Looking for toy heaven in Ukraine’s capital
For the majority of us, childhood memories are closely connected with favorite toys that have remained our close friends and still embody symbols of that wonderful time. The normal development of a child is inconceivable without games, and consequently, without toys. For this reason, toys have always been among the most popular merchandise. With the variety of toys available these days, it seems getting a new and interesting item for your child is no problem at all. However one question still remains – where’s the best place to look for it? Even supermarkets have small toy departments, but their variety will hardly suffice. What you need is a store that has everything your kids like all in one place.
Mothercare is a British retailer that specializes in products for expectant mothers and general merchandise for children up to eight years old. The first Ukrainian Mothercare shopping complex for moms and kids opened in Kyiv in 2004, selling everything that parents need, from car seats and pushchairs to feeding accessories and toys. However, the assortment of the latter is not especially varied. All items are meant for small children – from newly-born babies to 10-year-olds. There are plenty of activity toys for kids up to 12 months, and for up to two-year-olds there are soft toys, activity equipment, gyms and preschool toys by brands like Fisher Price, Little Tikes, LeapFrog, Mothercare and others.
One of the oldest shopping centers for kids – Dytyachiy Svit (Children’s World) remains among the biggest stores of the kind in Ukraine. You’ll find merchandise for the whole family there, while the toys occupy the topmost, fourth floor. The choice of toys there seems big enough to satisfy the desires and dreams of any child – from unicorns and ponies to cosmic shuttles, electro-mobile cars, and bicycles. However, despite the good assortment, the toys are not conveniently arranged in the store. There are no well defined departments and you may end up spending hours looking for the toy you want.
Budynok Ihrashok (House of Toys) chain specializes in children’s goods and offers plenty of options for anyone searching for a nice gift for a child. It carries numerous toys from leading world producers such as Mattel, Toys & Games, Bratz, Geomag, Lego, Chicco, Barbie, HotWheels, Wild Planet and others. Besides, House of Toys boasts qualified personnel, ready to help you locate the exact toy you need or give advice based on the assortment. The only drawback of the chain, however, is that seems to specialize solely in pricy items. Prices for girl’s toys like Barbies start at Hr 250. Legos sets start at Hr 150 and a Sony PlayStation costs Hr 1926. Regardless, the atmosphere at the shop is quite affable overall.
Planeta Ihrashok (Toy Planet) also offers plenty of well-made and safe toys from leading world brands. It’s best to visit the shop together with your kids. Shop assistants will give you tours around the store, presenting the full assortment and giving advice on what to choose. In several halls of Planeta Ihrashok you’ll find toys for children of different ages – developmental games, soft toys and dolls, bicycles and skateboards, inflatable toys and construction kits, remote-controlled cars and many other curious items, including toys for babies. Their reasonable price range is another benefit of the store, but you should watch out for low quality imitations of popular toys, including those from China, offered at the Toy Planet.
Antoshka, the biggest children’s store chain in Ukraine, includes 21 supermarkets in 10 different cities. It carries a great variety of children’s goods, including toys. The assortment at Antoshka is constantly updated, and all their merchandise is sorted into sections by different categories, so it’s easy to get around. Also, you will be nicely surprised by the prices and the abundance of toys on display. There are stuffed animals, dolls with accessories, game sets, toy vehicles, and more. A separate section is dedicated to the toys targeted at development of intellectual-cognitive and motor abilities of the child – various brick sets, construction kits, puzzles, mosaics, and dominos. The average price for soft toys begins at Hr 15 up to 650 and mobiles, cradle toys, and activity equipment will cost you about Hr 165 – Hr 970. So if you find yourself in need of a toy – for your own kid, as a gift, or maybe even for yourself (we’re all still children at heart), you know where to go.
Antoshka (19/16 Lesi Ukrayinky, 286-5403; 11A Moskovskiy Prospect, 426-7904)
