Undercover Blues 1993 - The Secret World of Lego TV - Guinness World Records 2005 - R Buckminster Fuller - Marvin Davis - T S Eliot - Mark Thomas Comedy Product TV - The World’s Most Expensive Toys TV - Spitting Image TV - Last Chance Lawyer TV - Tonight TV - Secrets of the Museum TV - Inside Hamleys TV -
We’ll need the usual toys. Undercover Blues 1993 starring Kathleen Turner & Dennis Quaid & Fiona Shaw & Stanley Tucci & Richard Jenkins & Obba Babatunde & Tom Arnold & Park Overall & Dave Chappelle et al, director Herbert Rossi, Turner
Everyone loves Lego. There are now over one hundred Lego bricks for every man, woman and child on Earth. The Secret World of Lego, Channel 4 2015
A rare clockwork Mickey Mouse motorcycle (c. 1939) in its original box sold at Christie’s, London UK on 16 June 1997 for £51,000 ($83,000). Guinness World Records 2005 (50th edition)
Those who play with the devil’s toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword. R Buckminster Fuller
As men get older, the toys get more expensive. Marvin Davis
Moving between the legs of tables and of chairs, rising or falling, grasping at kisses and toys, advancing boldly, sudden to take alarm, retreating to the corner of arm and knee, eager to be reassured, taking pleasure in the fragrant brilliance of the Christmas tree. T S Eliot
Those new Ferby toys – they’re like a rabbit dropping that speaks. Mark Thomas Comedy Product s3e6, Channel 4 1999
Toys: the second highest spenders on the planet … Catering for these hugely wealthy parents and their children are an elite group of British toy makers with a licence to thrill. The World’s Most Expensive Toys, Channel 4 2016
Mark has been at the reins of Stevenson Brothers, and has cornered the global market on a timeless classic toy, the rocking horse: ‘This one here with VAT is £12,000’. ibid.
The Atom V-8 is a handbuilt electric car with a grown-up starting price: £30,000. ibid.
Will anyone pay £100,000 for a [Swarovski crystal] rocking horse? ibid.
This dolls’ house is now on the market for £22,500. ibid.
The not-dangerous-at-all doll: it brings a lump to the throat. Spitting Image s7e6, Christmas advertisements, ITV 1989
New from Ideas Are Thin comes the board game to end all board games – BORED. There’s absolutely nothing to it with special features including no pieces and no cards … Spitting Image s9e6, ITV 1990
Unconsciously, you’re trying to fill a hole in your soul, in your insides. You can never fill it. Last Chance Lawyer I: War is Waged on Many Fronts, at toy remote control car shop, BBC 2018
Christmas buyers beware: the new scams fleecing millions from unsuspecting customers. And the sophisticated frauds catching us out. But would you be able to spot them? Tonight: Christmas Buyers Beware, ITV 2018
Around 10% of toys coming into the UK are fake. ibid.
The V&A’s Museum of Childhood houses Britain’s biggest collection of toys from the past. Secrets of the Museum s1e1, BBC 2020
The very first dolls houses were made in the German town of Nuremberg which was known from the sixteenth century as the Toy City. It was home to all sorts of skilled craftsmen including toy makers. Secrets of the Museum s2e5, BBC 2021
London’s West End: Traditional Christmas shopping destination for millions. At its heart stands Regents Street. And at its heart is Hamley’s. The world’s oldest and largest toy store. But behind the celebrated window display there are hidden stories. Inside Hamleys s2e4, Channel 5 2018
The store’s busiest time of all is in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Its annual parade, last held in 2017, has attracted crowds of more than 700,000. ibid.
‘The best free show in London.’ ibid.