Sunday 14 April 2013

Saturday outing: Hamleys Toy Shop London or ‘The Toy Museum’



Regents Street in the morning

I have been working from home for the whole Easter break, tied to a computer with poor Erbie by my side, so the Saturday treat was to go to Hamleys Toy Shop or as we refer to it, ‘The Toy Museum’ (Erbie is only 4 and it seems to work). 

Hamleys is on Regent’s Street in London’s West End, the nearest tube is Oxford Circus, it opens at 9.30am and there are 5 floors of toys galore, from Steiff to Lego and Moshi monsters to Disney.

If you can make it there before 11am you more or less get the store to yourself.

Hoppity Hop!

Hanging around

Hamleys Ground floor - soft toys

We do like a raspberry faced baboon.

Steiff selection
Ppppppick up a penguin

Eats shoots and leaves



Moshi monsters

Hamleys car abacus

Baby toys floor.



Below are : Tolo - First friends, I think they are adorable, I certainly didn’t see any of them around when Erbie was a baby - thankfully. Look you can have Barney Rubble or Eskimos or baby dinosaurs.



Tolo toys - First Friends
Jungle book figures

Balou and Mowgli too
They have a girl-themed floor which is very pink and crafty and a toys for boys floor (not terribly PC) which is cars, planes and automobiles - don’t let the dad’s go on this floor if you want to save money. There are model trains, Scalextric, diecast models of most cars, minature farm vehicles, London taxis and buses, Airfix models, Hotwheels, those annoying remote controlled helicopters - need I go on...

Scalextric SKYFALL

Model railway

A life size Power Ranger made from Power Rangers.


On the birthday list - Star Wars Angry Birds sticker album
There are also the old classics such as Paddington Bear in Wellingtons, jigsaws and a good selection of books from Mr Men and Little Misses to Charlie and Lola or perhaps you would prefer a Dress Up Kate paper doll book?



Mr Men
You can't go wrong with a Dress Up Kate paper doll?
One is not terribly amused
Will anyone give this bear a home?
Playmobil
I couldn’t resist the offer they had on clock-work toys (4 for £10) and ended up with 3, an elephant spinning a ball on his trunk, a bear playing the cymbals and a monkey doing a somersault.
Wind ups
Erbie chose a Super Moshi plane toy with Katsuma and Wurley, more lumps of plastic but I relented as he had been so good over the Easter holidays.

4 comments:

Victoria | Hibiscus Bloem said...

It was always a great treat to go to Hamleys as a child. We'll be visiting London this summer and its on my list to take my kiddos. Not sure my bank account will appreciate it though!

Z said...

My daughter took her little girl there this weekend, on her first visit to London since she was a baby. Last time I visited Hamleys it was looking tired and a bit scruffy, so I'm pleased that it seems to have picked up. We used to take our children there and always lunched at the ice-cream bar in the basement, a great treat.

westendmum said...

Dear Anonymous.
I know what you mean they have great big red bags that they hand out for you to fill with goodies, that's why we're happy Erbie still thinks it's a museum!

Dear Z,
I have to admit it is still a bit scruffy round the edges and rather over-priced. I wish they still had an ice cream parlour in the basement. I remember being taken there as a child and never got over the fact that there was an escalator to another and another and another floor filled with toys!!

teawithonesugarplease said...

Ah bless so funny my parents used to take me there and I took my own kid there as a treat - just to look around (not buying but in the end you still do!)

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