The UK toy store Early Learning Centre was opened in Greenbelt 5 early last year. It has a lot of…read morecool items for kids aged 0 to 6 years. The store divides its selection into several categories: Action& Adventure, Art & Creativity, Baby & Toddler, Let's Pretend, Music & Learning, Puzzles & Games; and Sports & Activity. These categories should already give you an idea of how extensive their product lines are. Little boys will enjoy the wide selection of cars, dinosaurs, farms, basketball games and more. Little girls, on the other hand, can enjoy paint, coloring materials, cooking items, dolls and more. Then there are the gender-neutral toys like wooden block games, flash cards, musical toys, learning packs and others. I've bought my 3-year-old girl to this place several times and she enjoys being able to freely pick up a toy and look at it. This makes it easier for me to buy toys for her because I see exactly how interested she is in each toy before I consider purchasing it. ELC is one of the few toy stores around that actually manufacture their own brand. Their toys follow European standards and are guaranteed to be hazard-free and non-toxic. Though priced a bit more than what you'd find in other toy stores, I think it's really worth it for the peace of mind and the brand's focus on child development.

Hobbes and Landes is an amazing toy store for kids of all ages. It's not the usual, commercialized…read moreones with brand names and everything that comes on a huge scale. I love the store because I feel like it encourages kids to be kids by using their creativity, playing outdoors, and being curious. I always come here when I have to buy gifts for nieces and nephews because the carry a lot of good stuff! About a year ago, I had an arts and crafts phase and was dying to do the ceramic painting in this store. I made a date with my inaanak and his mom to go try it out (we went to the one in Power Plant but I think they offer it in High Street as well). It was super fun, I really felt like a kid again and it was super cute to see my inaanak having fun too! It was a great bonding experience for us! The best part though was that two weeks after we got to pick up our works of art and now we'll always have something to remember it by!

This stores is perfect for those days you want to please your inner child. Even if you don't have…read morekids I assure you'll have a great time at Hobbes and Landes. They offer a great variety of LEGO, games, toys and also pet supplies. I treasure Hobbes and Landes specially because there is place I've found my Peanuts Schleich's toys. Not a simple Peanuts toy. But a scenery pack with the Great Pumpkin episode theme!!! I couldn't believe it!! The Halloween Special is my fave episode ever. Charlie Brown dressed as a ghost holding the rock he got after trick-or-treating, Snoopy as the Flying Ace (sooooooo cute!) and Linus as a pumpkin. Just perfect. Actually I've bought it to my baby boy's room, but guess who will have fun? ME. Yes. I admit! THE GIFT WAS FOR ME! So remember this store when you feel your inner child is in need.

Impulsive buyer ka ba? Kung oo, for sure makakapag-shopping ka nang malala at Japan Home Center!…read moreKung hindi naman, ngayon mo na malalaman kung anong feeling maging impulsive buyer teh! Hahaha! Parang imposibleng wala kang mabili sa Japan Home Center eh. Yung mga borloloy na hindi mo mabibili sa department stores eh makikita mo dito. Take note: super affordable! Yung mga kakikayan na binebenta pasok na pasok sa budget and usually less than P100 lang sila. Hindi mo mamamalayang nakaka-mahigit isang libo ka na pala kakaisip na "Ayy ang mura!" tapos nakarami ka na girl. OR BAKA SA AKIN LANG NANGYAYARI TO HAHAHA Japan Home Center yung kaya kong tambayan nang ilang oras kakaikot lang sa loob tapos nag-eenjoy na akong titigan yung mga kaartehang binebenta nila. Usually kikay pero useful kaya bagay sa tulad kong mapagmaarte....pero wala masyadong pambili! Char!

How can anyone go wrong with Japan Home Center? It's inexpensive, practical, and the Japanese came…read moreup with it. It is like a 99 cents store but instead everything costs 88 Pesos or less. And they sell everything you'll need in the house from cookware to silverware. They have those authentic Japanese bowls used in restaurants to serve ramen or sukiyaki. They also sell candies and chocolates from Japan. My favorite are their school supplies. A whole pack of colored gel pens, folders of all shapes and sizes, and notebooks with cute anime characters and silly quotes are some of the things i check out when i visit Japan Home Center. Some of the really practical things to buy from here also include tissue paper (because it is sold by bulk), laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies. Their products come in big packs so, if youre looking to fill up a house with stuff you'll need, you can try buying from Japan Home Center and getting everything you need without spending a fortune.

The popularity of Funko Pop vinyl figures has many collectors searching for deals on where to buy…read morethem. In Manila, the best place to go to would be Big Boy's Toys. While the store does carry plenty of other collectors' items, it's in the Funko Pop line that the store recently made its name. Boasting the widest selection and some of the best prices around, Big Boy's Funko collection often has people flocking to buy their favorite licensed figure, much more so during conventions. The store offers a direct number for any inquires on product availability, which could save customers time in going to any of their main branches. If the inner geek in you is in the Glorietta or Greenbelt area, do drop by and see if they have your favorite on sale.

Great place! Really great for any toy collector living in metro Manila. I went in a few times to…read morecheck what funkos they had and they never disappoint! I'd even say that their selection of Funko is comparable to any North American retailer such as Hot Topic or FYE. A few issues I have that I don't agree with is when it comes to certain Funko figures (white lady), you've to buy six before you can purchase the actual figure itself. Also, it does irk me that they mass purchase marvel collector corps boxes and sell the items inside the box individually. I understand that the box is hard to get in the Philippines but at least show some dignity towards the box and don't sell the items in it individually just to make a quick buck. Overall, great company!

I love shopping at Claire's especially at Christmas time and I have a lot gifts for my tween and…read moreteen godchildren. They have the cutest items that are great for that age range. The truth is, I also buy a lot of things at Claire's for myself. They have a lot of hip accessories like sunglasses, jewelry, hats and bags. The best gift I found there were locked diaries for tweens with cute owl designs and a bejeweled red one. They are also among the few stores that have gloves, we're not really a glove-wearing country so that's a bit hard to find before Claire's. And they also carry the Prism line of Katy Perry. They often go on sale offering buy 1, take 1 promos for items of the same price. If you ever chance upon one of those, I suggest going big on the shopping because you will always be able to find young girls and those young-at-heart to give the items to.

Claire's is every pre-teens dream come true. When i would vacation in the US, my shopping itinerary…read morealways included Claire's for all my kikay needs. Their accessories are the best! They sell colorful hair pieces as well as cute earrings, belly rings (for the rebellious kind) and even boy band merchandise. Just so you know, i didnt buy any of the Justin Bieber stuff when he was super famous. In grade 6, all my classmates wanted to have my denim wallet which had glitters and the world Angel stitched on the front part. When i told them it was from Claire's their faces looked a bit upset because they knew they wouldnt be able to buy it right away. When i saw Claire's open their first branch in BGC i remember feeling what i used to feel when i wouls enter their US stores before. Unfortunately i was already working so i decided to be happy for the preteens instead. I still pass by once in a while and delight in the cute stuff they have.

No matter the age, we live in a society where it is socially acceptable for an adult to collect…read moretoys with no judgement whatsoever. Big Boys Toy Store enables any toy lover or collector not only a chance to purchase the most popular toys in popculture, but also add rare toys! The great thing about the staff at Big Boys is that they are incredibly accomodating, and best of all they understand the obssession! Tell them what toy you're looking for and they'll tell you if they have it or if not whether you can pre-order it. They have clearbooks filled with different items that are not on hand at their stores but available for order if it indeed what you desire. And if what you are looking for is not included in stock or in the pre-orders file, they have been known to source it out for you. Just ask nicely lol!

Simulan na ang pagsusuri mo...A store specializing in selling both skateboards and Magic: the…read moreGathering cards seems like a strange combination, but it is one that works for Kick Engines in Cubao. While it may seem that the two hobbies are complete polar opposites, the guys over at Kick Engines believe that the market exists and that they can coexist in the same establishment. For the skating part, Kick Engines sell a wide assortment of skateboard and longboard decks. For the M:tG cards end, they sell a very good selection of singles, with an emphasis on Eternal format staples like Dual Lands and such. If you're from the area, they also hold weekly tournaments for practically every format. Just check out their posted schedules so you can see which days work out for you. Every month, they also hold major events for Legacy, with big prizes for the winners. Hope to see you here!

Just like every other shop I go to when I'm broke, I tend to linger outside and peer into the glass…read morewindow for a prolonged period of time. I used to skate a lot but have been too broke to really "upgrade" my kicks so places like these truly intimidate me. But from a distance (outside the glass display window), Kick Engines has an assortment of skate accessories including really slick decks from Rayne and hella gwapo trucks from I-can't-see-that-far. Sometimes I'd see a bunch of skater tambays and really try hard not to stare at their goods but mostly, heavy and pricey Rayne decks are what I've noticed. Hope to muster enough cash to actually browse inside!

My two-year old daughter loves watching Disney Collector, a popular Youtube channel for kids (and…read morekids at heart) talking about the latest toys (mostly from Disney). My daughter has been watching these Magic Clip Disney Princesses over and over that I know she really wants to have at least one. I wanted to get her one, but the local toy stores didn't carry that brand. I thought I had to resort to buying online or asking a relative from the States to buy for me, until I recently discovered a Toys R Us branch in the new Robinson's Las Pinas. This place is relatively smaller compared to other Toys R Us branches, but they have a wide selection of toys for every boy and girl. I liked that they have the Disney Magic Clip collection available, and my personal favorite, the Shopkins Collection (yes, we saw it on Youtube). At first, it was my daughter wanting to buy these little thingamabobs, but I ended up being the one collecting them. They're so cute! Okay, back to Toys R Us. I like this branch because it's not too crowded. My daughter can take her time buying or looking at any toy she wants while I keep my eye on her. That's also a downside though, because it adds another thirty minutes to our mall time.