Giant Robot Store

really quirky shop! a ton of interesting t-​shirts to look through and cute toys and odds/​ends. The sales clerk when we were there was awesome. She gave us the background on some of the art that was on the walls. Made me feel very comfortable for the lack of «coolness» that I embody :-) definitely fun stop if you’re in the neighborhood!

This is one of my favorite stores in Los Angeles. A pop culture Asian American oasis for all forms of artistic expression. They started out as a tiny paper magazine for Asian pop culture in a loft across the street from my studio. Years later they have multiple stores, and now an ever popular 3^rd show «Giant Robot» at the Japanese American National Museum. This was the place to find obscure books, cool movies, and one of a kind art from Japan and other countries. Now the store mostly consists of Local Asian artists. I remember when the «Ugly Doll» was first sold there. They were selling the first hand stitched dolls made by Sun Min Kim. I thought they were cool and bought an original «Babo» Now its obviously marketed around the world… with the help of this little store on Sawtelle. Just realized its probably worth some money! These guys were the pioneers of this entire craze in So Cal. I hope they continue offering a venue for Asian artists to show their work (across the street at GR 2) and I will always support them in all their endeavors.

Cool store! I was on my way for lunch and found this store by accident. Love the vibe and they have excellent customer service. Great place to find unique gifts for any occasion.

I could sink a lot of money into this place. Thankfully I had a lock on my wallet when I came here with my date because I seriously could have a field day — they had some of my favorite brands (ie GAMMA GO) and tons of t-​shirts and plushies. Some cool books were also on the shelf as well. Can’t wait to come back with a wad of cash and totally decorate my room and wardrobe from here.

Giant robot is one of my favorite stores in LA. Everytime I’m here I drop in to see what new items they have. I typically pick up an ugly doll t shirt as well as some blind boxes. It’s also fun to look at their collection of limited edition toys — the ones that I’ll never get to own!

Well, I’m not sure how to rate this place so I’ll give it a 5 star because there was nothing wrong with it. Everything was well-​organized. It’s clean. The merchandises are really cute! I even found a cute No Face knitting figurine. But the place here is so expensive! (on my budget lol) But I understand that it’s that price. It would be a nice place to buy stuff for someone special to go that extra mile in your wallet.

I love this place!
Giant Robot is exactly my jam. It has funny novelty items, some cool art, little mini figurines that make great gifts, and some neat Giant Robot t-​shirts.
That isn’t exactly everything they have, but it gives you some idea of what they sell here. It’s very uniquely Japanese-​American, or more accurately Asian-​American since the blending of cultures is becoming a social reality in the United States and particularly in areas such as Los Angeles.
The store sits in the heart of Sawtelle, known for its Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and other restaurants in close proximity to UCLA. It just fits in the neighborhood.
Employees here, I’ve found, are always just alone at the register and are quite friendly to any visitors. I love coming in here and buying the mini figurines, and the employee working always is willing to give me some advice and information such as the latest releases and whatnot.
Things in here vary in price; the figurines can be anywhere from $ 3 to $ 13, and they come in visually striking boxes that anyone would love. I have one in my car: a black robot.
The history of Giant Robot as a magazine is quite interesting, and if you have time, you should check it out. It’s a pretty intriguing contributor to the Asian-​American culture in the area, and shopping here supports a local business, which I’m always happy to do. Parking is slightly a pain; you’ll have to park in the garage down the block near Starbucks, Marshalls, and Michael’s or you’ll have to find either street parking or parking in the neighborhoods adjacent to the main Sawtelle block.
Overall, this is one of my favorite places to visit, and you don’t have to love giant robots to love Giant Robot.

The Giant Robot Store may not have any giant robots but it’s still cool.
They have all sorts of random cutsie stuff. Look at some of the pics on Unilocal to get a better feel. Prices are a bit high, but I’m guessing it’s because everything is made in Japan. We were already in the area and decided to drop by. I personally don’t know a whole lot about all the different figurines, etc. in this store but I can see someone who collects this stuff loving this store. Employees are sweet and helpful. They checked on us to see if we needed help with anything.

A great spot to not only check out some art, but also buy some fun collectible and gifts. They have exhibits with smaller and more unique artists every once in a while. I really enjoy the electric art that they showcase. It’s always fun, stylish, and novel.
The stores have gifts ranging from cheap to expensive. There are tees, toys, books, and a lot of collectibles. I make it a point to stop in pretty much every time I am in Little Osaka.

GR is a great toy store for Asian Imported and Asian themed toys and novelties. They have lots of independently published art books, too!
Did I mention they carry a large selection of Uglydolls and toys? Lots of eclectic toys and collectibles and other novelties.
The staff is generally very helpful in answering questions and helping find what you’re looking for.

Cute little shop with Japanese toys and novelties. Pricey, but the stuff is high quality and eclectic. I saw a few things that are from American Animated shows, but the majority was Japanese. I appreciated that it wasn’t all common Animé stuff either — it was more artsy. It made me think of a lot of my friends and wished they were in LA with me checking out the store.
One of their displays has shirts and art books and nicely drawn serial comics. Overall it was a nice shop to browse in, though I didn’t find anything I just had to have for the price. I almost bought the Ninjabread cookie cutters. Those were really awesome.

art prints, toys, clothes, collectables. giant robot is run by a real person that gets to know and have a relationship with the artist that make and sell the things in the store. a lot of love goes into the things sold here. unique and make people happy.

Japanese toys, animé, other books and paper content, and random knick knacks. More variety than the Tokyo Outlet store, but still not as much variety as you’d think (where’s the Doraemon?!)

What can I say, I’m a sucker for independent toy stores that have a certain designer flare to them. There’s just something about a store that promotes independent art forms of prints and toys that just screams cool to me. It doesn’t hurt that they sell some nifty t-​shirts from time to time.
For most Giant Robot has been a main stay for sometime now as a independent store that celebrates independent and upcoming artist in promoting their new form creations, be it vinyl, stuff toys, paper robots, to oddities involving metal and mechanical movements of toys in motion. If you’re looking for a shop to just check out for some random gift ideas, or a true independent toy supporter at heart, then you should check out this neighborhood gem in the hipster area known as Sawtelle.
I would give them a full 5 stars, if they hadn’t closed down their sister store out in the S.F. area.

So if you’re seeking something neat and fun to check out and you’re into all things artsy go check them out.

Geek love. Geek love.
A piece of trivia: This is the store that launched Ugly Dolls. Supposedly Dave Hovrath and Sun-​Min Kim brought the first, handmade dolls to this store, GR put them in the window, they sold out in one day and the rest is history.
A big part of a visit to LA is Little Osaka and making the pilgrimage to Giant Robot. I’d been reading the magazine and shopping at their on-​line store for years before I finally made it to the real deal… and I love this little store soooo much!
This is a great source for fun and unusual toys, books, zines and tees. They don’t carry as many vinyl toys as they used to (most stores don’t), but vinyl toy enthusiasts will still be rewarded with a look in the front case.
Many reviews have already done a great job detailing the characters, brands and items you can find at GR. I’d just like to add a general comment: if you want to see what’s coming trend wise, look here. GR has had its finger on the pulse of so many exciting things — the aforementioned Ugly Dolls are just one thing; Junko Mizuno, Knockman, many of the Beautiful Losers, vinyl toys, and the latest and the greatest from Japan… just to name a fraction.
My hat is off to owner, Eric Nakamura, for introducing me to so many wonderful things!
If you are a toy collector, «otaku», or cute freak — you really must stop.

So what does a store called Giant Robot Store suppose to sell? I don’t know, maybe GIANT ROBOTS!
This store is located in the Japanese hipster neighborhood. First off, the store is tiny. I wouldn’t mind this if they sold what I thought they would sell. As a mech and Sci-​fi fan I really disappointed with this store. I was expecting: gundams, mazinger, macross, megazords, or maybe even a freaking mecha godzilla! However, this store has a small selection of random books, and generic japanese trinkets.
Overall, I’m not coming back. The store has no giant robots… might as well just call this place «the store»…

They always have the cutest stuff in here… I swear.
From trinkets to different shirts… you can always find something unique here.
I like cute stuff… so I am always amazed… hahaha. It’s way too cute in here!
By the way, stalkers are really cute. They totally are! :)

Great Magazine and Great Little shop! dont forget to check out their second store down the street or their restaurant down the street too!
Have a good time its disneyland for the eyes!

I hearts Giant Robot.
Cool items, always refreshing their stock, but still keeping the really cool stuff (ie ugly dolls) around. Sometimes, they have a really cute dog in the store too =)

Why haven’t I written a review on the store yet? I have enjoyed reading
the magazine since the 90’s and have visited this store with my husband
and family. I met the founders of the magazine in the 90’s and they are really nice people. They are excellent writers and have the best interviews.
Some of the people they’ve interviewed are Daniel Dae Kim, Tony Leung,
and Ryan Hui. The store carries the magazine, clothes, toys and more. It’s a fun place to visit. I would recommend stopping by and checking it out.