oioiooi | Design, Play, and Kids

As some of you know, one of my favorite past times is lying in bed exhausted and awake, unable to fall asleep. Instead of trying something soothing like a calming meditation or lavender oil, I usually give in to the insomnia and grab my phone. Yes, it’s over. I will be awake for hours. Typically, I spend the time watching meaningful content, like cat videos or reading something that promotes personal growth, like how to make rice balls that look like baby Yoda. But, every once in a while, all the endless clicking leads me to something special. That’s how I discovered Oioiooi.

It was actually months ago. After random clicking and looking at Korean educational-type toys, somehow I stumbled upon these gorgeous wooden Hangul blocks. I bookmarked them and quietly tucked them away in the back of my mind. Fast forward to December and another sleepless night. It’s only in those early morning hours that my mind wanders and goes, “Hey, you can’t sleep! Why don’t you randomly try looking for those wooden Hangul blocks again!?” This time, I found that Oioiooi had their own web shop in English. CELEBRATION!! Their shop features a stunning assortment of products from stationery to books and toys to furniture.

What really attracted me to Oioiooi is the care and quality behind the design and the materials. The artwork is very crisp and minimal. But, it’s still cute and playful. The block set is so clever and beautiful. I love how the letters mix with fun shapes and faces. The price tag is hefty, but I love an open-ended toy and I am hoping we will get a lot of mileage out of this. Because it’s made of wood, I think this can be a toy we could keep forever and pass down. Right? I mean, my son is still playing with my dad’s wooden train set from 1957. Goals.

Since the products ship from Korea, I decided to combine as much as possible for a bigger order to help offset the shipping cost. I ordered a Hangul Book, a Numbers book, a set of three books, the Hangul block set (which comes with a book), and a really cute fabric “poster” which I don’t have a photo of. I was disappointed to see that the Hangul flashcards were sold out (at the time.)

The books are all hardcover with paper pages. They’re really cute and well-designed. One of the books I ordered had a sticker on one page (I guess correcting a typo.) The numbers book I got has unique spiral binding with acetate pages between certain spreads. The image on the clear page works on both sides. Super cute! (However, I wished every spread had the overlay.) While I like the books, I probably wouldn’t order them without the bigger ticket item like the block set because of their individual prices and the shipping cost.

Oioiooi is incredibly polished and professional. But, I definitely got the vibe that the shop is personal and run with care. Even though my order was in the thick of the holiday rush, it came relatively quickly and the block set was wrapped and had a special touch. (SO NICE!) I placed my order on December 12th and it shipped on December 13th. I received it (in New Jersey) on December 21st via EMS. Not bad! Shipping was free due to a promo but would have been $68.94 otherwise.

My order arrived with a lollipop, a cute garland, a number sheet, and some stickers as a thank you for my order. (Edit: I found out that the gift wrap was a holiday service, but is now available for a fee. The lollipop was a special gift for the holidays only. And, the hangul sticker sheet ships as a gift for purchases over $100.) All-in-all, Oioiooi has really won me over. I am a huge fan of their product. I noticed their english Alphabet set is carried in a few US shops like the Tot and Moon Picnic. Hopefully, we’ll see some of their Korean products make its way to the US, too. For now, shopping directly through their site definitely does the trick. What do you think, are you a fan? Thanks for reading.

This post is not-sponsored, I’m just really excited about these toys and I think you will be too. (: