Where to Buy Cardboard Bricks

We got ours about 8 years ago from the Lillian Vernon catalog (although there were a total of 24 bricks in 3 different colors: red, blue, and green). They've held up well.

Wendy (6/99)

Mr. Mopps in Berkeley. -- Bob (6/99)

www.backtobasicstoys.com -- Alexis (6/99)

We got them from Lily's Kids catalog. My son got them when he was 1.5 or 2 yrs and still plays with them constantly at 4. They are the only thing I would buy from Lily's, however. Anything else we have bought has been trash, broken within hours of receipt or just shoddily made.
Linda (6/99)

Lilly's Kids catalog carries a 9x4x2 brick at 24 for $9.98 or 48 for $16.98. To get a catalog call 1-800-545-5426. They also list a website address of www.lillianvernon.com
Kathy (6/99)

I bought some for our kids through Lily's Kids an offshoot of Lillian Vernon's mail order catalog business. They are very sturdy, now in four colors!, and a big hit. Good Luck, Carlene (6/99)

Another alternative to buying the cardboard bricks is to make your own. I have made at least a hundred by buying all of our milk in cardboard half gallon cartons. Once you have finished the milk, you need to rinse them out so there is no milk left. I generally rinsed them with vinegar after the water rinse just to be sure I got all the milk out (if you don't get them clean they will eventually smell). Then open the entire top spout and cut along the line so you have removed the top spout portion, and have a box with one opening. Air dry completely and once you have two empty clean and dry boxes you can slide one into the other. Slide them together by putting the openings together and push one box into the other, so they are reinforced with a bottom of the milk container on top and bottom of your block. I have known other people to do this and cover all the blocks with contact paper for a more uniformed look but that is a lot of extra work and my kids liked the block just fine as is. There are just about the same size and weight as the brick blocks you can buy, and you can keep adding to your collection. Mine have lasted years. (June 1999)