Tin Toy Arcade provided me with products in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
One of the tough aspects of being an aunt with over a dozen nieces and nephews, is finding birthday and Christmas gifts for each kid that they don’t already own. It’s a bit of a chore to keep track of what types of toys and play each child is interested in, but keeping track of which toys they already own is simply impossible. When I know that a child likes a certain thing such as trains or a certain cartoon, my first instinct is to buy them a gift related to that interest – but then I worry that they probably already have that train set or that Paw Patrol puppy.
Many of my family members still rely on nearby stores to purchase gifts for the kids, so shopping online and finding toys that aren’t sold locally is one of the ways that I avoid buying the same gifts as other family members, plus it usually means the child won’t already have what I purchased.
Tin Toy Arcade is an online toy retailer that has tons of unique toys including items for toddlers on up to adults. While most of the toys that they sell aren’t items that I have seen in stores in my area, I was able to recognize many of them from my own childhood or from photos of things my parents owned when they were children. Tin Toy Arcade specializes in vintage and retro toys, so you might even find a favorite toy from your childhood that you can now purchase (brand new!) for a child in your life. I remember having “Wooly willy” and Playful Penguin race as a child.
Aside from the vintage and retro toys, there is also a great selection of modern toys that have a classic feel as a result of being somewhat simple yet engaging toys. I was sent a handful of items that totaled $50, I was really happy with how reasonable the prices at Tin Toy Arcade are.
My nephew is about to turn 5 and I got a couple of items for his birthday. He’s a busy little guy with tons of energy. I’ve noticed that the toys that keep him engaged the longest are usually very active items. I thought that the Air Strike Catapult and Stomp Rocket were both perfect for him. For an active kid, there isn’t really a better toy than one that flings or shoots something into the air so I know he’ll love both of these.
I was also sent a few other items. I thought these would be great items to occupy the kids in the waiting room at the hospital when my sister has her baby in a little bit, or they would work great as stocking stuffers. They are great hands-on, engaging items that can be done individually and quietly. The FaceBox is stencils that let you make customized people which I thought my kid-sister would enjoy. The erector set makes a helicopter using unique metal building pieces, and the last item is a color-your-own jigsaw puzzle so you get to put the puzzle together and then color it. I love how unique each of them is.
Remember to check out Tin Toy Arcade when you’re in need of a unique or retro toy idea. I’ll be checking them out again once we get closer to Christmas.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
I wish I was able to see this more in action, but thanks for sharing.