Bringing the Whimsy and Wonder of toys to Wausau
Whimsy and Wonder Toys opened just before the Christmas shopping season in downtown Wausau
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Walking into Whimsy and Wonder Toys in downtown Wausau evokes some of those feelings as a kid, when you spy all the cool toys and gadgets you’d like to fill your time with.
And that’s the idea behind the new shop in downtown Wausau. But it’s also meant to evoke whimsy for parents concerned about sustainability, non-toxic materials and ethically sourced toys.
“We look to see that they either use eco-friendly or sustainable practices, or that the products themselves are,” says Whimsy and Wonder Toy Store owner Lee Clermont who, along with his wife Autumn, opened the toy store Nov. 7. “A lot our products are either made of wood or recycled materials.
That includes games, dolls, STEM-based playsets, sticker books, jewelry and even candy made without additives. Clermont shows me a toy that’s like Lincoln Logs, and in fact is nearly as old but is completely made out of wood and manufactured in the U.S. (In fact, its design inspired Lincoln Logs to improve its own design, flattening some of the rounded edges so it would stay put better.)
Bringing together Whimsy and Wonder Toys Wausau
Clermont, whose wife works as a counselor and department head at Horace Mann, said they had the idea in Christmas 2024, when it dawned on them that Wausau didn’t really have a dedicated toy store.
So they searched around and settled on a spot downtown which once housed Blackash Clothing, and which has a nice proximity to the Children’s Imaginarium. Plus, Clermont tells The Wausonian, the downtown appears to be making a comeback and they want to be part of it.
“The more stores there are to fill all the needs, the more likely it is to come back,” Clermont said, pointing out the coffee shops, the grocery store, restaurants, housewares and other amenities available in the district.
But it’s not just sustainability that gets at the ethos of the Whimsy and Wonder store. It’s about creating tactile experiences for children, games parents can play with their children and weeding out screens from that experience. With emerging data pointing to the harm of screens on children’s attention spans, Clermont says they hope to provide an alternative for parents.
That includes games and puzzles that might be a touch more complex than the Monopoly or Sorry! games we grew up with. One particularly popular item? A puzzle called Gnomes at Night which, once assembled, provides another game where children can take a small included flashlight and search for glow-in-the-dark items hidden in the puzzle. It’s sold out in the store several times already, Clermont says.
In the meantime, Clermont tells The Wausonian they’re looking to grow their inventory and keep trying new things. All to add more wonder to Wausau area children’s lives.
Whimsy and Wonder Toys is located at 328 Washington Street. They’re open 10 am-5 pm Tuesday through Saturday, according to their Facebook page. You can also find them at their website.
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