The Rousseau quote reminds me of the Francisco Goya print: "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters". There is nothing monstrous about these creatures, though! They're somehow playful...The plastic quality of the animals make them stand out from their surroundings - it adds a dream-like quality to the scenes. I like how the light blue links each of the images too.
It certainly would be interesting to compare the romantic rationalism of Rousseau and the meaning of "reason" in Goya's aquatint. I had other things in mind while putting together my post. Something tragic about the abandoned toys. A certain carelessness, perhaps even cruelty. Maybe they also show that children don't know the feeling of nostalghia yet. And yes, the colour scheme was important for this collection.