The thrill of entering a toyshop, gazing upon racks of toys and drooling over new finds is an excitement that has stayed with me since childhood. Regardless of the reason for entering, I never fail to cover the entire floor space. Weaving through the packed racks and aisles pouring over all the latest collectibles like some sort of toy-hungry Indiana Jones on an adventure to find that missing treasure. It is an excitement that seems to increase as I gain a further appreciation of the pleasurable escape that these stores can bring. As a child ‘the toyshop visit’ was always offered up as a treat or reward and rarely planned in advance. I will never forget that excitement upon entering a store to discover a LEGO® set you had never seen before. As a child in the 80s there was no internet feeding you lists of releases and sneak peaks in advance, the whole experience was based on what the store had stocked. New arrivals were seemingly intermittent and always provided a surprise, packing
It’s been an emotional week for the LEGO fan, as new releases are rivalled with some big announcements. Shockingly enough, a week full of drama is not uncommon place in the LEGO fan world. Like any passion-led hobby it’s a hungry community that craves news and rumours, a hunger that often spills over into the fictitious and dramatic. However this week saw no self-creation as news came thick and fast to satisfy the hungriest of fans. Last weeks announcement that saw Toys R Us become the latest high street name to enter administration, meant the week started with TRU stores across the country opening their doors for the final hurrah. Windows plastered with ‘everything must go’ posters highlighted this sad position for the brand and it’s thousands of employees, but in all truthfulness the writing had been on the wall for sometime. Despite it being a household name, you could easily debate that the franchise had failed to move with the times. Its oversized properties had stagnate