Playmobil Sellers: Small Wonders

Name: Small Wonders
Focus: Lots of plush, a little bit of LEGO, dolls, BRIO, etc.
Selection: Lots of specials, numerous retired sets dating back to as far as 1995. Massive wall of product will require you to be tall or be driven by someone who is.
Prices: On par with or slightly above Playmobil direct service
Location: 550 Deep Valley Drive, Suite 135
Promenade on the Peninsula
Rolling Hills Estates, California 90274

I haven't seen a store that had Playmobil sets with the "RETIRED" sticker slapped on them in ages, so seeing tons of them in Small Wonders really made my day. Not only is there a pretty great selection of new and recent sets, but the wall o' product has so much blue it'll make you tickled pink. Sorry, that sucked. There's a small amount of pink boxes there too, for those who like the dollhouse line.

I was particularly pleased to see tons of very large sets in addition to a vast quantity of specials and single-figure packs. 2002 sets were present, namely the zoo, and a ton of animal packs were also up for grabs. This is easily one of the best selections I've seen here in Southern California in a while, excepting Puzzle Zoo, particularly because the prices weren't terrible either.

For the record, I picked up a 4667 Magician Special set. Which ain't bad if you decide you need something with a rabbit, top hat, and a magic wand.

[ Small Wonders web site ]

Playmobil Sellers: Toy Crazy in Malibu

Name: Toy Crazy
Focus: Typical indie toy store-- Breyer horses, plastic dinosaurs, and an extremely limited quantity of normal mass-market toys from Hasbro and Mattel.
Selection: Extremely current Playmobil, few or no retired sets.
Prices: On par with or slightly above Playmobil direct service
Location: 23410 Civic Center Way
Malibu, CA 90265

If you're looking for a nice place close to the beach, they don't come much better than Malibu's Toy Crazy, a boutique with a lot of space, a lot of glass cases, and not much in the Playmobil department. I called them after checking their web site to see if they had a big selection or just a few things, and was told it was a pretty massive selection. It wasn't. Sure, they had a Zoo, a lot of the Nautical Expedition and Dinosaurs sets, and a basked mixed of about 3 specials, but this and a few random sets didn't really impress me in the way some other stores might.

It's well worth a stop if you're in the area, and it's not too far from Puzzle Zoo, which I also visited during this particular toy run.

For the record, I picked up a 4478 One-Man Submarine here for $16, roughly the going rate.

[ Toy Crazy web site ]