More than 200 years of Hamleys flagship toy store in London, UK

There are tin soldiers and talkative Barbie dolls , welcome to the world's oldest toy store.

In the most famous Regent Street in the West End of London, each building is a protected building with a history of hundreds of years. And almost every travel brochure about Regent Street has a tip – visit the Hamleys flagship store.

The toy store, founded by William Hamley in 1760, attracts 5 million visitors a year. Even the British royal family is also the "old customer" here - when Elizabeth II was a little girl, her mother, the Duchess of York, often took her to Hamleys to buy toys. The five bombings during World War II also failed to destroy the seven-story store.

The long history makes Hamleys more like an amazing toy museum. There are 10,000 categories and a total of 450,000 different toys sold here. Although it may be difficult for ordinary customers to see antique toys that are locked in the back of the cabinet, there are really rare things that can't be found in ordinary toy stores, such as handmade puppets and tin soldiers. Hamleys' toy buyers are carefully scoured from local handicraft workshops in the UK; the 4th floor Workshop allows people to customize the plush toys they want and fill them on site, always with long queues.

Time returned to 250 years ago. William Hamley built this dreamy toy kingdom with tin soldiers and rag dolls. In London in the 18th century, opening a toy store was a visionary initiative. For the London family at the time, buying toys for children was a very trendy thing.

"Childhood is a concept, not a child itself. It is a social product, not a biological need. Its history is quite short-lived," wrote American media culture researcher Neil Bozman in "The Escape of Childhood." Although the concept of "childhood" can be traced back to the Renaissance, people's in-depth thinking about how "childhood should be spent" began in Europe in the 18th century.

At first, toys were just the “luxury” of the nobles of the upper class who played their own leisurely—some blacksmiths and watchmakers would polish a delicate little toy as their sideline. This quickly attracted frequent visits by nearby nobility. The toys at the time were more of an expensive display. For example, in the 18th century, the most popular toy in the UK was Doll House. The masters put their own tastes and pursuits on the details of these interior design models. They even asked a special craftsman to customize a miniature version. Home decorations. William Hamley's toy store also sells these beautiful models and offers customized services to customers.

As the industrial revolution deepened, the middle class began to rise. The parents of these middle-class families are happy to spend money on children and buy toys for them. In Bozeman’s words, “excess money allows them to use their children as targets for conspicuous consumption.” At this point, the leap in mechanical and engineering makes toys no longer piled up of wood or stone. The original thing that got up. Toys began to be combined with knowledge of child psychology and early childhood education, and became an important carrier for developing children's intelligence.

Throughout the 20th century, Hamleys experienced the golden age of the toy industry. The toy train was placed in its window for the first time. It was a great invention of Meccano, a large toy manufacturer in the UK. The mechanic assembled the different components through metal bars with holes and nuts and bolts. The most advanced product.

Since the 1940s, the mold process has begun to be used on a large scale. Plastic toys are not only low in cost but also more convenient to produce. Today the world's largest toy giant was built at the time. In 1949, Lego replaced the pieces of wood on the block production line with plastic. Hamleys first introduced these small plastic boxes that could be tightly fastened together. In 1945, Mattel became famous after Barbie became famous. Hamleys quickly It opened up a whole layer of exclusive space for it.

Today, the third floor of the Hamleys Regent Street flagship store is still Barbie's dream world. The walls were painted pale pink, and the female clerk wearing a princess gauze and carrying a pair of angel wings shuttled to help the excited little girls dress up for the Barbie in their arms. The latest Barbie dolls can even “speak”—children now prefer toys with flash and sound effects. On the top floor of the LEGO area, the royal family of real-life ratios made by Lego blocks stood on the stairs and greeted the customers.

Hamleys emphasizes his British identity everywhere. You can find traces of the British elements you know in any corner of the toy store: the clerk in the Royal Guard uniform at the door; in the 1990s, Hamleys opened a special area for the Spice Girls group to sell a variety of derivatives; Three years ago, Hamleys launched a limited edition of Prince William and Kate Princess dolls on the eve of the British royal wedding, and was immediately snapped up; now the Harry Potter series is the biggest star in the store.

Hamleys understands that a long history and the British style are the biggest highlights that distinguish it from competitors. The emergence of department stores and supermarkets has diversified the sales channels of toys, especially for middle-class families, who enjoy one-stop shopping. Selfridges and Harrods, not far from Hamleys, have had a big impact on the business of the toy store. In addition, Disney launched the first licensed toy business in 1928 to sell a variety of derivatives. They opened Europe's largest flagship store on Oxford Street, not far from Hamleys, and the huge princess castle and animated clock behind the glass door were hard to miss.