My fiancee and I love this little gallery. It's a sawtelle staple and it's always really fun to pop inside and see their current show on display. They have a nice selection of prints, original art, toys, and books. It's a super small space, but they've made every corner count. Also, if a book or toy is sold out, I believe they sometimes have waitlists or at least an email list for when something comes back in stock. Being small, they do get kind of crowded on the weekends, and it makes the store kind of hard to maneuver. They were doing this thing for a while where they only allowed a certain number of people to look around at a time, then blocked the door with a table and in order to come in, you had to wait for someone who was already inside to leave. That kind of sucked, because you were basically just waiting for someone to feel like leaving and it usually took forever, leading to a long line outside. But it seems like they ditched that. We went recently and we were able to go in with others and there was no sign or table blocking the door. No lot parking; it's on sawtelle so it's just metered street parking. There are tons of good restaurants and coffee less than 20 feet in any direction, very good location. read more

Giant Robot Store is considered as the first and longest-standing Asian & Asian American pop culture shop in Los Angeles (opened in 2001). Giant Robot formerly published a bimonthly magazine from 1994 to 2011. There is also an extension store called GR2 Gallery (2062 Sawtelle Blvd) located less than a block away from the main store and GR2 mainly focuses on art exhibits while also selling a limited selection of gift items like Japantown/Sawtelle mugs. [Parking]: Parking is always difficult to find in Sawtelle. Visitors can circle around the neighborhood for street parking (I got lucky and found a spot on Beloit Ave just a block away) or try validated parking at Marshalls or Nijiya Market Sawtelle Store. [What to see here]: The shop offers fun housewares, gifts (e.g. Rolife 3D Puzzles), stationery items (a very small selection), T-shirts, varsity jackets, hats, art books, art prints, plushies (e.g. Miffy and Snoopy), and toy figures (e.g. Smiski blind boxes). What really stood out to me were pins, some of the unique jackets, and the Japantown/Sawtelle mugs. Please note that the store limits entry to 8 guests at a time. [Conclusion]: While I can't say the store sells gifts that fit everyone's taste, the shop has cultural significance and deep roots in Asian American pop culture. It is worth a stop for anyone visiting Sawtelle. P.S. - This is also where Uglydolls originally started. read more

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This is a must visit while in Little Osaka. The store is small however the artists they feature are always great. You can buy prints, stickers, and shirts. The staff is always friendly so feel free to ask questions. read more

Giant Robot Store - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

A very small store with a limit of 8 customers at a time inside (which might have changed since I've been there, not sure). They have a great variety of items within the store at such a decent price compared to other stores that uptax. I was so happy to find they had sonny angels, smiskis, and mofusand! Love this store and the workers are so kind and patient. read more

Giant Robot Store - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Always a good time at Giant Robot... good customer service & awesome staff. Got a print & a zine today. The print was from an artist showing at their "Chibi Show - An Art Exhibition of Cuties". You might have to wait in line because they only allow 8 ppl in their store at a time. read more

Giant Robot Store - Got a print from their "Chibi Show" from artist Kathryn Chan - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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My bf and I always love checking out this store. Super tiny and they only allow a few people at a time because of that and they also have art pieces for sale so I'm sure they want to monitor it as easily as possible as well. During Covid and even long after that, they required masks upon entry but coming by today, they no longer have that policy. They have a ton of art pieces such as paintings, drawings, art books, figures, etc. They have recognizable ones like Studio Ghibli art as well. They have cute little blind boxes but nothing like pop mart or anything like that. It's a cute shop with little knickknacks and definitely worth checking out even if you're not really into this kind of stuff. Maybe you'll find little gifts for someone you know! IG: @ammysalamii read more

Giant Robot Store - Book Nook IG: @ammysalamii - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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My daughter's new favorite store for Japanese related kawaii stuff. Great imported stuff you won't find at the mall. They have authentic toys at reasonable prices. They do still have COVID restrictions where they only allow 8 people inside the store at a time. Card payments only. The cashier was nice and gave a free keychain to my daughter. read more

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We rushed over at 5:50 to find out they closed for the day even though their post hours are til 6pm. It's not for lack of foot traffic as it's still pretty full of people walking about. Shame on them! My 9yo was disappointed. Shop owner was still inside and just stared at us looking thru the window. read more

My husband and I came here today to see a special Godzilla show and we loved so many things inside of the store. I bought a Shin Godzilla t-shirt and a cool bird print pouch/bag, and really enjoyed the various Godzilla statues and art for sale. They only allow 8 people in the store at a time since it is small, but we only waited about 8 minutes to get in. Very nice salesgirl too. Metered street parking is available all around the block. read more

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4++ great store with the really good selection of trinkets, collectibles, and general pop culture. Came here with my niece and nephew, and they loved it. Especially my niece, who loves those Sonny angel figures. My nephew is more into the Godzilla items. The workers here were very friendly and helpful when you needed something. I'm not sure about the value only because I haven't collected stuff in a long time so I'm not sure where the prices line up with other places. Lots of cute Japanese figurines that come out of the boxes like the cat figures that are dressed as different animals lol. The only issue here is that this location is pretty tiny. That's not a huge bummer because they do utilize the space really well. read more

Giant Robot Store - Lots of trinkets and collectibles - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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An adorable small Japanese store with various items, including shirts, stationary, blind boxes, pins, etc. I absolutely love coming here! It's on Sawtelle so parking is difficult but there's usually a spot farther away from the store. The employees are extremely nice! You have to wear a mask to enter but they provide them for you. Depending on the time of day, there can be a line since they limit the number of customers in store but it usually goes by fast. The blind boxes are very appropriately priced (not marked up like other places). The other items are also very fair in price which I appreciate. read more

Giant Robot is a one stop shop for API goodies including art prints, blind boxes, toys, books, stationery, clothing, and more! This API owned shop is separated into two locations: Giant Robot (more of a gift shop) and Giant Robot 2 (more of an art gallery). To get to both locations, street parking will be your go to. Giant Robot 2 showcases their most up to date gallery exhibitions and can be located about a block down from Giant Robot. The staff here are very friendly and welcoming. It was so cool to browse around at all the goodies they had for sale. Wifey and I picked up a couple art prints, a smiski, and a mug. Although my wallet took some damage, our hearts were full and happy! Make sure you follow their socials to see when they're going to have new exhibitions and new art on display. Stop by here next time you're ever in the area and you won't leave empty handed! read more

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if you're into asian pop culture, this is a place to visit (like kouhigh toys) that's more curated than the blind box stores in little tokyo. some vintage/second hand rarer figurines (my neighbor totoro, etc) available too. honestly not really impressed with the prices but there are a lot of little shops nearby read more

The Sonny angels were a really good price around $12 but when I opened them a lot of them had scuffs and black markings on the head and some wings were bent. Other than that It was fun unboxing but not sure about authenticity. read more

What a cool spot on a wonderful street! This place was chock full of treasures. They have original art and all kinds of cool things to buy. We had to wait in line to get in which added to the mystique. I can't wait to go back. read more

I absolutely love this store. Every time I go to Sawtelle I have to take a peak inside! There is quite a wide selection of asian american art and other knick knacks. The staff are always very very friendly and there is generally a good rotation of items (they change some of their featured art in there routinely). I love supporting small artists and Giant Robot is a testament to bringing together and bringing up the asian community in LA. For a great commitment to community, quality art, kind service, and reasonable pricing, I will keep coming back. read more

Absolutely love this store! Missing the one that was in San Francisco. If you're looking for yourself or for a gift this is such a great place! From t-shirts and hoodies (some with those awesome individually stitched letterman letters!) to blind boxes of cute characters, Miyazaki to Murakami and Miffy! mugs , enamel pins and more- this is the spot! read more

Giant Robot Store is my FAVORITE store on Sawtelle Boulevard. Store is full of unique art prints, stickers, merch, pens, cups, zines, and more. They also have a rotating art collection. Every time I come in here, there are new things I fall in love with. I think it is amazing how they highlight local artists. read more

Giant Robot Store is on Sawtelle Bl in the Japanese town of West Los Angeles. After ordering takeout from a restaurant a few doors away, I discovered this shop selling funny, cool, stuff that appealed to many geek types. Based on the store name, I was expecting to find robot toys, but only saw these other items. Due to covid, access inside the small store was not allowed, so outside a stand with lots of goods. The nice staffer was kind enough to answer my rapid Fire questions and informed me about the sister store across the street, which is also an art gallery, which was covid close at the time. There was a large Bill board above the gallery store featuring James Jean a current artist's work. Intrigued with curiosity, I researched and read more about Giant Robot's owner Eric Nakamura, who as a child was fascinated by giant Robot toys, hence the shop's name. Evidently, the shop has limited space, so the items sold are specially curated chosen. The shop's popularity drew a following from geek and art lovers, so the owner branched into the art scene and opened the gallery store a block away. GR2 gallery features mostly illustrative art from various. Periodic exhibitions feature a theme and artists works can be viewed and purchased at the gallery and online. The 'post it' art exhibit with artists illustrative work on a post it sounds cool. Upon listening to owner Eric Nakamura's interview, his outlook and interest and effort in trying to preserve the japanese town community and also that he is racially inclusive with artists, all races welcomed, I like his idealistic views, him as a human being, the silly geeky stuff at his shop and some of the quirky art at the online gallery. Wished I had stopped by and learned more about the Giant Robot shop and GR2 gallery sooner. Definitely recommend! read more

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The place in sawtelle to be for some fun gift ideas and features plenty of local art! It's along Sawtelle, and its quite small, but its packed with lots of vinyl figures, prints, artbooks, artwork, and fun Japanese inspired gifts! I impulsively purchased an artist designed throw blanket and haven't looked back since. It's one of my favorite things right now! Depending on where you plan to shop, there is limited street parking available as well as parking in the lots. ( which may or may not charge, especially during the weekend.) Notable places nearby are the Giant Robot Gallery (only open on certain days and hours), Blck Market, Millet crepe (creme brulee crepe is a must try), Beard Papa, Kura Revolving sushi bar, Maguame Udon, and a gem of a Japanese restaurant called, Midoh (the closest to a Curry House were going to get)! With plenty of things to do on this street alone, is worth a visit! Just make sure you come curious and hungry!! read more

I really like this store, it features a lot of cute trinkets as well as artwork from artists. It is slightly difficult since they have max capacity of 8 but overall not too bad read more

Giant Robot Store - smiskis galore - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Giant Robot has a great selection of mystery boxes, fun little knick knacks and cool merch. There's a bunch of items that may catch your eye and it's a cute store. It is a bit on the smaller side as they limit how many people can come in at a time and I believe they are a cash-less business as well, so make sure to bring a card. I like going here for the mystery boxes and I enjoy taking my friends here to just look around and spend time in! My go to store for Sonny Angels and Smiski's as the prices aren't absurdly marked up read more

Giant Robot Store - Smiski's! - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Just a late night stroll near Sawtelle and I caught a glimpse of their super loaded pin collection! I got the two koi ones depicted. Very nice design and they use the black rubber backs too! (If you didn't know the black backs are more secure) The covid precautions were easy going. You pay with card and they send you a text receipt. Probably will buy more pins in the near future! They are 3 for $20!!!!!!! read more

Giant Robot Store - Nice store made pins! - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Great place love it my nephew was so happy I definitelyrecoment especiallyif u have toddlers or even for us adults it's really kol come n have a great time read more

Giant Robot Store - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Their store is listed on the Sonny angel app as a smiles retailer. I Came here today, a very rainy day excited to cop. they didn't have smiski. Said they would have some soon but i don't live close. It was an extreme waste of my time. I ended up getting limited choice of smiskis at Tokyo Japanese lifestyle. Would have loved to support this store though. read more

Mask required? Limit of 8 customers at a time. What the heck happened to GR? Not a great experience and unfortunately won't be returning despite being a patron since the beginning days. read more

Does the Millennial in you or your lives adore the art and pop culture of anime, manga and all things Japanese-y? Are you a Miyazaki extan ("extreme fan", and I just created that word so credit me if you ever use it). You've come to the right place. This is like the Sanrio Surprises store (Yes I am ANCIENT-- what of it) for peeps born in the 1990s. Of course you don't have to be from that generation. Plenty of people older or younger appreciate the kitsch, kulture and kookiness in the variety of merchandise populating the store. Sanrio's all about kawaii though; Giant Robot has more edgy odd-ball weird non-traditional stuff. Giant Robot Shop is going on its 19th year. They have everything gift-y you might think of: T-shirts, toys, dolls, stuff for the home, pins, accessories, manga (Japanese comic series), other art books and more. They also have their own dedicated art gallery across the street. read more

Lots of SMISKIs here and they are fully stocked! Cheapest in town too! Selling at 10 dollars a pop! Closes early and located at the end of the Sawtelle Japantown. read more

There used to be a giant robot in San Francisco on Haight and Ashbury, and I used to frequent it all the time. This is a really great store. If you're a lover of studio Ghibli, you also love blind box items and maybe you're really into like kind of fun and quirky Japanese goods. They have a lot of really cool graphic novels, and they also even have a gallery next to it to go to. They have some really amazing artists that come through and if you're a bit of a collector and have a budget for that you could definitely find some really great art pieces there. I highly recommend stopping by giant robot in Sawtelle and supporting this really cute store. It's one of my favorites, and when we're in Los Angeles, we always try to visit. read more

Giant Robot Store - Blind box selections - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Giant Robot is a cute little store with trinkets and such. They offer blind boxes, tokidoki clothing, pins, artists' products, and collectibles. They have a wide selection of blind boxes like Sonny angels, Smiskis, tokidoki, and Kitan Club brand. They also feature products from local artists like prints and soft goods. As of fall 2023, they still require masks to be worn, but offer them at the front. read more

giant robot is an adorable store filled with sonny angels, smiskis, snoopy, moufasad, and so many more figures. i bought smiskis and it was priced at $11.50 which is the same as the smiski online store! the customer service was amazing from the beginning! make sure to bring a mask as it is required in the store, if not they will provide you one. and please be patient as it's only 8 people at a time read more

Giant Robot is a treat for all you anime/manga fans. Lots of Studio Ghibli stuff. I especially liked their pins which are designed by the owner! I bought 4 of them but definitely wanted more. The store does feel a tad dated. I feel they can work on improving the customers' experience by focusing on the store layout and visual merchandising. But some may like the old school feel of the place. It's definitely a great place to buy some cute gifts for people into Japanese pop culture. read more

Great store. You can find a lot of Asian themed toys and clothing. Tons and tons of cute adorable items. I was there for over 30 minutes looking at everything. I got a lot of Totoro toys and pens as well as some Ugly Dolls keychains and puppets. Staff is friendly and helpful. Ask for Eric. He will help you get what you want or recommend something new. There also a GR2 museum across the street that you can explore and check out. Plenty of street parking as well. read more

I randomly stumbled into this store on of my solo days out. I spent probably more than hour perusing all the cool things they had to offer. I left with a notebook and pen that I am now constantly using. I never used to be able to commit to a notebook but this one was the perfect size and make. Really great to get gifts. read more

The Giant Robot Store may not have any giant robots but it's still cool. They have all sorts of random cutsie stuff. Look at some of the pics on Yelp to get a better feel. Prices are a bit high, but I'm guessing it's because everything is made in Japan. We were already in the area and decided to drop by. I personally don't know a whole lot about all the different figurines, etc. in this store but I can see someone who collects this stuff loving this store. Employees are sweet and helpful. They checked on us to see if we needed help with anything. read more

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Would give 0 stars if I could. They made us wait in line for like 30 minutes because only 8 people were allowed in at one time with no time limit. It's a small store. There's not much. The only reason I waited was because I saw two Sonny Angels I wanted and there is a world wide shortage apparently. Make sure before you go, you buy like a fast pass or something. read more

This is a nice novelty store to visit and go retail shopping for unique items, including some really creative and quirky merchandise. IF you like the whole "Vinyl Toy" / "Blind Box" / "Designer Toy" quirky Asian inspired pop culture stuff, this is a great place to visit. Check it out !!! read more

Eric thanks for everything. Stop by and check out all of there cool stuff. Giant Robot rocks! read more

Giant Robot Store - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Great store with lots of great toys, art, books, and pins. The staff is very friendly. read more

Giant Robot Store - dog with a pearl earring by justine lin - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Cute little shop with Japanese toys and novelties. Pricey, but the stuff is high quality and eclectic. I saw a few things that are from American Animated shows, but the majority was Japanese. I appreciated that it wasn't all common Anime stuff either - it was more artsy. It made me think of a lot of my friends and wished they were in LA with me checking out the store. One of their displays has shirts and art books and nicely drawn serial comics. Overall it was a nice shop to browse in, though I didn't find anything I just had to have for the price. I almost bought the Ninjabread cookie cutters. Those were really awesome. read more

Giant Robot Store - Storefront - Toy Stores Near Me - Los Angeles, California