This is the same as my other review for the Solihull branch. Good store, with a variety of toys and…read morehelpful staff. The difference between this branch and Solihull is the size. This is much bigger and therefore does stock more toys. Has same offers as the other branch in. The reason children prefer this branch is the crawl through tunnel at the entrance, which goes behind the tills down turns into a slide! Great for kids but when its busy its difficult to keep your eye on them!

My daughter had some money for Christmas and was keen to spend it, so I took her into Birmingham…read moreCity Centre to The Entertainer. We've been in here loads of times as she loves the selection of toys and games, she's a Barbie and Bratz fanatic so loves the fact that The Entertainer has a good range of these to choose from. I love how well the shop is laid out because it is so straight forward and the same type of toys are all grouped together, this means we can easily bypass the parts of the shop which my daughter isn't interested in (Action Men) and go straight to the girly toys. Once she's spent a while browsing the dolls and teddies we always have a look around the arts and crafts section which is excellent. They sell such child friendly items as paint-by-numbers sets, paint your own statues and things like that. These are always extremely reasonably priced and very often on BOGOF offer, last week my daughter bought two good quality paint-by-numbers sets which cost just £3 each and when she got to the till the lady told her she could choose another two completely free! The Entertainer always seems to have a sale on and the prices on sale items are drastically reduced, a tenner off a £25 item and offers like that which can cut your shopping bill big time. Here you can also buy items such as toy cars, train sets and other traditional toys which is a bonus as these days even toys seem geared towards technology and it's lovely to find a shop where I can buy a good old fashioned 'brum-brum' for my nephew. The staff in The Entertainer are always excellent and obviously chosen for their rapport with children. I've never had a problem with anyone in here and love the way that my daughter can go and ask for advice without being made to feel like she is a nuisance or, worse, 'just a kid'. I always get the feeling that staff in here want the children to be as happy as their parents and this makes for a very nice shopping experience.

This is one of the best toy storees I have been to, the advert is so right millions of toys all…read moreunder one rooff, but they also sell cot, nappies, everything you will need for a new baby. Staff are happy, always helpful, Which is what you need when you go into a toy shop with kids wanting everything hahaa Shelffs are usually full of the item but if not can easily be ordered in. There are always deals throughout the store and you can pick up a bargain, specially before Christmass happy shopping!

I love this toys r us!! After dragging the kids round the rest of the shops for ages taking them…read morehere for a run around and look at the huge selection of toys always cheers them up! The only problem I ever have when we visit here is trying to convince the kids to leave, oh and there was the time my little sister got jammed in a ride on car and 3 members of staff ahd to help get her out lol but they were very nice about it!!

Yay, finally, we have anime store in Brum!! Whoop! Whoop! I love anime stores and this one is super…read morenew to Brum. You never know what you are going to find to pique your interest in an anime store. It could be a cute keyring, a Murakami piece of merchandise or an anime girl figure. I'm hoping that the stock in this store will expand and include the high end transformer items that come out of Takara and Tomy from Japan. This is definitely a store to keep checking out and supporting, even if the toys don't suit then you will surely love the range of imported biscuity treats they stock. What is there not to love about panda biscuits?? It's already starting it's course to becoming a jam packed shop you'd expect to see in a market hall in Japan. I love it.

While a couple of stores in the city centre stock merchandise based on anime (Japanese animation)…read moreas part of wider fantasy and sci-fi fare, this place specialises in it. If my wife was in any doubt as to whether she was onto a winner when she met me, I shall be able to remove it now thanks to a scratched-out Leaf Village headband and Akatsuki cloak. Rugged, practical, sensible ninja attire, what's not to like? Well, okay, I may not be one for cosplay personally, but here you can stock up for outfits as if you're part of the Harajuku set. And if that's a little bit rich for your blood, you can at least find a few trinkets to complement whatever 2D fare you or the otaku in your life is watching. Being Japanese in origin, much of the material goes for the cute factor, with plush toys, purses and keyrings perhaps having crossover appeal for those who've never so much as got a paper cut from manga. Tasty snack treats may also turn the head of non-fans. Where the store scores higher though is through slightly harder-to-find items, including imported action figures. Be aware however, you may have to pay a smidge more handsomely than you were expecting for the privilege of taking home a Kakashi sensei or Sasuke-kun.

This is a historians dream, stocked wall-to-wall with books and models from every conceivable…read moreperiod in history. That's not to suggest Ian Allan's is stuck in the past, despite its reassuringly retro feel, this place moves with the times, giving prominence to the hottest history at a given moment in time. For instance, Titanic is pretty big in there at the moment. This place gives you total history though. You can not only read an account of the history of the tank on the battle fields, you can also get your history hands dirty and make a model to back things up. This is the place to bring a kid who's just developing historical interests of their own. Talking of kids, my husband drools longingly over the Apollo missions models in the window whenever we walk past this place, but isn't allowed one! Maybe if he's good...how far away is Christmas?

My father would just love this place and I believe good part of boys probably do! I…read more Ian Allan Book and Model Shop is a business for transport enthusiasts and as there are only four shops of this fine publisher in UK, Birmingham is certainly privileged to be in the route of the transporter spotters. Their range of books, magazines and models include publications about trains, buses, ships, lorries and all kind of transport you came across. Even this shop is placed right in the city centre, next to one of the entrances of Birmingham New Street station and other businesses in the area, this bookshop seems to be a bit hidden from the eyes of people who pass by in this area weekly. Even if this shop has its certainly public, you should visit it once to find out that they have really interesting maps and books that can be very useful for the next trip in this country and if you are also interested in History, There are fine publications about Medieval, World Wars and 17th to 20th centuries in this place.

Nostalgia and Comics has been in Birmingham longer than I can remember. Even the Batman Returns and…read moreT:2 massive posters have been there since release. On my visit today it was bursting to the seems with Star Trek, Doctor Who and Lego merchandise with tee's, Models, Comics, Books Mugs and Posters. Its always had a mezzanine balcony and currently this is home to Back Issues. I felt guilty for not buying anything and just having a look around.

Great comic store, located next to the Beetham Tower/Radisson Blu. It's fairly large store with…read moreupstairs section. You don't have to be comic lover to visit, they do sell posters, collectibles, action figures and more items. I come here often to get me some Superman issues and maybe look around for some collectibles or cool stuff.

Sadly there isn't a category for trading card swapsies as this is the main business of Game HQ…read more They do stock a decent range of action figures from Star Wars, movie action figures, general Sci-fi toy geek affair that you can find a couple of gems in but it's the retro console games that they stock that interest me. With a range of stuff from Sega's master system to SNES you might just find that one game you were after as a kid. I always love passing through here when someone is making a trade or looking for a particular game card. I am definitely a geek but not of the trading card variety and hearing someone reel off the one's they collect and characters they are looking for is always fascinating to me. It's a whole other language. Amazing. There are a few tables for people to sit and get their game on and having mates hanging around to watch isn't a problem. This shop has a great atmosphere and friendly helpful staff.

I collect old school games and controls but i do most of this online, and for any collector…read moreshopping only is never ideal. Having a local run shop run by people with the same interests is a great addition to Birmingham. Though this is mainly a trading card shop, they sell toys and other nerdy memorabilia and it really sets to mood to reflect on what sort of entertainment you grew up with. I've seen the odd game played here with different types of trading card, never sure whats going on but the kids seemed to love it. A bit too intense for me.

This is a curious little shop - which advertises itself as a toy shop, but my eyes spied much more…read moreinteresting items in the shape of sewing paraphernalia adorning the entranceway! Yarn, needles, a few craft items are stocked here - but underneath you'll find a selection of vintage sewing and craft books for sale. I browsed this gleefully whilst my friend went and perved on the collectible toys at the back of the shop, and although I didn't buy any (I have a mild obsession with vintage craft books - and am trying desperately to wean myself off!) I was tempted by a couple, and may yet pop back in the hopes they're still there so I can get them as a present for my sew-a-holic mother. Good work, weird toy shop!

Indoor shopping malls/markets on local high streets are the best, you just never know what's going…read moreto be inside and what gems you may find. The shops inside the Plaza Mall are a bit odd as many shop units have two shops in one. Blue Crystal Collectables is no exception. To get to the toy fun you have to first navigate a tiny sewing shop, the juxtaposition of the two together is very odd when it's a sea of pastels and beige to a back drop of dark horror toy type fun. A lot of what they have on offer can be seen through the windows on the sides of the booth. If you are a toy geek missing that one toy from 10years ago but don't want to pay ebay prices then you may well find it here. The stock ranged from old 90's reboot Captain Scarlett toys to Buffy to Living Dead Dolls and the Masters of Horror toy line. Nothing was excessively priced but you did wonder where they found this diverse range of toys from and what car boots they were going to to stock their shelves. If anyone knows then let me know cause I want to go there now.

This is the sweetest little shop, and my experiences here have been really great…read more I first came across the Build-A-Bear workshop (henceforth, BAB) in the US, in Pennsylvania. My youngest brother, who was 4, got a gift certificate from all of us to build his little bear, whom he called Beary Bear (oh hush) and dressed in a little soldier's outfit (hush, I said!). He had such a good time, and finally regretfully and tearfully parted with that bear around 10 years old (sorry kid, but we all know it's true). Most recently, I took a friend's daughter into the Bullring shop for the same experience. The BAB set up is really unique and wonderful. It gives children the feeling of being in Santa's Toy Workshop, helping to build and create, and that collaborative effort brings no small amount of magic to their toy. BAB works like this: kids pick the type of creature they want (popular choices are a moose, a teddy bear, a puppy), then you take him over to the stuffing machine. One of the BAB staff gives kids a talk about how once your animal is completed, it will be given a heart and filled with love, and how they'll have to look after it. Each animal receives a heart and its stuffing, then it's time to head to the clothing section, where, for the included price package, you get to pick an outfit for your bear, including shoes (you can purchase additional outfits as well). Then onto accessories. The final step is picking a name, and having a name tag attached, the child's animal put into a box and taken home to become a favourite forever (or at least until puberty). It really is a wonderful process, and absolutely heart-warming to see children's faces lighting up with delight as they build their bear. A flawless idea.

Build a Bear is a great shop for parents and children alike, giving the child not only a gift…read morethey'll treasure, but the opportunity to take an active part in the design and production of that same toy, making the whole experience that little bit more memorable. Each step of the design process, from selecting the bear's general appearance and features to picking out the toy's clothing, accessories and even giving the stuffed animal a voice by implanting a voice chip (sorry if I'm spoiling the magic for those reading at home!). The staff are all trained to help make the child's bear-building adventure as wondrous as possible, placing this shop a league above those that simply sell uninspiring, mass-produced toys that can never claim to be unique, or a gift straight from the heart. Of course, you'll pay that little bit extra for the experience, but what you end up with is a toy that will occupy pride of place in your child's collection for years to come.

There are Toy Stores and then there are CHILD FRIENDLY Toy stores like this! Very good prices,…read morefrustratedly huge stock (so many choices and so little money) kindly staff helming an inviting store with a dozen small rooms of various toys. Loads of wooden toys and scientific games plus standbys like Elmer and Kidorable wellies/Macs. Kids can enjoy themselves here but buggies have to stay outside. Thankfully, as this is the Costwolds, it won't get nicked. Many toys are very inexpensive and with only about 45. I walked away with a huge haul of books, wooden toys, wellies and even plates and silverware.