick retails for $24.99 each and is sold with a different Adventure Guide. Additional Adventure Guides are sold separately for $12.99.

The Sprig Adventure Series recently received several awards, including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2009 Platinum Award and The National Parenting Center’s 2009 Seal of Approval. Dr. Toy, Creative Child Magazine and the iParenting Media Awards also have recognized Sprig’s Discover Rig and Sidekick vehicles, while WIRED Magazine will feature the Discover Rig in its fourth annual WIRED Store that opens on in New York City for only five weeks during the holiday season.

The Adventure series will soon be joined by the company's second collection of green toys - Eco-Trucks. Three models - a Loader, Dump Truck and Excavator - are expected on shelves in mid-December.