Early Learning Toys Inspired by Museum Masterpieces

It’s never too early to spark a child's interest in art. That belief inspired The Met’s collaboration with beloved toy brand Hape on a range of early development toys evoking masterpieces from the Museum’s world-renowned holdings. 

Each charming toy is designed to engage little ones from birth to preschool and beyond and brings a celebrated work of art to life, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and early learning through play. 

Produced using nontoxic toy materials, in collaboration with Hape’s early childhood experts and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, each product from the toy collection makes a thoughtful, engaging art gift for kids. 

Hape Tree of Life Play Mat

This lightweight, portable Hape Tree of Life Play Mat turns tummy time into a sensory adventure. Designed for curious infants ages 0–12 months, the foldable design is inspired by the intricate details of a 17th-century British tapestry from The Met collection, depicting the tree of life. Featuring high-contrast graphics and sensory details—including crinkly leaf accents, a flower-shaped teether, silky ribbons, and a hidden squeaker—the mat supports early development through touch, sight, and sound. A mirrored surface allows baby to explore their reflection, and a photo pocket keeps pictures of loved ones in sight. Laid flat for tummy time or propped up for seated play, the Hape Tree of Life Play Mat will immerse little ones in a gentle nature scene, inviting them to reach, grasp, and grow.

Hape Flower Rattle Set

Blending elegant design and a myriad of developmental benefits, the Hape Flower Rattle Set makes a wonderful art-inspired gift for babies 6–18 months. The trio of rattles evokes Auguste Renoir’s Bouquet of Chrysanthemums (1881)—a warm-toned, soft-focus still life rendered in oil paint—and includes a vibrant yellow flower teether, a wooden flower rattle, and a shape-shifting elastic flower rattle that flips and flexes to encourage exploration and dexterity.

Hape William the Hippo Baby Stacker

This Hape William® the Hippo Baby Stacker reimagines one of The Met’s most adored treasures: a blue faience hippo in The Met’s Egyptian Art collection, playfully nicknamed “William.” The statuette’s aqua tones and painted lotus flowers—thought to represent regeneration and rebirth—are echoed in the stacker’s set of tactile rings, which feel soft or crinkly in babies’ hands. While practicing their stacking skills and adding the plush hippo topper to complete their tower, little ones develop their hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. A thoughtful early learning toy, nursery decor, or baby shower gift, this delightful stacker introduces art as a part of everyday play. 

Hape Museum Nesting Blocks

This engaging nesting block set, inspired by The Met’s grand halls, allows little ones to create their own miniature museum. Each of the five beautifully illustrated blocks represents a different gallery of The Met's global collection, encapsulating art history and design from cultures across the world. Additionally, the blocks are paired with five friendly animal figures—an owl, bunny, lion, hippo, and elephant—for a versatile experience that blends imaginative play, early spatial awareness, and motor development. Whether nested down or built into a tower, this Hape wooden toy is the ideal museum souvenir for The Met’s youngest fans.  

Hape Majestic Animals Wooden Peg Puzzle

The Hape Majestic Animals Wooden Peg Puzzle is perfectly suited for little hands and curious minds. The smooth-edged pieces represent three of the most majestic creatures in the animal kingdom—a horse, elephant, and lion—plus, a mythical unicorn inspired by The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (1495–1505), a refined and complex tapestry from the late Middle Ages. The chunky wooden pieces feature large pegs for small fingers to grasp with ease, helping to strengthen fine motor skills and shape animal recognition. 

Hape Tree of Life Magnetic Maze Puzzle

Inspired by a 17th-century British embroidery in The Met collection featuring fruit-bearing trees sheltering wildlife, the Hape Tree of Life Magnetic Maze Puzzle promises to captivate children ages two and up. Assisted by a magnetic stylus, kids can carefully move colorful beads through the twisting branches of the maze, helping develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and early problem-solving. Offering an engaging alternative to traditional puzzles, this wooden maze toy keeps toddlers and preschoolers absorbed—no screens necessary. 

Hape 6-in-1 Art Puzzle Cubes

These Hape 6-in-1 Art Puzzle Cubes introduces children ages two and up to some of the most beloved artworks from The Met’s extensive holdings: Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies (1899) by Claude Monet; The Great Wave (ca. 1830–32 ) by Katsushika Hokusai; Composition (1921) by Piet Mondrian; Cypresses (1889) by Vincent van Gogh; The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (1495–1505) from The Unicorn Tapestries at The Met Cloisters; and Mäda Primavesi (1912–13) by Gustav Klimt. As they stack and match the blocks, gradually revealing each masterpiece, children practice their visual memory, hand-eye coordination, and pattern recognition. 

Hape Hokusai Great Wave Kaleidoscope

Little art lovers can create an endless variety of enthralling patterns with this Hape Kaleidoscope (available in-store only). Inspired by Under the Wave off Kanagawa (ca. 1830–32), also known as The Great Wave—a world-famous 19th-century image by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai—this compact toy contains wave-inspired shapes and colors to mimic the swirling ocean. By twisting the kaleidoscope and gazing through its eyepiece, children learn to experiment with light and motion to create ephemeral moments of beauty. 

Hape Monet Water-Lily Garden Wooden Frame Puzzle

This meticulously crafted wooden puzzle evokes Claude Monet's Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, painted in 1899 and housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Children ages 4 to 7 will work on their spatial thinking and fine motor skills as they assemble 48 wooden pieces to reveal the lush scene of a footbridge arcing over a reflective pond filled with water lilies. The puzzle's wooden frame allows for easy display of the masterpiece. 

The best gifts for babies and children are those that are entertaining, developmentally enriching, and visually appealing. The Met’s collaboration with the early childhood experts at Hape checks every box—these are toys that art lovers of all ages will be happy to have around. Explore the full collection in-store or online now.