Creating this list caused quiet the debate amongst all of us here at Fiddlesticks. Although after much deliberation, here it is - our official TOP 5 lists for toys this holiday season broken into 3 different categories. Who didn't make the cut? Come visit us and we will tour you around! We are certain we can cross off all the little ones on your holiday gift list this year.




1. Hape's Discovery Spaceship & Lift Off Rocket - fuel their imagination with far out galaxy explorations.

2. Tegu Blocks - add endless potential to their constructing minds with these beautiful magnetic blocks.

3. Emu Shark Boots - put a little bit more bite in their next step.

4. Seedling's Good Things for Boys Kit - give the crafting kit that makes them think, move & laugh.

5. Green Toys Recycling Truck - keep them green this holiday season as they learn how to sort bottles, cans, and paper.




1. Maileg's Princess & The Pea - invite your little one into this enchanting and magical classic story and she will spend hours role playing with her own princess.

2. Seedling's Make Your Own Superhero Cape - unleash those superhero powers & watch as she creates her own cape to fight evil.

3. Petit Collage Doll - because she can just never have enough...

4. Emu's Koala Boots - keep those toes warm down under this winter.

5. Cotton Candy Perpetual Calendar - an everyday calendar that is the perfect addition to any little girls room.




1. Petit Collage Mobile - modern for you and entertaining for them - a must for any babies room.

2. Train Set from Manny & Simon - this train is on track for success as it encourages the little ones to crawl and walk.

3. Double Rainbow Stacker - encourages fine motor skill development using bright and happy colors, a Hape classic.

4. Tugboat - they will navigate uncharted territory and have countless adventures with this tugboat made out of all recycled plastic from Green Toys.

5. Bee Boots - they will buzz around as they take some of their first steps in these cozy new walkers by Emu.

Fiddlesticks just got an incredible editorial mention in one of our favorite west coast magazines Sunset. We are one of several shops featured in their article, Hayes for the Holidays! Come on down this season and see first hand why Sunset has deemed Hayes Valley as their favorite shopping district in San Francisco.

But while we have you, here is Fiddlestick's top 5 favorites kid spots in Hayes Valley - RIGHT NOW!

1. Miette - a beautiful vintage retro candy shop with just the right assortment. You'll be certain to find a few treasures for their stockings.
2. Straw - a new carnival themed restaurant with tilt-a-whirl booth & all! 3. Smitten Ice Cream - hands down THE best ice cream in the city, and lucky us - in Hayes Valley!
4. Suppenkuche's new Bier Garten - take a break from shopping and grab a German pint & delicious homemade brat and take a seat in the sun - kids MORE than welcome!
5. Seesaw - a one-of-a-kind studio & cafe inspiring creativity, curiosity & connection for kids.

When we moved Fiddlesticks into our bigger space over a year ago we expanded our sizes for both boy & girl so we could offer up to size 12. I have been in the children's market for over 8 years now and have been watching designers grow their collections and expand their sizes. Finding clothes for kids in size 8-12 can be a challenge, as many of you mother's out there know. We have been working hard to find the right mix of clothing for this age group, and we believe we have found it!

Neige always has a way of dressing them up for those special occasions while keeping it simple and modern in style. Appaman mixes comfort with an urban edge, and Splendid continues to delivers their signature soft cotton with trend forward fashion. And of course there is the Tea Collection, which season after season, shows us their strong design talent in all the places they travel for inspiration.

One brand we are keeping our pulse on is Pink Chicken. A young company that is absolutely delivering in the tween market with their new brand Poulet. Also notable is Morgan & Milo, as they continue to hone in on their design talent & offer sizes for the older kids.

To celebrate our older kids, we are offering 20% off all clothing size 8-12 from today through this Thursday, November 17th. Shop online and we will refund you the discount, or swing in and take a look first hand. We promise to outfit your growing child in something fabulous!

- Elizabeth Leu (owner)

Check out our new shiny badge! A HUGE thank you to all who voted in the Totally Awesome Awards hosted by Red-Tricycle and Giggle, and to all of you who support us on a daily basis. We absolutely love what we do, and it is your smiling faces that constantly make us want to better all things Fiddlesticks!!!

We just got our holiday delivery from the TEA Collection, and we are madly in love! So many wonderful holiday outfits, which could easily be worn through to next summer. The Modern Mexico Highland Holiday is inspired by rich Mexican traditions and lots of bright and cheery colors. We are seeing vibrant colors (Pinata Stripe Party Dress), sparkly silver threads (Sparkle Stripe Mockneck), and beautiful embroidery details (Villa Flores Party Dress) in the girls collection, and PURPLE in the boys collection! We are really adoring the splash of purple (especially in the Fiesta Plaid Shirt) as it is trending high in men's wear right now.

We are running a promotion of buy 5 TEA items & get the 6th FREE! It's a great incentive to build several outfits, or dress up both kids for that holiday photo. We just adore this delivery and know that you will too! Come in today, offer is good through October 31st, 2011.

Fiddlesticks just recently discovered all natural sheepskin boots from EMU, and we are simply pleased about our find. Well made and absolutely adorable, they are one of our favorite fall footwear brands.

5 reasons why we fell in love:

1. EMU Australia procures their sheepskin from the meat industry, so it is recycled - a byproduct. And in this day and age, that means a lot to us.

2. They have crafted their own patent pending moulded heel cup which provides a better fit and support.

3. Water resistant! Which as we all know with kids is a HUGE benefit.

4. The sheepskin lining allows for moisture to be wisked away- meaning odorless boots!

5. DESIGN. Your little one will have loads of fun stomping about this winter, perhaps with a little bit more personality??! For the girls, try the Lady Bird Boot or for a bit more style the Wallaby Hi. The boys can spark some fun in the Frill Boot, and perhaps for the little ones the Little Creature Bee Walker or Koala. Either way, not only will they be warm and last through the toughest of winter ware....they will look simply adorable!

We put together a beautiful window using Green Toys, plants, real grass, recycled milk bottles, and recycled paper. The title is “A Super Hero Play Date to Save the Earth”. With Green Toys being so close to us in production we try to keep a large amount of their toys here in the store as we are not only supporting an amazing company, we are also supporting a local company, which is of the utmost importance in the process of keeping the business green. Green Toys were not the only local company used in our window…as many of you know we carry super hero and sidekick capes made locally by Baby Leo Designs. These are some of the most beloved and cherished play pieces in a child’s wardrobe.



Ou favorite part about the way that children play is the imaginative way they can take any object and perceive it as whatever they want. In our window you have come upon the scene of a very fun filled play date where the children were able to play hard at saving the Earth by using Green Toys. They became recycling super heroes and were inspired to plant plants and water them with their jump ropes. Teaching children their responsibility to the Earth is very important, and also very exciting to them. They love animals and plants and recycling trucks and are sponges for all the information that surrounds them and helps them.

We are proud to have been a part of Green Toys Earth Day display contest, because we believe in Green Toys and our Children who are learning their part to help save the planet. In so many ways it would seem the opposite, to save the Earth, we need what our children have in spades, imagination and love.

Please take a moment and go onto the Green Toys Facebook page and "Like" Green Toys, and then "Like" our window display, by May 1st.

A Special Thanks to Stacks, and La Boulange, for saving their milk cartons and bottles so we could create our milk bottle, jump rope totem pole!