Posted on: August 4th, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Uncategorized
The summer holidays have arrived and it’s time to go on our holidays! There has been much discussion recently about keeping kids entertained on long journeys and holidays so here are a few suggestions -
Sticker books – great for the car or plane there is no mess and most books have plenty of puzzles, quizzes and colouring to keep kids amused at least for a little while!
I spy – the old games are the best! The classic car game is still a favourite with many people, and if you need inspiration we have a great game called Are we there yet? which contains cards with things to spot and point scores to add a competitive element.
Story cd’s are good when you need a bit of peace and quiet, we also have song and nursery rhymes for younger children.
Small craft kits come in handy as a rainy day activity on holiday, they contain everything you need for a creative activity at pocket money prices.
Travel games – There is always a bit of time on holiday where you wonder what shall we do? so it’s always good to take a few family games to pass the time. Our favourites at the moment are -
Monopoly Deal – a shorter, faster version of Monopoly suitable from age 8, you need to be ruthless to win!
Mini Who’s in the bag? – a verbal charades game where the aim is to help your team mates identify the name on the card in a race against the clock. You can act, sing, mime, impersonate but don’t say the name!
Pocket Etch-a-sketch – a travel sized version of the classic drawing toy perfect for journeys.
Pocket Money toys – Allowing children to choose a couple of small pocket money toys for the holiday ensures they will have something new they want to play with, and doesn’t cost too much.
Have a great time!
Posted on: July 5th, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Events, Uncategorized
I can’t quite believe it has been a year since we reopened the shop but Busy Bee is now 1!
We are having a party to celebrate and would like to welcome you all to come down and celebrate with us on Saturday 10th July.
There will be games, balloons, cake decorating, face painting and giveaways for the kids so come down to Busy Bee to share the fun.
We are open 9.30am – 5.30pm on the day – look out for our bees around Chorlton!
Posted on: June 7th, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Uncategorized
World Cup Fever!
Get ready for the World Cup at Busy Bee Toy Shop, we have a great new range of football themed Playmobil sets to choose from. Play a game of football with your friends with the soccer match set, which includes 6 players, a pitch and scoreboard. Or collect your favourite countries from a range of single player sets.
We also stock Match Attax and GoGo Crazy Bones England collectables, and Panini World Cup stickers.
Playmobil Soccer Match
Posted on: March 25th, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Events
We have been very busy bees this week putting together our entry for the Scarecrow Competition, part of Chorlton’s Big Green Festival 2010.
Meet our Busy Beekeeper scarecrow, you can see him now in the window of Busy Bee but make sure you check out all the scarecrows around Chorlton and on display at St. Clement’s Church from 11am on Saturday 27th March.
For more information on the festival visit greenchorlton.org.uk
Busy Beekeeper
Posted on: March 15th, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Uncategorized
It’s time to get creative and enter our Design an Easter Egg Competition!
Pick up your entry form in store, design your egg and return to the shop by Saturday 3rd April to be entered into the competition.
There are 3 age categories – Under 4yrs, 5 to 8 yrs, and 9 to 12 years, a winner from each category will receive a prize and all entries will be displayed in the shop.
Posted on: March 2nd, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Toys
Busy Bee Toyshop is pleased to announce we now have LEGo in stock! Choose from a variety of themes including
- Lego Star Wars
- Lego Atlantis
- Lego Racers
- Lego Duplo
- Bionicle
- Creator
Posted on: March 2nd, 2010
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Events
To celebrate the arrival of spring, Busy Bee Toyshop will be open 11am – 4pm every Sunday in April with a host of craft activities to keep children entertained. Pop along from 12pm each Sunday to take part and have a look at what’s new in store.
Posted on: October 19th, 2009
by: busybeetoyshop
in: Playmobil, Toys
At Busy Bee Toy Shop one of our most popular product ranges is Playmobil®, we stock many items across the range and can order specific items if there is something in particular you are looking for.
Having grown up with Playmobil® myself I thought it would be interesting to find out a little more about the history of this popular toy..
In the beginning…
Once upon a time in 1876, there was a locksmith named Andreas Brandstätter. Mr. Brandstätter planted a magical seed that would eventually blossom into PLAYMOBIL® by founding an eponymous lock and metal fitting company in Fürth, Germany. His son, Georg Brandstätter, took over the company in 1908, changed its name to Metallwarenfabrik Georg Brandstätter, and in 1921 moved the headquarters to Zirndorf, Germany, where it remains to the present day. By the 1930s, the company had again been redefined, manufacturing telephones, cash registers, and various items for toy shops using sheet metal, and going through another name change, to geobra (short for Georg Brandstätter).
A new era…
At the beginning of the 1950s, Horst Brandstätter, the companys current owner, came on board and started a new era in the company history. He updated products, searched out new markets and sales opportunities, and focused production on his favorite material plastic.
1958
In 1958 the hula hoop craze gripped the world, and Horst Brandstätter, who had apprenticed as a technician and moldmaker, responded by working continuously for two weeks to design a machine that could mold soft plastic hoses into hoops. Production began immediately, and geobra saw financial success manufacturing and fulfilling demand for the fad item. The hula hoop boom disappeared as quickly as it arrived, but the process Mr. Brandstätter had perfected to make the toy inspired further exploration. Realizing that the technique, using air pressure, hot plastic hoses, and shape molds, could also produce basically any shape (in addition to the traditional bottles and hoops), he created the first prototype PLAYMOBIL® item, a closed racing car manufactured in a single production step. From that point on, the company expanded rapidly with products in the toy and leisure fields, and in 1969 opened a modern, nearly 300,000 square-foot production plant and warehouse in Dietenhofen, outside Zirndorf. Another production plant was founded in Malta in 1971.
PLAYMOBIL® today
PLAYMOBIL® headquarters in Zirndorf, Germany, are housed in a 1.6 million square foot, state-of-the-art building, where more than 500 employees oversee management, administration, research and development, mold construction, and decoration for the world-famous toys. The company also has subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Benelux, Italy, Greece, Spain, Canada, Mexico, and the United States, employing nearly 2,500 people worldwide, and has made recent sales inroads in South America, Australia, and the Middle and Far East.
(content taken from www.playmobil.com)
