Toy Talk

Pretend Play: Toys Are Nothing New, In Fact They're a Human Tradition

Posted by The Fun Junction Team on

Pretend Play: Toys Are Nothing New, In Fact They're a Human Tradition
Toys have a history spanning literally thousands of years. In this post we look at a doll from ancient Italy that's older than the last mammoth and a toy chariot older than Stonehenge. Why do we still feel drawn to offer toys to children, and what role can they play in their development?

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Pretend Play: Understanding Other People and Building Emotional IQ

Posted by The Fun Junction Team on

Pretend Play: Understanding Other People and Building Emotional IQ
The world can be a hard place to learn about, and social learning in particular can be a bit of a challenge for younger children. Pretend play offers children a unique set of tools to help them as they learn to navigate their world. Sometimes the imagination needs a helping hand and pretend play toys are the perfect helpers.

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Take the Pressure off this Christmas: Spread the Cost

Posted by The Fun Junction Team on

Take the Pressure off this Christmas: Spread the Cost

When we book a holiday we do so months in advance, we pay a deposit to secure our date and our place and then we sit back and start planning our trip. We might buy new clothes for it (or at the very least look out some appropriate bits and pieces) and put them aside so they’re ready for the trip. We might look at nearby activities/ days out/ places of interest. We might even put together an itinerary, whether it’s detailed to the hour with rakes of activities, or as rough and relaxed as ‘if it rains we’ll do...

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An Easy Way to Save Money on Christmas Toys

Posted by The Fun Junction Team on

An Easy Way to Save Money on Christmas Toys

First off, we apologise in advance for mentioning the ‘C’ word this early in the year, we hope you’ll understand. To be honest, as retailers, we’ve already been thinking ahead for Christmas for a couple of months now. We’re not exactly in the 'festive' mindset just yet, but there’s no doubt that it can help to get ahead of it a little. In particular, we know things are going to be a bit fiddly this year with one thing or another. With this in mind, we thought it might help if we ran a little promotion. There are a couple...

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Indie Shopping for Extra Quality Control

Posted by The Fun Junction Team on

Indie Shopping for Extra Quality Control

There is a BIG difference between online marketplaces and an online shops. It's a difference that saves you time, makes life easier, and one that keeps you safe. Every day millions of people shop with a well-known online marketplace that rhymes with 'Cramizon'. We've talked about this particular site before and the (literal) hazards of shopping there for toys. However, today we don't want to jump into something so negative. Instead, we thought we'd look at some of the best things about shopping with an independent retailer. What is a shop actually for? Retailers rarely make the products you buy...

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