From unique gifts to great customer service, local stores are the way to go
Published in the December 10-23, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Candy Parlour owner Chris Reynolds holds a novelty toy item ‘The Super Dooper Reindeer Pooper!’ Photo by Marty Cheek
Toys, games and novelty candy stocking stuffers add to the magic of the holiday season for children of all ages. Instead of dealing with traffic and crowds at the big shopping centers out of town, many locals spend their time in town shopping for special toy gifts for the young people in their lives.
Morgan Hill residents often go to BookSmart to pick up not just storybooks for kids but browse its extensive toy section filled with items that can’t be found at the chainstores.
For BookSmart co-owner Brad Jones, his favorite toy in the store changes from day to day based on his mood, but he has two favorites that are popular with customers.
The first is PlayMais, which is a German toy translated as“Play Corn.” PlayMais are brightly colored peanuts similar to cornstarch packing peanuts but made with food grade materials. Jones said.
“It is safe, biodegradable, fun, open-ended play,” he said. “You just touch the PlayMais to a damp sponge and then stick it to another piece of PlayMais to make people, places and things. From dinosaurs to zoo animals, houses and trees. When you are done you can reuse the big pieces or set it in the garden and let the rain wash it away. It is the best!”
Jones’s second favorite toy is a building toy also from Germany called Clics, which are brightly colored plastic squares that click together so children can build all kinds of objects such as rocket ships, cars, trucks and helicopters. The pieces don’t fall apart like Legos so when kids make something they can really play with it, Jones said.
“The pieces are a little bigger than Lego so you aren’t as likely to step on one in your stocking feet and they don’t fly all over when you drop one,” he said. “We are finding that daycare businesses really love this toy and it can be used over and over again, so it’s a great value.”
At the Thinker Toys store in Morgan Hill, which is an old-fashioned kind of toy store, stomp rockets are one of the most popular toys as holiday gifts, said store manager Kari James.
“There is something amazing about having the power to send a rocket 100 to 200 feet up in the air that children just love,” she said. “We have ones for children from 3 years of age and up. Stomp rockets have been around for over 30 years and it is still one of our top sellers.”
James recommends environmental-wise toys that are made locally in the Bay Area from 100 percent recycled plastic.
“They are tough and sturdy to handle years of play and can be put in the dishwasher to clean,” she said. “We have a wide selection of them to choose from from, from dump trucks to tea sets. the perfect toy for young ones.”
Another Thinker Toy hot item this season is Kendama!, a toss and catch game from Japan so popular that it is hard to keep in stock, she said.
Kendama! is for children from eight years and up. Once they get the basic skills down, there is a wide range of tricks they can learn or make their tricks up.
The Thinker Toy staff is glad to help customers find the perfect presents for young people, James said. They also offer free gift wrapping.
“When buying a toy for anyone, you should always consider the age of the person and their interest,” she said. “We always ask, ‘what do they like to do, tell me a little about them.’ Then we can guide them to a selection of toys that they can choose from.
Other stores in Morgan Hill that provide fun gift items include downtown’s The Candy Parlour shop which has an assortment of hard-to-find nostalgic candy, sodas and other sweets.
Always popular this time of year at the store is the “Super Dooper Reindeer Pooper” gag gift which is a plastic reindeer that emits chocolate jelly beans when the deer’s head is lifted, said owner Chris Reynolds.
“A lot of people are coming in and buying them as gag gifts for their office parties,” he said. “It’s really different. A lot of people like jelly beans and the reindeer poops out jelly beans.”
The $8.25 toy is made in Quebec, Canada by Candy Craft.
“It’s from up north close to where Santa lives so you know it’s the best quality,” Reynolds said with a grin.
