Hamleys First Flagship Store Opens in One Utama

Good morning boys and girls! Guess what? Your favorite toy wonderland has finally opened its doors at One Utama!




But first, before we head towards the grand opening, let's do a quick mention on Hamleys for a brief moment.

#1 What is Hamleys

The Hype in Hamleys at London

For those of you that have not heard about Hamleys, I have mentioned in my previous post that it is a place of magical experiences where toys come alive to bring joy to children of all ages and that everything around you that is basically an experience to remember. 


This snapshot above was actually taken yesterday by my younger sister who is currently in London at the moment. As you can see, the crowds that are in heading into Hamleys is incredible. I have to say after marking more than 100 years since it's opening at Regent Street; the hype just never fails to amaze me.


Okay now let's head back to the pre-launch.


As a few of us were given the privilege to witness this special occasion during its pre-launch event on the 29th of November, Claudine from (http://littledine.blogspot.com/) and I quickly headed down to catch a glimpse of the magic that was stirring at Hamleys One Utama.

#2 The Double Decker London Bus

Hamley's Double Decker London Bus

The first thing we saw that was parked right outside One Utama was a London double decker bus.


This bus will be stationed at One Utama for the whole month of December in conjunction with the launch of Hamleys first flagship store in Malaysia.


So if you are looking for a good place to take some candid photography during the Christmas season, this would be the place to be.

Inside the bus

Now let's take a look inside.


When we toured inside the bus, there are two staircases leading to the upstairs deck. One was located at the entrance and one was at the back.


Railings were there to guide the guests up and down and 2 seater seats were clad with Hamleys signature splash of red.

From Left: The guided rail on the staircase leading to the upper deck, children on the bus, the 2 seater seats, Claudine and myself enjoying the view from the bus.

Claudine and I explored the bus for a good 15 minutes and headed back inside One Utama to check out the set up for Hamleys.

#3 Outdoor Setup for Hamleys One Utama

The setup for Hamley's first flagship store

As you can imagine, there were many congratulatory bouquets at the entrance of Hamleys and the atmosphere was spiced up with a happy vibe of 300 ++ media and friends.

Before the opening

Congratulatory Bouquets

Light refreshments were served along with some fun filled snacks like popcorn and cotton candy. Felt like such a child at this wonderful carnival-like event.

The refreshment stand

I was quite happy that the popcorn and the cotton candy stand was managed at the opposite side of the refreshment station. I am sucker for anything caramel, so you could say pretty preoccupied at the popcorn stand for quite a bit :P


The caramel popcorn was served in a cute little container, and the manager and his staff were all smiles as they handed them out to the guests.

Popcorn!

The 3 lovely people in charge of the catering of the popcorn stand 

For the children, I have to say that the cotton candy stand was the hands down winner not only because it is known as a delicious snack but as the stand adheres to an open concept, the crowd had the opportunity to watch its formation and this was a delightful treat to both the adults and children.

Come one come all, there is cotton candy for all!

Located right next to the refreshment stand was Hamleys backdrop which drew the attention of many media members and the VIPs to take the main snapshots of the pre-launch event.

Group shot of the VIPs

The Group Deputy Managing Director of Ludendo Groupe, Mr. Rudolph Hidalgo, Chief Executive Officer of Hamleys, Mr. Gudjon Reynisson, Acting British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mr. Ray Kyles were present to officiate the first Hamleys flagship store in Malaysia.

With Fashion and Features Writer Nabilah Hamid from 17 Magazine

Together with them was the Chairman of GRV Toy Store Sdn Bhd, Dato' Ishak bin Osman and Directors of GRV Toy Store Sdn Bhd, Mr Kim Manaf, and Ms Noor Azlin.

VIPs from Hamleys Malaysia

Myself and Claudine

Claudine and I also bumped into Laura Leia and Arpita at the pre-launch.


Both girls were looking lovely and I had a lovely time chatting with Arpita's little nephew who was enjoying the event as well.

With Laura Leia from http://lauraleialee.blogspot.com/

Claudine, myself, Arpita and her nephew from http://shoponiomania.blogspot.com/

We started out the pre-launch by a welcoming speech by the Master of Ceremony, followed by Group Deputy Managing Director of Ludendo Groupe, Mr. Rudolph Hidalgo along with the Chief Executive Officer of Hamleys, Mr. Gudjon Reynisson.

Speech by the Chief Executive Officer of Hamleys, Mr. Gudjon Reynisson

Before the opening, the Ring Master came out to give a welcoming speech to the public together with Hamley Bear and his sister Hattie Bear.

The Ringmaster

Hattie Bear! If I could I would stand there and hug her all day - she was so pretty!

As per Hamley and Hattie Bear suggestion, two little girls were invited to the platform to perform the ribbon cutting ceremony of officiate the grand opening of Hamleys.


You could tell they were pretty excited about the whole thing ^^

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Now the moment you have been waiting for; what is inside Hamleys?

#4 Inside Hamleys One Utama

Left : An avid direction board                                            Right: Hamleys Signature Teddy Bear

The miniature Hamley Bear

Upon entering, Hamleys Signature Teddy Bear was the first thing that caught my eye. Not only because it was cute and cuddly but because it was wonderfully made.


I thought the scarf was a very nice touch to the Hamley Bear since it was coming close to Christmas; so I have to say that in accordance to the upcoming festive season, they have themed their products very well.

Bathtub friends!

After a few minutes of walking around, I stumbled upon this display and found these especially cool. These items were friendly bath toys for children and were being displayed near the entrance. As a little squid toy was bursting into action at the moment, I halted to a stop and watched its form for awhile.


Flipping, turning and spiraling about, these cute little figures were very close to the real thing. As you can see, these bath friends drew the attention of many children who were fascinated with its movements as well.

Assortments of Dolls

Bee Bags

PetShop Figurine Sets

Store Environment

Sitting in the middle of cuddly toys and playthings was the iconic London Double Decker Bus (Hamleys mini version of course). And in the driver's seat was a little Hamley Bear playing conductor as well.

Hamleys Magic Balloons

As I headed to the right side of the entrance, l came across a blast from the past. I remember playing with these when I was much younger and I couldn't believe that Hamleys actually had something similar to the transparent bubble balloons we use to play with in our childhood.

Bringing in bright hues of green, red, blue and yellow, I have to say that this was a very lovely item to come across in the midst of all the toys. Definitely brought back nostalgic childhood memories.

Demonstration Activity

What I love about Hamleys is that their staff has a very hands on experience with the adults and children. The experience is definitely one of a kind which is a rarity that you can hardly find in Malaysia.

Mimi from Bag of Love enjoying the activity that was being shown to her children

Demonstrations were given to show the adults and the kids on how to play with the products. Due to this interaction you can see a happy and lively environment for the children throughout the toy store.

Mascots

We also came across fun loving mascots and beloved toy characters from Calico Critters, Upin and Ipin who were walking around in the toystore.

With the Bunny from Sylvanian Families

With the cute characters of Upin and Ipin

As for all the Barbie doll enthusiasts and fans there is no need to fret, for Hamleys has dedicated an entire section of lovely Barbie dolls in all forms for your viewing pleasure.

The section for Barbie Dolls

Barbie Doll Promotion Sets

The Faerie Collection

Now how about for parents who are interested in throwing a birthday party for their cute little cherubs?

Well now at Hamleys, you can find a party room where you can orchestrate your ideal themes whether it be Disney or Winnie the Pooh and plan your children's fabulous birthday bash.

Book Your Hamleys Birthday Party

An Inside Look at the Birthday Corner

Of course beloved toys like Legos, Transformers and Thomas the Train are available for children as well.


Hamleys has also done the set up for the children with regards to the games so that they can have a more hands on experience on the type of toys they would want before making a purchase which I think is a brilliant idea.

Thomas the Train

Arpita teaching her nephew for to play with the Thomas Train Set

Ravensburger 3D Puzzle Display

The LEGO Corner

Dato Sheila Majid having a go at building her own LEGO toy

There were also plenty of displays around for the adults to take a look at - such as the Transformer vehicles, miniature displays of animals and sets and so forth.

Miniature Building Vehicles Toy Set

Miniature Animals

The transformers section

For those who are more on the adventurous side and are eager to have a challenge, you can have the option of playing with flashy remote control cars,  aiming darts at the magnetic dartboard, getting ready to aim and fire with the air blaster or have a go at the shooting arena.

Adults trying their hand on the remote control cars

Taking a shot at the Magnetic Dartboard

Claudine somehow got control at the Air Blaster and tried her luck by aiming it at me.


Don't worry there was no serious injuries involved (haha) but this was an interesting concept where when you aim the Air Blaster at your opponent, you actually shoot a gust of cool wind their way.

Claudine with the Air Blaster

I think Claudine got her end of the deal as Arpita and her nephew took turns to shoot that gust of wind her way but from the looks of it, she seemed to be enjoying the cool air though :P

Arpita trying her best to shoot Claudine with the Air Blaster

Noo!

Now when I found this, admittedly I got a little excited (omergawd a shooting range!) but excuse my inner child over-enthusiasm.

Having a go at the shooting range

So as you can see, you can choose up to 4 different types of toy guns. Each will have a range of 3 toy balls inside where you have to get ready, aim and fire.


If you shoot within the range, you will get the allocated points marked on the board. Don't worry though, there will be someone to assist you if you are not sure, so if you missed, well try again!

Arpita getting her game face on

Ready, Aim, Fire!

And scoreboard! I actually managed to hit the bulls-eye of 60 points! One of the highlights of my day at that point.

The Ringmaster

Okay you would need to excuse the laughable expression on my face as the Ringmaster was actually tickling my ribs during the photo (T.T) But he was an extremely charismatic guy and worked very well with the kids.


Claudine on the other hand was getting her nails decorated in lovely floral patterns at the nail corner. Yes you heard me right, a nail corner. In a toy-store. How epic is that?

Claudine getting her nails done

After we were done exploring, we looked around to purchase some toys for our loved ones at home.

I decided to buy some building blocks for my nephew along with this cute Hamley bear who looked very much like the London Queen's Guards at Buckingham Palace.

Hamley Bear 'Queen's Guard' Version

Before I end this article, I have to say that a big thank you goes out to Ms. Jay Mee Chuah and Jasmine Joseph from EverQuest for extending the invitation to us and making this event a great success.


I have to say I have never seen such a well oiled team ;) Well done!

From Left: Claudine, Myself, Jay Mee Chuah and Jasmine Joseph from EverQuest

So what are you waiting for? Quickly head over to One Utama and experience the magic that is Hamleys.

It would definitely be the experience you would never forget ;)

Xx!