If someone sat me down with a series of cards with words on and I had the job of picking just two…read moreto form an awesome shop, I think "Eighties" and "Toyshop" would be my top composition, closely followed by "Disco" and "Cakes". I appreciate this place will only hold a small interest to the majority of people in Cardiff, but if you're a child of the 80s and resolutely deny the call to grow up that society places upon you, then this place is freaking ace-a-tron. So many memories are contained with its four dark walls. WWF figures, those tiny models of footballers with massive heads that rarely looked like the actual person, Simpson Figurines, Atari stuff, a Super Nintendo in the original Street Fighter II box that I received for Christmas when I was 9. There's a small section of girls toys, but really 80s Toy Shop is all about the boys. It's a tad pricey, but then this places saves you the time and effort of trawling eBay or trudging around boot sales. 80s Toy Shop is a must for any manboy between the ages of 21-40.

The 80's Toyshop actually stocks vintage collectible toys spanning the 70s, 80s and 90s, from…read moreAction Man figures and Star Wars ships to Ghostbusters memorabilia and even a fully restored Sinclair C5 Vehicle (although that will set you back £1,500!). Many of the products are boxed and in excellent condition, and when there is something incomplete the staff will point it out to you. Some of September's new products include a Mego Spiderman 12" play figure for the boys out there, or an Anastasia 'Fantasy in Paris' for the girls - then there's a Nintendo Nes Console for any retro gaming geeks, complete with controller and power supply! Although they run an online shop as well as their store in Canton, it's better to drop into the shop if you can because their online shop doesn't always show all of the latest stock (although they do update it regularly).

Toys 'R' Us always reminds me of being a child so I'm bound to love it. This store is fairly new…read morewith a large free car park for easy access. Its massive inside and has a range of stock to suit everyone from babies to teenagers. What i've always loved is that they have lots of toys on display too so you can see what things are like out of the box and I always remember skating down an aisle or my brother n a little bike trying to mow me down! It makes it fun for the children and adults as well.

Toy's R Us is arguably one of the biggest toy companies in the world. Since the old Toy's R Us got…read moreknocked down in Cardiff a few years ago, a sad day was had by all. No longer would we go to the store to pick up a lightsaber and pretend to be in Star Wars and no longer would we experience the joy and happiness that filled our hearts.... Until now! Toys R Us is back and better in a new location down Cardiff Bay I must admit that I was never a big fan of the other Toy's R Us because it seemed dark and unfriendly. But now there have been some big changes to the current store filled with the brightest lights and the bubbliest of people. This is a gigantic store that a child could get lost in for months. It has such a fantastic variety of toys and I can live my dream once again and pretend to have a lightsaber fight in order to defeat the dark side. The number of aisles are staggering but there is always an assistant prepared to help if you need some help about an item or just finding your way around the store. Toy's R Us has the renovation it needed. It is now a happy and bright place that is filled with all the toys in the world along with excellent service. What more could you need from your favourite toy store?

Great for disney fans as you can get all srts of merchandise but it is badly laid out - not good if…read moreyou have shopping bags or a buggy. It's also quite small but they do seem to sell an awful lot for a small store! The quality of goods are, as to be expected from a disney store, amazing.

The Disney Store is amazing. Its centrally located so theres no excuse not to pop in. Although…read moresomethings are expensive everything is always of a high quality standard. There are amazing stationary options from files to writing books. The cuddly toys are amazing, id buy them all if I could. The staff are always polite and very helpful. You can also purchase Walt Disney World Park Tickets Via the store.

Toys N Things is a great little independent toyshop on the Wellfield Road. It's not quite as big as…read moreits competitor, Stepping Stones, a few doors down, which acts as a distribution centre as well as a retail outlet, but Toys N Things is, in many ways, just as good. It seems that they both share a similar ethos, with Toys N Things supplying educational games and toys for children of all ages, just like its counterpart. Stepping Stones is not as colourful as Toys N Things, but that's mainly due to the fact that the latter cashes in on all of the ultra-popular big brand names like Barbie and does a fine line in fancy dress with all of the usual suspects covered. It is also a joke and novelty shop that supplies fireworks. I'm not so keen on fireworks but I am rather partial to whoopee cushions and things of that ilk... perhaps with exception of stink bombs and bangers. Toys N Things is not a Stepping Stones copycat. It is very much doing its own thing. I think the latter is more commendable in many respects, but there is definitely a place for what Toys N Things is doing.

Great to see that Wellfield Road has such a good independent Toy Store! The toys on offer are…read moregenerally rather modern, and most are brands such as Barbie, Playmobile, and Doctor Who are on offer. What I really like about this place is that the prices range from the very cheap (ideal for pocket money) to the more expensive, so if you need to buy a toy for someone, you're bound to find something suitable. I think the items in this store would mainly be suitable for 3-12 year olds, however older children (and adults) may enjoy the board games on offer. They do have a small fancy dress selection (mainly wigs), but unless it's an emergency and you need something quick, I would recommend you go to one of Cardiff's excellent fancy dress stores instead!

Smyths of Cardiff is better than the old toys r us with a focus on good old fashioned kid powered…read morefun

This toy really reminded me of old Toys 'r' Us stores. As you enter your greeted by aisles of toys…read morestacked up the rather high ceiling. It pretty much looks like a warehouse. They have a good range of stock from equipments for your babies, through pre-school learning toys, to traditional games and video games. Not much of a bike selection of like I love about Toys 'r' us but its still good to have another option at good competitive price.

Staff were really friendly, it's a nice little shop and have a great variety off stock.read more

Geek alert whoop whoop. As an avid film fanboy, gamer, Graphic novel reader and figure collector,…read moreForbidden Planet is what we like to call 'home' in the loop. It specialises in comics, Graphic novels, film/tv/comic memorabilia and dvds. There's a lot of products crammed in to the small narrow shop and is hard to browse if your not sure what your looking for. However there is a lot of things in here your just not going to find elsewhere in Cardiff. Rare collectors items, figures etc are some of the things your not gong to find in your local Toys R Us etc. They will also get things in for you or help you find certain items if you cannot see them in store. The staff are always enthusiastic and ready to help in that sense.

Kitch meets kids in this fabulous little shop. You won't find any flashing loud toys here but retro…read moregood clean fun. For the kids there are collectables and lots of wooden bits and bobs for the girls (aged 8 to 80) there is a huge selection of wonderfully kitch gear. Hello kitty, betty boop, Wizard of Oz, you know the kind of thing. Additionally some of the most gorgeous cards and wrapping paper I've ever seen. One sheet of shiny chocolate wrapping paper was so gorgeous I nearly framed it. It's a bit on the pricey side but definitely a place for girls especially to let their inner child run wild with their adult bank balance.

If you are looking for a gift that's a little bit different then head for Barnum's in Penarth…read more They sell a wonderful range of children's toys from traditional wooden forts to pink fluffy mobiles!!They also sell a good range of gifts such as Betty boop merchandise,unusual cards and scented candles. Barnum's is the shop that has it all!!

Stepping Stones is not simply a toy store that stocks 'quick fix', noisy, colourful plastic toys…read morethat are designed to delight children, but often have the unwanted side-effect of driving their parents to despair. Kids love repetition, right? So, what parent, in their right mind, would buy them a toy that can feasibly repeat the same inane platitudes, in a nauseating voice, over, and over, and over again? Or, perhaps worse, issue forth a plethora of hideous sounds, with cacophonous regularity, (that are akin to all of the following being activated at once: sirens, fog horns, car alarms and an armoury of malfunctioning killing machines!)... No! No sane parent would invest their hard earned cash in any of this junk. But the grandparents, in their bid to secure the affections of their pampered offspring once removed, will, and do! It's a battlefield scenario from every conceivable angle! If only they understood that they were preparing these children to ultimately become one arm bandit addicts they might reconsider their choices? If, 'how can we combat this?' is the question, then Stepping Stones is the answer. They have really thought about everything in terms of what a toy can do! Instead of simply engaging a child mindlessly with no apparent long term benefit, the items stocked at Stepping Stones offer the child clear learning potential. Problem solving, enhancing dexterity, improving concentration and inspiring creativity are just a few of the benefits of investing in their toys and games. And the best thing about it is that paint brushes don't talk back to you!

As soon as I entered this toy store, I became overwhelmed with nostalgia for my childhood and…read morealmost wished that I were five again. Unlike its nearby neighbour Toys 'N' Things, Stepping Stones tends to focus on the more traditional toys. They have the most beautiful handmade wooden dolls houses and pirate ships which really aren't too pricey. The Percy the Park Keeper garden tools are rather cute, and went down very well with my 6 year old cousin. For Lego enthusiasts there is a massive selection of these famous building blocks, which you could easily spend hours browsing through. There is also an educational element to some of their toys; they have items such as a build your own brain set, bodyworks, and an ant farm. In addition to this they have a small selection of childrens' books many of which have beautiful illustrations. If you have children or perhaps young relatives, I think a trip to Stepping Stones is absolutely essential, I guarantee that you won't be disappointed!