.Best Toy-Store Surprises

If you lie awake at night wondering “How am I going to supply my band
with instruments … cheaply?” then Mr. Mopps’ is for you. Especially
if your band’s lineup includes a plastic slide whistle, a harmonica,
and two sizes of kazoo, and your budget is $1.40 plus tax. While Mr.
Mopps’ offers a brilliant selection of toy-shop staples (games, books,
stuffed animals, building sets, dolls, craft and science kits, yo-yos,
wooden railroads, and party supplies), it’s the racks of inexpensive
novelties that offer up the shop’s best surprises. Looking for a pirate
eye patch or a peanut-shaped eraser? Miniature music boxes or a
rubber-band paddle boat? Mardi Gras beads, flicker-art rulers, glow
sticks, or a bamboo finger catcher? There’s a large selection of
name-brand toys to satisfy specific desires or gift-giving needs, but
the serendipitous stock is what will leave you smiling. Walk in without
an agenda and you’ll walk out with a world-dominating army of windup
cats, monkeys, chicks, penguins, and ladybugs.