Classic toys and family board games popular this year says Regina toy shop owners

In a year where inflation has pinched the wallets of many in Regina, Christmas can be challenging but that isn’t stopping families from stopping by the toy store.

“December is what we’re waiting for,” said Dajarra Bosche co-owner of Zippity Zoom, adding the store hasn’t raised prices of most items in order to help families afford gifts this holiday.

“And we have toys, all price ranges. It’s not fun and I cringe every single time I have to look at the price increase. This year we decided not to pass that on to our customers. We had to bump things up a little bit, but not as crazy as they should be,” she said,

Bosche said that people usually look for the most popular gift, but they could look at their children’s interests and what they like to do. They could start a new tradition like making family puzzles, a new board game.

“We try to help them out with that rather than just saying, ‘Yep, everybody’s buying the same thing, so should you’, let’s do something different and follow what their interests are.”

She added that a lot of stores have been worried about the online experience, but they tend to bring in a lot of different products. “There’s so many things that our store people spend hours in here and still feel like they haven’t seen anything.”

The most popular toys of the year are none other than the classics, such as puzzles, Lego and board games coming in as the top three best-selling toys. She says the top sellers were all family focused, rather than individual games.

And while technology such as iPads and phones have become widely used as sources of entertainment for kids, Bosche says she has seen more of a push this year to a move away from technology.

“They’re trying to have more board games, and all these events. I feel people just want to get together, have game nights and do all of these events that you missed out on in the past couple of years.”

The owners at Crocus and Ivy have noticed a similar trend, as people are searching for a physical toy rather than an electronic.

“They can imagine things and they can take it with them. And it’s just a different way of playing. And reading books to kids is still something that’s really important. Having the character is a really fun way to interact with your children,” Carol Brundige said.

For both stores, however, the thing they are looking forward to most is seeing those gifts opened up on Christmas morning.