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SAN FRANCISCO

Ambassador Toys

(415) 345-8697 EMBARCADERO CTR.
(415) 759-8697 WEST PORTAL
ambassadortoys.com

Ambassador Toys, with two San Francisco stores and others in Palo Alto and Truckee, focuses on educational toys, and books, music and toys “teaching children about the world,” says president Linda Kapnick. “We do not carry any guns or toys of violence.” Brands include Lego, Madame Alexander and Steiff.

EAST BAY

Mr. Mopps’

BERKELEY
(510) 525-9633  •  mrmopps.net

Berkeley’s Mr. Mopps’, with a toy shop and book annex, avoids mass-marketed products and features mostly low-tech toys that foster open-ended play and inspire creativity. The store is a source of Equal Read books, celebrating diversity in children’s literature.

SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA

Talbot’s Toyland

SAN MATEO
(650) 931-8100  •  talbotstoyland.com

Talbot’s Toyland in San Mateo, launched in 1953, specializes in high-quality toys, model trains and collections for hobbyists. Educational toys and musical instruments for infants and small children, dolls, ride-on toys, and Lego sets round out the offerings. The store also sells uniforms and handbooks for Girl Scouts.

Cheeky Monkey

MENLO PARK
(650) 328-7975  •  cheekymonkeytoys.com

Located in Menlo Park, Cheeky Monkey is a local, family-owned and operated, independent toy store, in business since 1999. They specialize in finding just the right toy for anyone, newborn to adult.

NORTH BAY

A Child’s Delight

CORTE MADERA
(415) 945-9221  •  achildsdelight.com

A Child’s Delight, the North Bay winner, with stores in Corte Madera and San Francisco, sells toys that stimulate creativity and imagination, including arts and crafts selections, construction sets, offerings for active play, toys for babies, video games, and brain teasers and puzzles.

View all of the Readers’ Choice 2018 Listings