Disney store - the plastic place

I ventured into Oxford today – something I rarely do (traffic congestion, parking  – argh!) to return some library books. Unfortunately the entrance is opposite the Disney store and I was asked, very nicely (please and everything) if we could go in.

Wanting to reward my little guy for being perfectly behaved I was pretty happy to nip in, forgetting of course for that brief moment quite how much I loathe the place.

I won’t let Elias walk around in there by himself as the stands are so high and toys piled up everywhere, he’s lost in seconds flat. (normally rolling around in the mountain of soft toys at the back of store – but not always) Also there is little space between the stands for buggies – how ridiculous is that? Seeing as most of what they sell is aimed at small kids – who generally have at least one parent and a buggy in tow.

Another issue I have with it is the fact that most of what they sell is overpriced and very low quality plastic. When I do buy from there it is when they have their ‘rock bottom price final clearances’ where things are about 75% marked down – about the price I am willing to pay for a toy that is not made to last! We bought a Nemo soft toy recently, and the quality was so poor the stitching was coming undone within 2 weeks!

Little Wonders however is the polar opposite, and is a couple of minutes walk away from the Disney store. It is packed full of beautiful toys of very high quality. All kinds of wooden play sets, including the most beautiful Noah’s Ark I have ever seen. And oddly enough, not so dissimilar in price to Disney. We spent a good 45 minutes in there one Saturday morning with the kids, we were as happy to be there are they were! The sales assistants are genuinely enthusiastic about their products, and happy to help you out – plus they know all about the toys they sell. Although it is not as big as Disney they have so many more fabulous toys, games, puzzles, books, dolls….. and more. Any family in shopping in Oxford should seek it out, instead of that other inferior place!(oh, and this is a little controversial – ELC does not have a patch on Little wonders either – although I do like their art materials)