When we decided to build and launch an online directory of Toy Stores we didn’t think it would feel real or worthwhile until we hit 100 stores.
We at toystoreguide.com are happy to announce that we have hit that milestone, and we are not slowing down…
Our hope is by passing this century mark we have enough of the country covered to make the directory a useful tool. We are continuing to try to cover as much ground as possible and thank everyone again for the submissions, they really help!
It has been exactly 3 months since the launch of Toy Store Guide, which means we added more than one profile a day. It is quite an accomplishment considering the time it takes to create the profile. Before we build a microsite for a store, we start preliminary research, then reach out for permission from the shop.
We wouldn’t add a store or use their information and pictures without their knowledge. We do this for two reasons: First, we feel there is too much posting on the internet without permission, and secondly, we want to bring you the best possible information about a store and believe we can only achieve this with help from the Toy Store itself.
We want you to know that the store you may be driving hours to visit is in fact worth that visit.
For our 100th store we have a place that holds a lot of history to New York City, the world and most importantly, myself. Our hundredth store is Forbidden Planet.
Forbidden Planet just celebrated its 39th year of operation. On April 18th, 1981 they opened in downtown Manhattan as “the Big Apple’s first multimedia emporium”. Very quickly their first location at 821 Broadway became world famous.
My first experience with Forbidden Planet was in the late 80’s on a VHS tape my father recorded. During a commercial brake of some movie I can’t remember, was a New York Minute style report highlighting Forbidden Planet as the world’s greatest comic book store. I am sure I still have the tape somewhere.
It wasn’t until 1994 when my dad would bring us into Manhattan to visit Forbidden Planet. I remember it being huge for a comic store, and then there was a downstairs where they housed the toys. We were there for hours. I can specifically remember looking at the ExoSquad figures and that my brother got a snap together Star Wars Hoth model kit (parts of which we still have today).
Fast forward to February 5th, 2012… My brothers and I happen to be in lower Manhattan for an Amazing Spider-Man movie event (remember the Amazing Spider-Man movies?). Waiting outside of the movie theater we looked across the street to see Forbidden Planet looking back at us. We went in to find a much smaller version of the store, no downstairs anymore, yet still packed with everything awesome.
In all honesty, I did fear that Forbidden Planet would not be around much longer. With that in my mind and in part due to my love of Shazam!, I made sure to purchase a statue from the Superman/Shazam!: Return of Black Adam animated feature. They packed it up in a Forbidden Planet canvas bag and I was on my way knowing that if they were to close their doors I would have it to remember the epic store.
I had no idea they were about to move down the street a bit, to 832 Broadway. Their new location is huge (for New York City) with a storefront that is hard to miss. The door handles create Captain America’s Shield when closed welcoming you in (I believe they recently changed this to a Batman logo). Inside is an updated store with the soul of the one that opened almost 40 years ago. The store that became and still is one of the world’s most acclaimed places to buy toys, comics, graphic novels, shirts and all matter of other collectibles.
Be sure to check out Forbidden Planet’s profile here on toystoreguide.com and visit them in New York City. Here is to seeing them through their 40th year and to 40 more!
Article by: @toydelorean on Instagram