Happy New Years!

It's almost time to say farewell to 2011.  It's been a good year for us, and we hope it's been good for all of you, too!

So our fabulous toy experts get a chance to celebrate, our stores will be closing early on New Years Eve.  The holiday hours will be:

Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville, IL:
9am - 4pm
Closed New Years Day

LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights, IL:
9am - 5pm
Closed New Years Day

LagoonaMagoo Toys at the St. Louis Mills:
10am - 6pm
Open New Years Day!  11am - 6pm


We hope 2012 will be a wonderful year for you and yours. We have big plans for the next year-- including doing year 2 of our Count It Up Inventory Contest. Watch this space and our facebook page for more info!

Christmas Eve Hours at Happy Up Stores:

Got a stocking that still needs stuffing?  Need one more thing to even out the gift piles?  Never fear,  We'll be here!  And of course we're staffed with toy experts to make your last minute running a festive and fabulous outing.

Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville:
Christmas Eve:  9am - 3pm 
Closed Christmas Day

LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights:
Christmas Eve:  9am - 5pm
Closed Christmas Day

LagoonaMagoo Toys at the St. Louis Mills:
Christmas Eve:  9am - 6pm
Closed Christmas Day

Regular store hours resume on Monday, Dec. 26th.

Joy, Delight, a bit of Magic and Wonder

mix it with family and friends,

and add just enough chaos to make it all festive and fun.  

 

We wish a very Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.

Now get off the computer and go enjoy the people next to you.

Reindeer to Visit LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights

That's right!  We're finally able to confirm the Reindeer (with Santa, too) will be visiting us in Fairview Heights.  Mark your calendars:

But before they go to Fairview Heights LagoonaMagoo Toys, they'll stop to visit us in Edwardsville at Once Upon a Toy:

--Saturday, Dec. 17 in the afternoon. 

The exact time of their visit in Edwardsville isn't established.  Call the playful peeps at the store to for more details!  (618) 656-9596

Once Upon a Toy is located at 2460 Troy Rd. in Edwardsville, IL  62025

LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights will have the reindeer on the following days:

--Sunday, Dec. 18  from 12 - 6 pm
--Wednesday, Dec. 21 from 12 - 6 pm
--Thursday, Dec. 22 from 12 - 6 pm

LagoonaMagoo Toys is located at 6308 N. Illinois (aka hwy 159-- between Peerless Furniture & McDonald's) in Fairview Heights, IL.  If you want to call the store and talk to the merry toy peeps, phone number is:  (618) 628-9270


This is a great chance for your kiddos to see some reindeer up-close and personal.  And you can get a pic taken in Santa's Sleigh!

Did ya see? No? Here's the Video from Great Day St. Louis!

Tee-hee!  Shawnta' had a ton of fun appearing on Great Day St. Louis yesterday.  If you haven't seen it already, here's the video:




Later today I'll post additional information about the items featured in the video.  Including more about the Lightning Reaction game!  Insert evil giggling here.

Happy Up on TV!

Tune in to KMOV (Channel 4) tomorrow (12/8) morning at 10am to see us on Great Day St. Louis.  We had so much fun doing this last year, we're back for another round!  Shanwta', our fearless leader, will be showing some of our favorite items for the holiday season.

If you can't watch it, we'll post the video as soon as it becomes available!

Love a Local on Saturday Nov. 26!

Shop happy, shop small, and show some love to your local economy.

American Express and a fleet of other corporations and government groups (see the full list on the website) are promoting the idea that on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we should all spend some of our money and time supporting locally owned businesses.  Through advertising on facebook, on radio, and even on TV, the idea of Small Business Saturday is taking hold.  Word of mouth is passing the idea along and twitter is abuzz.

To officially participate, a business needs to accept American Express cards.  While the Happy Up stores don't take American Express, many of the small businesses in our area that we love (and bet you do, too) are participating.  So we're delighted to add our voice to the growing chorus and hope y'all aren't totally shopped out yet.

Save some of that energy for tomorrow.  Stop in your favorite locally owned, totally unique, favorite, fabulous, and festive small business.  Buy yourself a treat, or find something to give as a gift.

By shopping with locally owned businesses, the majority of your money *stays* in the community.  It helps support your schools, repair your roads, and is spent at other businesses.  It creates jobs, it keeps our shopping areas vibrant and interesting, and it's sooo much more fun!

Don't think you can make it to a locally owned store on Saturday?  No problemo.  You can have the same impact on your local economy if you roll with the 3/50 Project.  Super simple:  Pick three locally owned businesses.  Spend $50 at those three businesses, and the impact is massive. 

Most of the money spent at the big box stores vanishes and isn't reinvested in your community.  Money spent at the big boys on the internet never returns to your community, not even in the form of sales tax.

So love a local and love your community!

The Reindeer are Coming!

That's right--  we'll have reindeer visitors in our parking lot again this year!  We hope you'll be able to come see them and their pal...  y'know who I mean...  The dude with beard...  Whatsis name again?  Oh!  Of course!  Santa! 

Reindeer schedule for Once Upon a Toy
Friday, Nov. 25 from 3 - 8 pm
Saturday, Nov. 26 from 12 - 6 pm

Once Upon a Toy is located at 2460 Troy Rd., Edwardsville IL  62025.  For more info you can call the playful folks at the store:  (618) 656-9596

Join us for an Idea Exchange!

Over the years, we've learned so much from the therapists and special needs educators that shop with us. We feel it's time to return the favor. Join us for an open house and idea exchange! We'll be demonstrating toys and games that fit well into a therapeutic environment. As well as showing how some of our favorite playthings can adapt to serve a wide variety of needs.

We'll also have nibbles and giveaways!

Here's the nitty gritty info:
When: Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7pm
Where: LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights, IL

So we know how many to expect, we are asking folks to RSVP by calling the playful folks in the store at (618) 628-9270

If you know of someone else who may be interested, feel free to send them this invite: Happy Up Idea Exchange Invitation

We hope to see you there!

Come and Play on Neighborhood Toy Store Day!

Neighborhood Toy Store Day is Nov. 12, 2011--  so mark your calendars and come play with us!  All of our stores will be playing games.  We've been visiting lots of schools to lead their game nights.  It's been great to play games with the students and their families.  So we're bringing the fun home to our stores!  On Saturday, bring your gang and come play some really great games with us.  You may even discover a new family favorite!

The Happy Up Store locations are:

• LagoonaMagoo Toys at the St. Louis Mills, Hazelwood MO -
  We're right by the playground!
  (314) 227-5335
• LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights, IL -
  6308 N. Illinois (aka hwy 159)
  (618) 628-9270
• Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville, IL -
  2460 Troy Rd (look for the TOY sign!)
  (618) 656-9596

This is the 2nd Neighborhood Toy Store Day, created and celebrated by ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association).  The idea is to give the member stores a day to celebrate their unique contributions and role in their communities.  It's also a chance to raise public awareness of the power of play.  As families are pressed for time, it's easy to forget how important a little bit of game play can be to a child.  And to their grown-ups.  So find some time on Saturday and come play a game with us!

If you won't be near any of the Happy Up stores on Saturday, check ASTRA's website to see if there will be festivities near you!

Play on!

Candy Buy-Back Exceeds Expectations!!!

Our customers are AWESOME!!!

With your help, we have collected over ONE THOUSAND pounds of candy to send to Operation Gratitutde! 

We just have one eeeensy little... er ... problem.  We didn't expect to collect this much, so shipping costs to send the candy to Operation Gratitude is way more than we'd planned for.  If anyone would like to contribute to the shipping fund, we would be soooo very very appreciative!

Thanks again to all our customers who brought in candy.  We are thrilled beyond belief! 

Candy Buy Back starts tomorrow (10/31/11)

So it happens almost every year...  the kiddos are looking at their monstrous haul of candy, you add it to the left-overs that didn't get passed out to trick or treaters, and you realize:  Egads.  That is an alarming amount of candy. 

So here's our plan to help you out of this sugary mess:  A candy buy back at Once Upon a Toy and both LagoonaMagoo Toys locations.  Starting on 10/31, bring us at least One lb of candy, and we'll give you a $10 gift certificate (this offer is limited to one per family).

What are we going to do with all that sweet stuff?
We're going to pack it off to the wonderful people at Operation Gratitude, who will in turn send it (along with other items like toothbrushes!) to troops serving in dangerous places around the world. 

Our Candy Buy Back will run Monday, Oct. 31st through Sunday, Nov. 6th, 2011.

So pass the word and then pass us your candy!

Wakey Wakey Sleepy Blog!

Ok... so it's been forever since we've posted something here. That changes now.  With a renewed sense of purpose and a boat-load of kewl stuff to blabber about, we're reviving the blog!

So Wakey Wakey!!!

Come to a Calico Critter Tea Party!

We Love Calico Critters! And we know you do, too.

Shawnta' & Julie had the chance to meet Mrs. Fisher Cat at Toy Fair this year. And of course, they invited her to come visit the Happy Up stores. We are totally thrilled to announce she accepted our invite!

So who is Mrs. Fisher Cat? She's the Mama of the Calico Critters Fisher Cat Family. They're some of the adorable residents of Cloverleaf Corners. And now you get to meet a life-sized Calico Critter!

Mrs. Fisher Cat will be at our Fairview Heights, IL LagoonaMagoo Toys on Sunday, May 22 starting at 11am. She'll be visiting with Calico Critter fans and saying hello to anyone who stops by until 2pm when our Tea Party starts.

Oh! You want to come to the Tea Party? We'd love to have you. Space is limited, so advance registration for tickets is required. Here's the nitty gritty info:

When: Sunday May 22, 2:00 - 3:30
Where: LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights, IL
What: Tea Party with Mrs. Fisher Cat
Cost: $5.00 per ticket, advance reservations required

At the Tea Party we'll have snacks and super cute crafts. We'll also snap a pic of your child with Mrs. Fisher Cat and email it to you later.

To reserve your tickets, call the kindly critters at the store:
(618) 628-9270

On Sunday May 22, all Calico Critter items will be 10% off at our Fairview Heights LagoonaMagoo Toys. The store is located at 6308 N. Illinois (aka Hwy 159), right by McDonalds & Peerless Furniture.

Will Mrs. Fisher Cat be at our other stores? We hope she'll have time in her busy schedule to stop by. As of right now, we're unsure if she will or what times, so follow us on twitter @happyuptoys or like us on facebook. If Mrs. Fisher Cat will be in Edwardsville or at the St. Louis Mills, we'll announce it there.

See you in time for Tea on the 22nd!

Giganto-Huge Chart Sale Event!

We're cleaning house. We're re-arranging and shaking out the cobwebs. Spring has sprung, the world is starting new, and your favorite toy stores are all in a tizzy! Once Upon a Toy and both LagoonaMagoo Toy locations are having a massive, major, totally huge one-time only sale event next weekend. It's a ... drum roll, please...

What, you may ask, is a Chart Sale? Glad you wondered! Here's the idea: we're going to pull gobs of great toys, games, and other items and offer them at major discounts following this chart:

To make this event a success, each store will close early one day and then have expanded hours. Here's the Schedule:

---

Illinois Stores:

Once Upon a Toy in Edwardsville · LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights:

Wed. May 4: Closing at 4pm to get everything ready

Extended Hours Thurs. May 5 - Sat. May 7: 8am - 9pm

Sunday May 8: Closed (Happy Mommy Day!)

**Last Day for Chart Pricing is Saturday May 7 in our Illinois stores! Don't miss it!**

---

LagoonaMagoo Toys at St. Louis Mills

Thurs. May 5: Closing at 5 pm to set the stage

Extended Hours!

Fri. May 6 - Sat. May 7: 9am - 9pm

Sun. May 8: 10am - 6pm

**Absolute Last Day for Chart Pricing is Sunday May 8!  This is a one-time only event!**

---

Shop early for the best selection! You'll be surprised at all the really great items marked down, so don't wait. It's first come, first served, and once something sells out, it's gone.

This is an in-store only event-- which means chart pricing does not extend to our website.

See ya soon!

Once Upon a Toy's Sale Wall is Back!

We're gearing up for the trip to 2011's Toy Fair in New York--  and you know all *sorts* of mega-cool super-silly truly fantastic items are going to follow us home.  And that means we need room on our shelves!  So with that in mind, the Sale Wall is back at Edwardsville's Once Upon a Toy.

Never fear!  While they may not have entire *walls* devoted to sale items, both Fairview Heights and St. Louis Mills LagoonaMagoo Toys are sporting some pretty spiffy discount sections, too.




So don't delay!  Stop by soon and stock up on things to keep everyone amused.

Book Signing at LagoonaMagoo Toys in Fairview Heights!

Join us on Saturday, Feb. 12, from 11am - 1pm for a booksigning and reading with local author, Nancy Wessel.  A Silly Wacky World is her first book.

For over 20 years, Nancy Wessel was a beloved preschool teacher.  As anyone who works closeley with children learns, the world can be a wacky, silly place.  Her love of reading, teaching, and word play all come together in this lighthearted children's book.  Her three grandchildren were a great help by creating the illustrations for her book.

Nancy pays tribute to all the children that passed through her school.  The beginning of the book features the names of all the children who she inspired to learn and who inspired her right back.  Now that they are grown, many of these children are excited to see Nancy's dream of being an author realized. 

We hope you will stop by on the 12th to visit with Nancy, hear her read from her new book, and purchase a copy of your very own!

For more information, or to reserve a copy in advance of the sigining, please call the playful folks at LagoonaMagoo Toys:  (618) 628-9270

LagoonaMagoo Toys is located at  6308 N. Illinois (aka Hwy 159), Fairview Heights, IL  62208

Count it up Contest!

That's right-- we're having a contest! To make the inventory process a bit more, er, interesting, we've decided to run a contest! What's the prize? $10 gift certificate to one of our stores!

So waddaya hafta do?  Watch our face book page here:  http://www.facebook.com/HappyUpInc
We'll post a pic of something we have to count.  The person who's guess is the closest to the inventory count without going over, wins the gift certificate!  Guessing will close 24 hrs after the picture is posted and we'll announce the winner.  Only one guess per person, please.

We'll post a picture for each store as we work on inventory, so there are three chances to win!  And if you your guess is the winner once, you're out of the running for the rest of the inventory contests.

Good luck!

Kindermusik Jam Session at Once Upon a Toy!

You're invited!  Come play and make some joyful noise with us and instructor Ellen Singh on Wed., Jan. 5th at 10am.  This is a great opportunity to learn about Kindermusik and early childhood music exploration in a casual and hands-on situation.  Designed for ages birth to 5 years old, Ellen will guide parents and children in musical mayhem!  Reservations are great, but not required.  For more information or to let us know you're coming, call Once Upon a Toy at (618) 656-9596. 

For more information about Kindermusic (and it's close cousin the Suzuki method) visit SIU-E's website describing their program:  http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/music/suzuki/kindermusik.shtml

Ellen Singh also has a facebook page here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/SIUE-Presents-Kindermusik-with-Ellen-Singh/102535473116447

If you aren't in our area and would like to find out more about kindermusik and find a class/event near you, visit the kindermusik website here:  http://www.kindermusik.com/default.aspx

Bring your little ones and lets make some noise!