Outdoor Games · Est. 1795★★★★★ 150 reviews

Order by 1pm, next-day. The gift they still play with.

£22.49£32.99 Save 31%

or 4 payments of £5.62 with Klarna

🛡️ 30-day full refund, no questions. Fewer than 30 returns from 23,000+ orders.

Express · order today for next-day delivery

Standard · 2-3 working days

Ships next day
No batteries
Hand-finished wood
Age 1+
Indoor or garden
Teaches hand-eye
30-day returns
Klarna available

Delivery in 2-3 working days · 30-day returns · Est. 1795

1 Free Gift Spend £50

2 Free Gifts Spend £75

3 Free Gifts Spend £100

as seen in

Real talk

The moment you realise the screens aren't the enemy,boredom is.

Most parents watch their child reach for the iPad because nothing else grabbed them. The Wooden Animal Skittles changes that in the first roll. It's heavy enough to satisfy a roll, light enough for a 12-month-old to push. Works indoors on a rainy Tuesday or in the garden on a Saturday. No setup, no learning curve, no batteries dying halfway through.

You get the space back. Your child gets the focus they were searching for on screen. Both of you get the thing nobody planned for: unscripted play together.

Joe Jaques, Jaques of London

What's in the box

What arrives at your door

A complete set, ready to play. Nothing to assemble, nothing to charge, nothing to lose.

Complete Wooden Animal Skittles set laid out showing all pieces

In the box

10 wooden skittles

Each one a different farmyard animal: cow, sheep, pig, duck, chicken, horse, and more. Hand-finished, weighted to roll true, sized for small hands to grip and throw.

✓ Solid wood, natural finish
✓ Painted animal faces
✓ Safe for 1-year-olds and up

Wooden rolling ball for the Animal Skittles game

In the box

1 wooden ball

Smooth, weighted, sized so a 2-year-old can push it and a 5-year-old can roll it hard. Rolls straight on carpet or floorboards.

✓ Hand-finished solid wood
✓ No bounce, no unpredictability
✓ Works indoors and outside

Wooden Animal Skittles game ready to play in a garden setting

Play style

Set up in 30 seconds

Stand the skittles, roll the ball, knock them down, set them back up. That's it. No rules to read, no Wi-Fi to connect, no app to download.

✓ Play alone or together
✓ Works for ages 1-6+
✓ Garden, lounge, patio

Born 1795. Still hand-finished today.

Was £32.99

Wooden Animal Skittles: £22.49

While they play

What's quietly building while they play

Looks like play. Works like a lesson.

👁️

Hand-eye coordination

Rolling, aiming, watching the ball travel. The same precision they'll use writing at school, without them knowing they're practising.

💪

Fine motor strength

Gripping the ball, releasing with control, picking up skittles. Fingers get stronger with every roll.

🧮

Counting and focus

How many did I knock down? Can I beat that? Natural maths, natural concentration, no screen.

😊

Confidence from winning

They set it up, they knocked them down, they set it up again. Real agency. Real progress. No algorithm deciding when they 'won'.

What families say about Jaques of London

Why parents and grandparents keep coming back

★★★★★

"Excellent quality wood toys, so well made, no sharp edges, all lovely & smooth, very colourful & plenty of choice. Very reasonably priced & so beautifully wrapped you don't want to open them. Highly recommend this company."

Lynda Evans✓ Google review

★★★★★

"Fast delivery, excellent products, extremely good quality and long lasting. My granddaughter loves the toys from here. Good age ranges covered."

Danella Jones✓ Google review

★★★★★

"These toys tick all the boxes, educational, colourful, fun, well made and great service. I just keep buying more and more."

Irene Johnstone✓ Google review

★★★★★

"We love our toys from Jaques of London. The quality is excellent and they're the perfect size for little hands to hold and play with easily. Beautifully made, sturdy wooden toys that will last for years. Highly recommend!"

Tegan✓ Google review

★★★★★

"Harrods grade gifting for a very reasonable price. Not the usual tat from China. Had several hand picked orders fron Jaques, nice to know its a UK business with old school quality."

John A✓ Google review

★★★★★

"I am a real fan of this company. If only I had come across them years ago when my boys were little. It's my go to for beautiful, good quality toys for my granddaughter now and any gift I need to buy. They arrived quickly, prices are reasonable and the special touch is they are beautifully packaged too. I love the heritage of this business!"

Sarah Lardner✓ Google review

★★★★★ 4.8/5 from 55 reviews of this product · 4.6 average across 46,000+ Jaques reviews on Reviews.io and Trustpilot

Get ready for life

Why real play matters

Real brain growth comes from real play.

231

Years of toys that last

Jaques has been making games since 1795. The Wooden Animal Skittles carries that same craft. It plays for years, passes to siblings, gets handed to cousins.

→

90%

Still played with after 6 months

Most toys fade fast. This one stays in rotation. Parents tell us it's the gift that didn't get forgotten in the toy box.

→

23,000+

Orders from parents like you

Not an invention. Real families, real homes, real 3-5 year olds choosing this over screen time, week after week.

Why this matters right now

2-3 days Delivery from order Order by 1pm, and the Animal Skittles arrives next working day. Most birthdays, Christmas deadlines, and rainy Tuesday emergencies get solved.

Solid wood Not plastic, not cheap Hand-finished so it feels right in small hands. Heavy enough to roll true. Light enough for a 1-year-old to push. Built to last through siblings and cousins.

60 days Peace of mind If it's not the thing you thought it was, returns happen until 31 January 2027. No questions. No fine print.

230 yrs of making things worth keeping Jaques of London has been crafting games and toys since 1795. This one is built to be handed down, not thrown out.

We really are different

Why wooden beats plastic

	Jaques Wooden Animal Skittles	Cheap Alternatives
Lasts years, not months	✅	❌ Fades, cracks, gets thrown out
Feels satisfying to hold	✅	❌ Hollow, light, hollow feeling
Rolls true every time	✅	⚠️ Bounces, spins unpredictably
Hand-eye skill builds	✅	❌ Plastic versions too light to control
Passed to next child	✅	❌ Plastic breaks before then
No screens, no batteries	✅	❌ Cheap sets pair with apps or need charging
Company stands behind it 231 years	✅	❌ Throwaway brand, gone next year

Jaques

✅ Lasts for years
✅ Real wood feel
✅ Rolls true
✅ Builds real skills
✅ Passes to siblings
✅ No screens ever
✅ Backed by 1795

Cheap alternatives

❌ Plastic breaks fast
❌ Feels cheap
❌ Bounces randomly
❌ Too light to control
❌ Not passed on
❌ Paired to apps
❌ Disposable brand

Born 1795. Still hand-finished today.

Was £32.99

Wooden Animal Skittles: £22.49

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Not right? Return it within 30 days. Full refund, no questions.

Questions & answers

The things parents actually ask

What age is it really for?

The ball is safe for rolling and pushing from 12 months. The skittles themselves are made for 2 and up, when grip and throw improve. Most parents say 3-5 is the sweet spot where they want to play it again and again. It grows with them up to about 7 or 8.

Will it actually keep them off screens?

It's not magic, but it gives them something tactile and unpredictable that screens can't offer. A parent told us: 'perfect gift for any babies' 1st birthday, Catherine McCulloch'. Another said her 4yo played skittles for 20 minutes straight without asking for the iPad. That's not guaranteed every time, but it's what usually happens when something real and fun is in front of them.

Is it sturdy enough to last?

It's solid wood, hand-finished, the same way Jaques has made games for 231 years. One grandparent wrote: 'Not the usual tat from China, John A'. Another: 'Toys that don't break after five minutes of play, Karen Pepper'. It won't splinter, warp, or dull. It passes to the next child looking better for it.

What if it arrives and it's not right?

You have 60 days to return it, until 31 January 2027. No restocking fee, no catch. One parent said: 'arrived next day, saved Christmas, Leigh Hemmings'. Most people keep it because they were worried about the wrong thing. But if you're not, returns are simple.

How much does it cost?

The Wooden Animal Skittles is £22.49 today (down from £32.99). Klarna is available at checkout if you prefer to spread the cost.

What's your returns policy?

30 days, full refund, no conditions. Return it for any reason and we refund in full. We've been standing behind what we make since 1795.

Born 1795. Still hand-finished today.

Was £32.99

Wooden Animal Skittles: £22.49

Our story

Making toys worth keeping since 1795.

Jaques of London was founded in 1795. We invented croquet, table tennis, and the Staunton chess set. For 230 years, we've been making things that pull children away from passive entertainment and into active, curious, hands-on play.

Jaques has made games since 1795 because we believe play is where children learn who they are. The Wooden Animal Skittles isn't new,it's been in families for generations. We hand-finish every set because weight, balance, and the feel in a child's hand matter. A toy that costs more lasts longer, teaches more, and gets passed on instead of binned. That's the Jaques promise, and it applies to this set like it has since Napoleon was still alive.

Toys and games that leave something behind: a skill, a memory, a piece of play that gets passed on.
Joe, Jaques of London

Ready when you are