same old Hamleys

[robertson]

As a kid, I was taken to Hamleys of Regent Street and was entranced - particularly by the demos in the front entrance of magic balloon (tubes of coloured gunk which can be inflated by a straw), cardboard circling planes, and toy hamsters inside clear plastic balls . To my astonishment, every year I've been back since the very same items have been demo'd. That includes this year. Wth incredible advances in so many other fields, why haven't things moved on in this area? And has anyone got any suggestions as to where I can buy today's most innovative toys?

[bednobs]

you can buy "innovative" (although not quite sure what you men) in hameleys too. i would imagine that the demos have to be easy and cheap, being as they will have a load of kids prodding them etc, and they have to be able to be operated by one person, who can also keep up a banter. they have to be simple, and hold the imagination and have a gimmick/be flashy. I would imagine the above list severly limits the stuff that can be demoed at the front of a shop where people could grab stuff and run out the door too. incidentally, i dont know how old you are but when i was a kid they were demoing the planes that come back, but also some spider thingies that you throw against a mirror or window and they crawl down, so things have obviously moved on since then!

[robertson]

oh yes bednobs, I forgot - they've always had those spider things too!

[puzzled54]

Yes, the magic balloons are still going strong. Just the smell of them as I go thru the door into Hamleys takes me back to when I was a child. We always used to beg for some, but it never worked as well at home as it did in the store.

[bednobs]

do they reallt still sell those slimy spiders????