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HAMLEYS TOYS
London’s Famous Toy Store Wonderland

For anyone with children, or perhaps anyone who was a child once, a visit to Hamleys Toy Shop in Regent Street is an obvious stopping point on a trip to London. Hamleys is one of the world’s most best known toy stores and one of the largest. Hamleys has been a toy seller since 1760, started by a fellow named William Hamley. The English toy shop has had a number of locations over the years as its grown into a toy empire. The current store in Regent Street halfway between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly was opened in 1981, with seven full floors of toy and hobby wonderland. The ground floor starts with stuffed animals and plush toys. Hamleys makes its own stuffed animals and is also a pruveyor of Stieff, the original “Teddy Bear” maker (see Stieff Museum), the floor is filled with creatures from the tiny to life sized tigers and mini-giraffes. The First Floor has science and learning toys, board games, and a “build a bear” workshop, where kids can have their picture taken in the arms of a bear instead of the other way round. The second floor has toys for younger children, the third dedicated to dolls and arts & crafts, the fourth is hobbies, model kits, model railways and remote controlled cars, boats and planes, and the fifth is the boy’s land of action figures and larger riding vehicles and a small café. Legos, games and novelties can be found in the basement.

Hamleys is one of London’s more popular destinations with a reported 5 to 6 million visitors per year, so you'll have a lot of company on any visit to the store. If you don’t want to wait for an elevator you can the “Narnia” stairs, a stairway painted in the art and themes of the Narnia books, traveling through different lands on each level. A family trip to Hamleys stuffed animals might be more of a treat for kids than some stuffy museums, but while some museums in London are free, it’s unlikely you’ll escape this toy dream world without a lighter purse. Hamleys is especially popular when Christmas draws nye and the window displays and lights are a major London Christmas Season attraction. The store can be reached by the tube at either Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus stations. The regular city busses and both the Original and Big Bus tours stop virtually outside the door (See London Bus Sight-Seeing). © Bargain Travel Europe

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Hamleys

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