Kids can be picky when it’s about toys since there are so many options these days.
The best toy stores in NYC have you covered whether you’re searching for the newest hot should toys, educational gadgets that will put their STEM abilities to use, or the perfect birthday gift for a specific age group.
In this article, we are rightly going to give you a list of the famous toy stores in New York which will put your search for toy shops to an end.
15 Famous Toy Stores in New York
Toy stores in New York City have made their name because they provide far more than just mindless trinkets. These toys are exciting as well as informative for little minds.
And with all of the additional activities available, you’ll want to add a trip to the toy store of these famous toy stores in New York.
1. FAO Schwarz
FAO Schwarz is without a doubt one of the most famous toy stores in New York.
Whether your child prefers plush animals or enjoys challenging their minds with a mind-based board game or puzzle, FAO Schwarz has everything to offer!
It is the oldest toy store in New York.
Ranging from stuffed toys and board games to dolls and STEM gadgets, FAO’s assortment is vast! It is a great toy store where you will definitely find something or the other of your interest.
Not only will children be able to meet new furry friends and collect Hatchimals eggs, but they will also be able to participate in hands-on activities some of which are available free of cost that will encourage creativity and enjoyment.
You will be amazed at the magic performances, science experiments, spa treatments, and, of course, playing the grand piano at FAO Schwarz!
And yes, all ages are welcome.
2. CAMP Stores
You cannot leave the city for a true camp experience. Thus, CAMP Stores has to offer you all!
Kids can browse the assortment of toys and games at CAMP shops and participate in interactive elements such as dancing, sports, crafts, and everything else they love about camp.
CAMP is also a fantastic venue for birthday celebrations. This is indeed one of New York’s top toy stores!
CAMP is created to make children feel as if they are in a different world or, more precisely, at camp! Another feature that distinguishes this store as it has an enormous interactive play area, which is very much liked by the children.
The entire business promotes creative play and learning, making it ideal for tired parents who need to keep their children occupied for a few hours.
3. Mary Arnold Toys
It doesn’t get any better than Mary Arnold Toys when it came to mom-and-pop shops. The family-run business specializes in everything from the latest trends to vintage items.
Mary Arnold, the second-oldest toystore in NYC after FAO Schwarz, has been open since 1931, offering children not just a place to purchase, but also a place to socialize for story times, activities, and a personalized experience.
This amazing toy store in NYC has been operating for a long time and is located on the Upper East Side. This store is well-known for its excellent educational toys, making it an ideal destination for young children.
4. LEGO Flagship Store
If your children enjoy STEM toys, they will be enthralled by the LEGO Flagship Store. They’ll be inspired to create not simply by the large buildings of Gotham hotspots like the Statue of Liberty, but also by the vast array of products available in the flagship store.
In addition, there are monthly activities and store specialists on hand to assist your budding engineers with any building-block issue.
LEGO is always cool, and the LEGO stores bring the experience to a whole new level. Expect spectacular, life-size structures of pop-culture icons, special sets, and even a building wall where youngsters can experiment with LEGO hands-on if you’ve never been to a LEGO store before.
The main store, located in the heart of Rockefeller Center, is one of the top toy stores in the city.
5. American Girl Place
If you have a young girl who can’t get enough of the American Girl series, you’ll want to visit American Girl Place on Rockefeller Plaza.
The amazing square footage of the facility itself is what puts American Girl Place one of the top toy stores in NYC. Seriously, it’s that awesome!
This American Girl retreat offers makeovers, food, and shopping for kids, so we think it definitely deserves a spot in the famous toy stores in New York!
6. PiccoliNY
PiccoliNY is likely to be a real utopia for your child if they can’t get enough hipster toys. PiccoliNY is without a question one of the top toy stores in New York City, owing to its uniqueness.
Yes, the shop sells traditional toys like dolls. The dolls here are based on well-known celebrities.
So, if you want to give your child a David Bowie or Coco Chanel-inspired doll, stop by this amazing shop. It will surely be a great gift for your child.
Another feature that we think makes PiccoliNY one of the top toy stores in NYC is the large selection of early childhood toys. PiccoliNY has a large selection of baby sensory toys, so all ages children are included in PiccoliNY.
7. Disney Store
The Disney Store in New York will give your little Mouseketeers a glimpse of the best place in the world! Their Disney World!
There are plenty of cuddly animals, princess outfits, and Gotham-themed souvenirs to peruse. Whether they are looking for a traditional Mickey stuffed animal, a ball gown, or literally the Disney magic wand! Disney Store in New York will get your child covered!
If your child needs those Christmas pyjamas and Christmas sweaters, they’ll find them here. You can find the store in the famous place of Times Square.
8. Build-A-Bear
Who doesn’t enjoy Build-A-Bear Workshop?
If you’ve ever been to the Build-A-Bear Store in NY, you’ll understand why it’s regarded as one of the top toy businesses in the city. Kids essentially walk around the store, choose their teddy bear, stuff it, dress it, and take them on their way.
Yes, it is that cool!
The fact that children become completely absorbed in the experience will make this one of the top toy stores in NYC. The staff treats these plush toys with great care, and youngsters can even stuff their new buddies with a heart to make the experience even more emotional.
9. Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store
Whimsical housewares, curiosities, and everything is found here at Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store.
The owner Ann Cantrell considers it “best in the show”, it also showcases a 1,100-square-foot space with a backyard for gatherings.
Its rotating lineup is heavy on products for kids, so treat them to attractive stuffed animals, puzzles, DIY craft kits, cute trinkets like pencil toppers, little army guys with parachutes, magnets, humorous presents, and jewellery. Adult items such as mugs, candles, and unique and perfect gifts are also available.
10. Kidding Around
When children enter the Kidding Around store, they are transported into a wonderland of toys.
There is a limitless assortment of toys, ranging from plush animals to wooden railway sets and dollhouses, that will turn an average trip to the toy store into an exciting experience. A wooden model of the Staten Island Ferry is also available, which is ideal for any local.
Kidding Around first opened its doors in 1989, in a small storefront at 68 Bleecker Street. Since then, Kidding Around (voted Best Indie Toy Store in NYC by New York Magazine) has relocated, expanded, and joyfully served the Chelsea community for nearly three decades.
11. Toy Tokyo
Toy Tokyo takes the top spot on our list of the greatest toy stores in NYC. Now, it’s not just the place’s Kawaii-ness that makes it one of the top toy stores in NYC – it’s also the collectables!
If you’re a kid at heart or a huge collector of Asian toys, you’ll definitely want to pay this store a visit. Even if it’s just for the ambience, it’s one of the nicest toy stores in NYC.
It’s a terrific site to come to for any tourist to the Big Apple, with brilliant flashes of colour and Japanese-themed decor.
12. Pizzazzz Toys
Pizzazzz Toys is always humming, which is incredible to witness. This store isn’t part of a large chain, so it’s quite inspiring to see a tiny, local business grow into one of NYC’s top toy stores. Classic toys such as puzzles, trucks, dolls, and other such products can be found in this store.
However, because of the store’s huge inventory, there’s always something new to uncover around every turn.
This is undoubtedly one of the most excellent toy stores in NYC, as children can spend hours here looking for the ideal item. Youngsters coming to this show will find it magical.
13. Morning Glory
If your kids can’t have enough of Pusheen and Hello Kitty, the Asian-inspired boutique is the place to go.
Morning Glory is a toy and stationery store in Queens that sells not only exciting toys and games but also kid-friendly accessories. Is your child in need of a new school backpack or perhaps an alarm clock? Morning Glory has all of those things and many more.
Morning Glory is an Asian-inspired toy and stationery store in Queens that carries popular Hello Kitty and anime items. In addition to TY Beanie Babies, plush Pusheen goods, and board games, the store also sells kid-themed backpacks, alarm clocks, and bags.
All ages are welcome here.
14. West Side kids
West Side Kids is another excellent toy store in NYC. This beautiful small shop on the Upper West Side.
This store, which has been in the same location since 1981, is well-liked by the residents. There aren’t any crazy items here, but youngsters will like the New York-themed items as well as instructive toys that will get those gears turning.
15. Boomerang Toys
This downtown locale is a treasure trove for that one-of-a-kind item. Boomerang Toys has a large assortment of inventive toys, such as wooden railway systems, novels, puzzles, and educational toys, in addition to iconic playthings from previous generations like Slinky, Erector Sets, and Legos.
If you’re planning a birthday party, the business can make personalized goodie bags and even a gift registry for you.
You can also visit these famous New York toy stores to unbox the surprises.
Things to do in New York with Kids
1. American Museum of Natural History
The AMNH’s fourth-floor dinosaur halls, which house the world’s largest and possibly most magnificent collection of dinosaur fossils, have already been blowing kids’ minds for decades.
Approximately 80% of the bones on the exhibit were dug up from the ground; the remainder is cast.
The thrills start the moment you walk through the doors of the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, where you’re greeted by a towering barosaurus rearing up on its hind legs to protect its young from an attacking allosaurus—an amazing welcome to the world’s largest dinosaur museum.
2. New Victory Theater
Kids realize something genuinely remarkable is about to happen the moment the curtain rises in this exquisite jewel box of a theatre the New Victory Theater presents Broadway-quality productions of thought-provoking drama to a youthful audience.
These family-friendly presentations come from all over the world and contain everything from dazzling new plays to reimagined classics, as well as huge puppets and breakdancing daredevils.
Pre-show crafts, professional seminars, and other themed programming add to the audience’s enjoyment and knowledge of the show, which is built with specific age groups in mind—pre-schoolers, grade-schoolers, tweens, and teens.
3. Symphony Space
The weekend family program at Symphony Space is a family-friendly arts celebration with a schedule of music, literary, dance, and dramatic performances that will have your kids grooving, singing, and rolling in the aisles.
Young readers participate in creative writing exercises and engage in exciting Q&As with their favourite writers during the Thalia Kids Bookclub, which includes circus acts, rock bands, puppetry, and beatboxing.
Fun Indoor Activities for Your Kids
New York is as much a playground for children as it is for adults. There are actual playgrounds strewn across the five boroughs, as well as bike routes, hiking trails, outdoor activities, and a slew of other child activities and attractions.
It’s fantastic to bring kids outside for some fresh air and exercise, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate. So, if it’s too hot, cold, or rainy to get kids outside, here are some of the finest indoor activities for kids in NYC. Many fun indoor activities can make your kid happy.
1. The Giant Room
Plan a tour to Chelsea if you’re looking for methods to keep your artistic kids occupied. The Giant Room is an incubator for small-town New Yorkers with great ambitions. The hub is designed for children aged 3 to 12 who are interested in STEAM courses and art classes.
The “Blank Canvas,” where users assist put together a new monthly display for The GIANT Room’s gallery, is perhaps one of the biggest draws to the facility. There are also exciting workshops such as “Storytelling, Animation, and Character Design” and “Design and Fabrication.”
2. CAMP’s Interactive Experiences
If your kids have started making a holiday wish list, now is the time to take them to one of New York’s most popular toy stores CAMP. It will be transformed into a winter wonderland.
The shop’s Toy Lab CAMP theme, created with the help of Eko, will have a number of interactive content that evoke strong North Pole feelings.
Little shoppers will enter the “fun-o-vator,” choose a toy-testing profession, and receive a lanyard that will be hole-punched as they evaluate each item, just like elves do. Santa’s workshop appears to be up against some stiff competition from CAMP.
Key Takeaways
Start planning your trip to the famous toy stores in New York that will lighten your kid’s eyes.
Some of the amazing toys and games will make you think that you should also have been born in the same era to enjoy your childhood with these amazing toys. You can check the best time to visit New York to add more fun to your trip.
Also check out “Things to do in Queens”
Fun Things to do in Staten Island.
Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Priya Das
