Playing Mantis

Playing Mantis is as good as it gets with local businesses that sell unique merchandise, often at a price premium, and are an essential part of defining and preserving a neighborhood.
They stock hand-​made toys and crafts from around the world. Coin banks, musical boxes, trains, airplanes rockers, hand puppets and countless other items that you can view in their interesting store on North Moore. A visit to FAO Schwarz is fun on a different scale, but browsing what’s on display at Playing Mantis conjures up memories of years gone by, when toys were handed down from one generation to the next, never going out of style.
I have bought gifts from Playing Mantis from time to time, but have also simply walked into their store to see what has changed and what is new. I know they were going to move to the Upper East Side, but thankfully chose not to. I will be back soon, shopping for a two or three-​year old’s birthday!

This is a hidden gem in Tribeca. The folks (owners?) are super nice. They seem to know their neighbors really well and greet them by name when neighbors pop in for a visit. The store carries mostly wooden toys. If I were a Tribeca kid I’d buy up the entire store! I went there looking specifically for a non-​plastic present that was not made in China. The store was my oyster! This will be my go-​to toy store from now on.

Toy stores are not created equal. Plastic toys are cheap and often made in China with who knows what. Wooden toys are a labour of love carefully hand crafted unique, and last much longer. Kids experience much more creative tendencies when playing with wooden toys and learn much more. That is why I love Playing Mantis. Yes the prices are a little bit more than usual but they have higher expenses for quality made wooden toys and crafts. This is the best wooden toy store I have ever been to. Great selection and very interesting toys. Truly amazing.

Wow this place is so incredibly cute with all their wooden toys! Do you get nostalgic and think about the days when you would play kitchen in nursery school or Kindergarten? Well you can find all of those type of wooden toys here. Everything from a kitchen stovetop set to toy trains galore. I also enjoyed the car/​ball rolling contraptions that you drop on top of the toy and watch it make their way down the set. If you can’t tell, I was easily entertained in here and so would your kid. I can see collecting these toys would get pretty pricey but there is something special about wooden toys that makes you feel that they will last past your lifetime for generations.

Let me tell you about the mind of a child: It is chameleon-​like in its wonder. Constant introspection, innocently motivated imaginative adventures. Not for money. Or fame. Just because.
The most innovative, creative and profitable minds of adults have never lost their childlike wonder.
This store is a catalyst for that wonder.
I wanted to buy the entire store.
Go explore all sorts of insightful and engaging primarily wooden toys.