During the busy Christmas trading period it seemed as if every second sale at WoodenToyShop was for a dolls’ house, play kitchen or toy shop. In the relative calm of New Year, however, we have had the time to take a closer look at our sales and have been pleased to see the rise in popularity of one of our old personal favourites, toy cars and toy garages.
Grownups are too consumed by daily concerns and the stresses of modern life to see the fun and play potential in the world around us. To us, driving to the petrol station to fill up the car is nothing more than a chore – and an expensive one at that! To our children however, this simple task is a whole adventure in itself. Kids see a world of fun at the garage, starting with the line of petrol pumps, each with exciting gauges that count upwards very fast as Mum or Dad put petrol in the car. And if that’s not enough, you can go through the car wash (always loads of fun!), put air in the tyres and add water or screenwash under the bonnet. Then, when it comes to pay, the shop is full of goodies (sweets, chocolate and strange things that you put in the car like smelly Christmas trees) as you approach the till. Here at WoodenToyShop, we think we have a cracking selection of toy cars and vehicles and toy garages that mean Mum or Dad can slip off to the garage without taking all the gang every time. You can leave the little ones at home and reduce your journey time if they have their own fleet of vehicles and personal petrol station to keep them busy.
Don't
Those of us who were lucky enough to own a toy garage when we were young will recognise many of the features of today’s pretend petrol stations and car parks. Take the Le Toy Van Mike’s Auto Garage, for example. This award winning wooden toy has a retro look and feel about it that will thrill adults as much as it will the little ones. First of all, you can race your cars around the race track then as you roll up in your toy car, you can fill up with petrol or park on the ground floor. Alternatively, you can take the lift up to level 1 or 2 (you can also access the upper floors via ramps) and if you are one of these fancy Dans with your own (toy) helicopter, there is a helipad for fast take off and landing. This beautifully decorated children’s garage comes with two vehicles as well as four traffic signs and cones that will introduce the concept of fun to being held up in traffic, Honest!
What
One of our most popular toy garages is the BigJigs City Auto Centre. Along with two parking levels, a working lift and petrol pump, there is also a servicing garage for repairing troublesome vehicles and a car wash for cleaning them after they’ve been fixed up. One of its most enjoyable features is the exit ramp which allows cars to speed away from the parking area and head off back home. This brilliant toy comes with four colourful wooden cars and a whole world of fun!
Clear
It’s easy to forget that toys help children to make sense of the big and often scary world around them. We’re sure that many of our toys, including these magnificent toy garages, will help kids understand that these strange and imposing buildings are just another normal part of the grown up world around them. The garages also offer adults an opportunity to show children how to be safe in car parks and around traffic and we think that’s a winning combination!
