my new favorite toy store: joujou

I left for Alt Summit in Salt Lake City with the usual expectations: meeting bloggers, meeting sponsors, talking shop, invigorating sessions, and a few parties along the way. But there was one thing I had not counted on: finding the best toy store, like, ever. As a toy designer, believe me, I’ve seen many a toy store. Across continents and countires, small, big, cool, awful, old, new and even stinky. But JouJou takes all of those memories and pushes them off a mountain and into a sinkhole.

Dreamed into reality by the creative team at Struck, JouJou’s magic begins with the amount of amazement it packs into it’s smallish space. There are large installations everywhere: blinking lights, sculptures, a candy filled organ, a dress up room turned forest, and my favorite: the monster picture wall (It’s like Harry Potter portraits times ten!). They also include some of my favorite brands: Mudpuppy, Moulin Roty, Bla Bla, Ambi Toys, Playsam, Jess Brown, and many more. When I first turned the corner and saw JouJou, I had to tug myself away from the door, while walking backwards, so I wouldn’t miss my first Alt session. I  seriously wanted to run amuck inside JouJou instead.

Watch Struck’s video below to see the backstory and a full tour of the store (including those amazing animated monster portraits!). JouJou is located in the Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City UT, and is most definitely worth a visit next time you’re in town.