A is for And . . . so to London!

Where I encountered a gnome village of some pre-eminence (it's been on the Facebook you know), ate a fruit smoothie . . . with a fork (I think they just put fruit through a blender 'till it stands-up like a meringue!), had Nutella cake (bliss), saw a toy soldier collection (or two), caught-up with friends and visited The Toy Project's shop.

Now I'll say this here, because by the time you've seen the images it won't be worth saying - if you live within range of this shop you should try getting there at least once a year, if for no other reason than it's for charity, and kids' charities at that! But if you live in London try getting up there more regularly, the stock literally changes daily, if not hourly.

A charmingly olde-worlde shop-front, hand-painted and looking like something from a fair-ground welcomes you to 81 Junction Road (they've moved from 99), up there in North London where it's not as grim as you may have been led to believe (it's central really!) and - as you can see - the window is just stuffed with toys!

Going round the shop, we first look back at the left hand (from the outside) window

The shelving unit seen in the corner of the previous shot is loaded with larger figurines and smaller action figures. Mostly Disney but there are others.

Then the most amazing four shelves run right down the let-hand wall, I haven't shot the top shelf, it was boxed, stand-alone stuff, train sets, Sylvanian houses, that sort of thing.

What can you spot! I think half the back catalogues of Phidal and the Disney Stores were to be found about the shop!

There's more . . . and more . . .

. . . and more . . . how did I miss that Puss in Boots? It is a bit on the big side, but too cool for pet-training school! . . . and a bear . . . in sunglasses, and all twelve of the Seven-Dwarves (?) . . . and a black cat . . . Supreme knight . . . Betty Boop . . . or is it Jessica Rabbit? . . . and . . .

. . . there's more! Traditional sweet-jars filled with stuff I never even asked about, imagine if you could buy "A quarter of Go-Go Crazy Bones please"!

A decent selection of kid's books was also on display, I would imagine a lot go to the projects, but where there are duplicates from one of the library projects, for instance, they can raise cash in the shop?

Lily was our host on the day, she too was surrounded by toys, shelves and shelves of toys! While the shop was full of excited kids spending their holiday money, although choice was the problem; too much choice!

Larger toys, games, puzzles, sets . . .

I missed the Lego 'Pirate Plank' game!

Baskets and tubs of farm and zoo and dinosaurs and chinasaurs, from very small to err . . . gihuge; which is the technical term which comes just under ginormous!

Thunderbirds, Tin Tin and more Clangers than you can shake a dustbin-lid at! I missed that Indian too and he looks interesting!

Noddy, deforms, a giant turtle and two Britains knights!

Pepper Pig; the craze de jour gets a whole shelving unit! In 18-months time it will probably be full of Fortnite characters!

A whole shelf of Del Prado and K&C, Funko headed-pets and Simpsons along with various TMNT's, this is probably where I'll find my missing pose from those carded clearance figures a few years ago?

More larger action-figures, opposite those we looked at first the other side of the shop . . .

. . . bring us to the other half of the window, where a heaving mass of figures reminds me of an old Heavy Metal cartoon of some post-apocalyptic exodus!

The middle of the shop is an 'isle' of baby and infant toys which can be reached by small hands from buggy's and push-chairs, allowing for the testing of buzzers, bells, dings, pings and bongs!

My pile of plunder, it could have been so much larger! Probably best pleased with the French 'Wise Man' fevre, but the hussar-type in wood is also nice, he's no sign of a tree hanger so probably from a wooden fort set or something, the purple harpy is unmarked but I'd like to put a brand to it.

Couldn't resist the mini Dimetrodon and the Disney princess is a fine date for a 25mm Napoleonic! The rat is a pencil-top! I managed to damage the snowman bringing him home, but he is resin which I hadn't realised or I would have taken more care, I think his right arm is on Paul Morehead's kitchen floor!

The horse is a MEG 'Pony in my Pocket' and will go well with the Britains-Corgi-Playcraft riders and show-jumpers, while the US marine, 2 firemen and cop are 'chinatroop' rack-toy gap-fillers, which leaves a Dalek, Papo princess and Crescent gun - bargain!

Priceing which is on a large board over the windows, is very reasonable, but if - like me - you mix-and-match as you browse around the store - there is a flexible adding-up system which seem to work in your favour by rounding-down!

This shop is so worth a visit . . . and it's for CHARITY!

Web. - www.thetoyproject.co.uk

eMail - donations@thetoyproject.co.uk

+44 (0)7590 256 530 (from abroad)

07590 256 530 (UK)

SHOP

81 Junction Road, Archway N19 5QU

OPENING TIMES

Mon–closed

Tues–Saturday 10am-6pm

Sunday–closed

Registered Charity - 1164282

Twitter - @the TOY project uk

Facebook - The TOY Project UK