Harrods open a brand new Toy Kingdom

Harrods has opened the doors to the new Toy Kingdom – in the words of Harrods

'a 26,000-square-foot multi-sensory department with an enchanted forest, intergalactic science lab, curious sweet emporium and toy ‘grand canyon’. A dream destination for wild imaginations, it will become London’s latest hotspot for children’s toys and books. Featuring not only a spectacular collection of must-haves and product exclusives.'

The Toy Kingdom is partitioned into six 'worlds'

• The Big Top: where magicians and jugglers are on centre stage surrounded by fancy dress costumes, doll houses, rocking horses and soft toys.     
• The Candy Store: a chocolate counter, alongside Papa Bubble who makes flavoursome candy concoctions to order.     
• The Enchanted Forest: Fanciful, decorated tree trunks and wigwams that house the latest collections from Sylvanian Families and Flutter Fairies, alongside arts and crafts. -    
• Wonderland: filled with Hornby train sets, remote-controlled helicopters and Scalextric. 
• The Odyssey: a gigantic space rocket crashes through the floor and a huge sun bursts through the wall in front of an Area 51-inspired space and gadget zone, complete with alien space pods and limited-edition pieces.    
• The Reading Room: with climb in cubby holes to hear reading extracts.

In the words of my 3 year old

'Wow! it's so special and fun'

Until of course I wouldn't buy him everything he wanted.

As toy stores go this is definitely one of the best I've been to, smaller that Hamleys it was a less stressful experience to the overly packed world famous toy store.  The areas are designed in a truly Willy Wonka fashion and I was enchanted, more than my son who actually didn't appreciate the set up as all he saw were the toys, they could have just been strewn around the floor for all he cared, however, my 9 year old would have definitely revelled in the opportunity to role play and loose himself to the imagination; but today he missed the experience for a pre-olympic athletic games, which I am sure he is thoroughly enjoying.

Very much like most other toy departments, there were the demonstration staff who were easily identifiable by a cool polo with an embroidered H on the front and staff on the backs, in varying colours of red, baby blue and pink, according to their departments.  I want one!!!

Overall, we had a great time the only downsides were that it took a little longer to find than I would have imagined, the toilets were not close by and I walked through the lighting area tentatively to get to it, with a three year old in tow that was scary!  I feel it should have been close to the children's clothing department rather than of 3rd floor with furniture, but that's just me.  The reading area is quite central so quiet reading and listening in the cubby holes on a busy Saturday afternoon are impossible;

However I recommend every one go, even if it's just to take obligatory pictures of a day out in the world famous Harrods!


Click on Harrods for a link to the Harrods store visiting page.

Aaaaaaaarrrggh TEENAGERS!!!

When he's in he wants to be out, he eats walks around for a bit then comes the complaining. When he's out he complains if no-one is there to let him in.  He is either sleeping or eating with nothing in between and then there are the females, there is always a different one hanging around, I call him to come in at a certain time but does he want to come in, No!  But, in the unreasonable hours of the morning that's when the calling begins.

You love him and dislike him at the same time and he is hard work, but, at times he can be wonderful, sweet and still quite innocent; you just have to remember that it's a stage, the last one before adulthood as they do not stay small for long...  He hasn't at all, at just 9 months old, Raven, our cat is now a quintessential teenager.  With all the traits of my eldest son and more, he drives me potty and makes me laugh at the same time.  Does he want to be in? Or out?  It's like that advert about the milk; if cats had thumbs!  He would definitely be the owner of a shiny back door key!  What ever happened to that tiny, innocent little black bundle my husband brought home?  If he could do a Kevin and Perry I believe he most certainly would, I can see it in his eyes when I shoo him off of the dining room sofa.  If you have seen The Rise of the Planet of the Apes you will remember the part where Caesar says his first word 'No'.  I see Raven at that point saying 'it's not fair',  a stroppy teenage cat's first words '.

Well at least he will grow out of it just as quickly as he came into it..  Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the other teenager in the house whose teenage years seem to be stretching waaaay too long, maybe I need to try him with a little catnip!