If we didn’t have friends to run around and play with, what were the companions that kept us at bay, other than our family and furry friends? Toys, of course! Toys served as boredom busters, interactive tools for learning and our own best friends!
Recently, it has just been announced that Toys R Us in the USA filed for bankruptcy (sniff!) according to ABS-CBN news. It has been reported and believed that it was “caught in a viselike grip of online shopping and discount chains.”Â
Good news though – the Toys R Us we have here in the Philippines will still continue operations and bring fun to children (and kids at heart!)  Toys R Us Philippines recently released in a statement that customers can ‘continue to shop in our stores and online” and “customer programs to continue as normal”.
WHEN IN MANILA was able to crowdsource the WIM Squad to share their favorite toys and favorite memories with them.
Photo from Pinterest
Toy Story figures
“I had a Buzz Lightyear and Hamm. Whenever I’d get upset or throw a tantrum my dad would give me one of my toys or play with me to cheer me up. I used to do bring them with me everywhere too. Haha.” – Gino A., student
“The Tiny Green Army Men! I always try to imagine and create situations where war is always happening but then again I’m just playing with mere plastic toys.” – Tyron V.
Photo from Flickr
Crush Gear
“In grade school my classmates and I used to make paper-folded crush gear in class. Then come dismissal time, we would whip out our legit crush gear from our strollers.” – Cocoy C.
Photo from Amazon
Flying Barbie
“It was just after my first figure skating competition when I asked my mom I want to have one of those dolls. My mom said that if I win a gold medal, she will give me one. And I did. I was so happy when I got my first ever gold medal with my first ever flying Barbie Doll. My heart melted when I did the first flight of my Barbie Doll. It was magical.” – Careina M.
Tirador
“When I was in elementary, we target birds and sometimes santol & makopa trees that belonged to owners who didn’t want giving their fruits. We shoot them until the fruits fall to the ground, THEN we eat them. Hehe!” – Levi H.
Photo from Image Optimizer
The Tri-Spider Slayer box set
“As a Spidey fan growing up, I saw this scorpion x spider robot on TV and it was “meh” for me. One day, while window shopping in a toy store, I saw this and all of a sudden I wanted it more than anything in the world! I bargained with my parents to buy me this box set in exchange for 5 years worth birthday presents (wrong move but totally worth it!) The Tri-Spider Slayer box set had tons of fun factor! From 3 insect robots and a Spidey figure to complete the experience. And to this day, I still am a child at heart and collect figures! #puppies” – Julian C.
Photo from Daily Express
Lego
“Lego was really my childhood, because it really helped me use my imagination and creativity. Siyempre, ‘di ba, pag bata ka, wild imagination. I used to make spaceships, houses na sobrang exxage (exxagerated); then cars na may kunwari weapon of all sorts, hahahaha! Mga ganun. I’d make a storyline with my friends even, hahaha! Good times!” – Chester C.
“I think i was able to read an article that mentioned that LEGO was the building the blocks of the imagination, and I couldn’t agree more with such statement. My childhood actually revolved around Lego block. I would continually nag my mom to get me LEGO when we would go to toy stores. Other than that, I had buckets of LEGO pieces back then and I would spend a big part of my day building cities out of them. From the cities I’ve made, I would then create scenarios – a hero defeating a villain, a family going about their day to day activities, a natural disaster destroying the city. And not going to lie, whenever I would go inside a toy store, I’d still find myself wanting to buy some LEGO despite knowing the fact that some people may say that I’m way too old for it.” – Nico F.
“I used to have the Duplo Lego bucket! It’s a set where I can build a house and a car. Sobrang gustong gusto ko yun noon kasi I can build any house or car aside from what’s indicated in the instruction and talagang nabbusy ako playing with it. Actually, narealize ko dun nadevelop yun fine motor skills ko and yung talent ko in assembling objects.” – Felice B.
Photo from Buzzfeed
Barbie
” I know that sounds odd for a boy, but I became a collector (I still am) and have such great memories there. I have over 100 collections. They range from expensive collector dolls to regular play line. Barbie changed my life. I’m SUPER passionate.” – Colin K.
Photo from Pinterest
Ello Bead Toys
“My mom bought my first set of Ello beads when she noticed that I was getting slightly tired of dolls. Nacute-an siya so she bought me a small boxed set and to check if maaappreciate ko siya. I did at my first playing experience. Para siyang Lego fit for girls, what makes it different is that there are different sizes and colors of beads which can be joined together along with other plastic pieces. Mukha lang siyang maliit and boring at first glance pero when you form different figures, especially sa malalaking boxes. It developed my creative imagination and it gave me the chance to create a different world.” – Hannah M.
Photo from Autoworld Store
Toy Cars
(Diecast Model Toy Cars) – “Ever since i was a child i had an affinity and fondness of collecting cars, and my dad had this old shelf he decided to place in my room, and i decided to put my collection of diecast there for display.” – Martin M.
(Diecast Model Toy Cars) “My love for die-cast toy cars started when my dad bought me a couple of small toy cars when we were on vacation in the U.S.. I started to collect toy cars of different kinds after that. My favorite toy cars were the vintage ones given to me as gifts. As I grew older, I realized that it is not practical to spend so much on toys so I stopped collecting however, I still find myself drooling over die-cast toy cars up to now.” – Frances E.
(Hot Wheels) -” I love collecting different cars and creating mini race courses.” – Gillian S.
“Growing up in the 80s, our dad used to make these toy cars from empty milk cans (body) and worn out slippers (cut-out to make the rolling wheels). He ties a string to it, usually yarn, and we tag it along where ever we go. It’s no matchbox, hotwheels, or tamiya, but it was one of my favorite toys and the fondest memory I have of my dad.” – Alessandra A.
“It’s still super vivid to me. It was an out of town trip, and I hated being in the back seat of the car because I didn’t get to see much out of the window. I pulled out my favorite car that time, which was a Red Porsche 911 hahah! I would pull it back and forth along the ledge of the door where the window goes down as if it was racing alongside our car. I would also make the engine noises!” – Luis P.
Photo from Byrnes Online
Sylvanian Families
“I’ve always grown fond of miniature tea sets and pocket-sized toys. I couldn’t express the joy and excitement I felt once I got my hands on my very first Sylvanian family. Getting the Sylvanian bunnies served as a solidified expression of my love for rabbits AND little things. One thing I realized as I grew older is that toys, no matter how big or small, encapsulate happiness and memories from childhood that could be relived at any point in life by playing.” – Shen B.
