Puzzle Zoo

Seconds into my call to Puzzle Zoo, I realized how silly I might sound, inquiring whether the store actually sold some jigsaw puzzles.
I was looking for a specific, challenging jigsaw puzzle called Ravensburger KRYPT to buy as a Graduation gift for one of my niece’s fiancé. I visited other popular-​name toy stores in the San Diego area, earlier in the week, and had no luck locating this particular puzzle. Puzzle Zoo had it!
Puzzle Zoo is a very small store on Level 1 on the Bristol Street side of the very large shopping mall called South Coast Plaza. There is nothing really upscale looking about this store and items are moderately priced. Although small in comparison to its neighboring stores, the store is packed with unique toys. I observed a hanging rack of not-​so-​ordinary Crazy Aaron’s Thinking putty, educational toys, many plastic animals, quality chess & checker sets, character pajamas (I’m coming back for the dinosaur one for my grandson), action figures, a few small indoor air hockey games and Funko collectible figurines. The puzzle section took over ¹⁄₃ of the left wall. Another third of that same wall are shelves of stuffed animals, some very large ones sitting on the top.
I’m rating this store four stars, not just because of their unique selection, but especially for their customer service. When I had called the store in search for that puzzle, Manny put me on hold to physically look for it on the shelves. I wanted to be sure it was in stock, before driving over an hour to buy it. I never asked him to hold it for me, but Manny had it waiting for me, when I had reached the counter. He even remembered my name from our call hours earlier.

So much random fun stuff! They have regular toys and games as well as collectibles in glass cases that change from time to time. They have a wide variety of pop figures, puzzles, and those mystery miniatures in boxes. Their board game selection is okay. mostly ones you would find in other stores like target and such but there are a few different ones. Employees there are really helpful. Right when I walked in, someone asked if I needed help with anything. Someone else was very patient with me as i wanted to check something out in the collectibles case. They have a lot of really cool stuff. I always see something new every time I go.

I would give Puzzle Zoo a much higher rating if not for some rude staff members I encountered recently.
I have been a big fan of Puzzle Zoo for years now; South Coast Plaza is my go-​to mall, and this store is a refreshing change from a lot of the more commercial kids’ merchandise represented in the plaza. There are a lot of cool toys, games, costumes, and collectibles that I love to look at, and/​or purchase.
The majority of the time, the staff have always been friendly, available, and helpful. I visited during the Black Friday sale, and there was a great deal on the Pop Vinyl dolls. My niece and I were browsing, and she saw some dolls that she liked, so I decided to gift them as an early Christmas gift to her. The woman who presented her sales pitch as we were looking, was at first very friendly. We found the Harry Potter themed dolls that we wanted to purchase amidst the madness of the crowd, and proceeded to check out at the register.
About ten minutes after the purchase, we took a closer look outside of the busy shop, and noticed the Harry Potter doll’s glasses were completely broken off his head, and there were visible marks on his face. My niece and I went back to exchange the damaged doll for an equal replacement, thinking it would be no big deal since we had JUST been in the store, not 10 minutes ago.
When we approached and explained the situation to the initially friendly sales woman, she shot back very bluntly and said, «You should’ve known what you were buying, there are no returns or exchanges during the sale.» My niece, who was very disappointed, explained that she didn’t notice the glasses were broken off, and if she could just make an even exchange, we don’t want to return it.” The woman turned to another staff member behind the register, and said, «They should’ve known what they were buying right?» The other staff member looked at me, again with a blank and unprofessional stare, and said, «Yeah, you should’ve known. You can talk to my manager, if you want.»
The manager, who was standing right behind her, took one look at the broken doll, and said, «Sure, just get another one to exchange», and quickly obliged. He was efficient and quick amidst the busy crowd, and made my niece very happy with her unbroken gift.
I hope that those staff members can be trained in a more professional manner, and get some lessons in customer service. If the manager didn’t step in to resolve such a simple situation, Puzzle Zoo would have lost a loyal customer forever.

I love this place but not happy that they made the store smaller since disney store took over it’s original place and not that much variety of toys like they used to have before is just doesn’t feel right not much room and creativity for a toy store everything is crammed

The manager Julie and sales associate Edgar helped me buy a toy for my friend’s birthday and he absolutely loved it. They were very patient with me and Julie was very helpful. Thank you so much. The only thing is that the price is a little high, but what did you expect from south coast?

What a great place!!! Lots of vintage toys and little nic nacs. My kids didn’t want to leave and neither did I.

Oh my goodness this is like a dream. This toy store sells just about all you can think of. I saw everything from the action figures from Sons of Anarchy to some simpsons character figures. They definitely are more on the lines of unique toys that you just don’t see at your local Target or Toys R Us. For collectors like myself this place is a wonderland. I am experiencing major bliss just from reviewing this place.
The workers were very friendly, welcoming us inside and even answering a couple of questions we had concerning certain things. I noticed there were a lot of workers working and each of them was as helpful as the next. Well done training staff.
What really caught my eyes were the chess sets they had. There was a particular one that was so ellogantly constructed I just had to have it. For 250 bucks I figured I’d come back next time for sure and pick up this item. They also have tons and tons of board games, stuff animals/​plush, action figures, and for you folks into onesies they got em too (I keep thinking about the Family Guy episode everytime I see a onesie LOL).
Overall this is like one of my favorite stores in South Coast. Its perfectly located right next to the Lego and Disney store not to mention that San Rio. Just a wonderful store.
PS I barely saw any puzzle, there were a couple of sets but not that much. It didn’t matter though because everything else here was on point!

Just browsed around not anticipating to purchase anything but then came along a tazmanian devil of a sales associate. She was friendly, informative and super charged! Upon her recommendation we ended up buying the Pengoloo and another one that escapes my memory (metal hanging hooks…). Will definitely be back for other fun games in the future.

I used to really like this place, I used to come on my lunch break every other day to see what they had. But over time it has just gone down hill. From the remodel to the pricing. Its just not what it used to be. I am actually surprised its still around.
I came back for a visit and was not happy. All the stuff on the shelf has been there WAY to long and is WAY WAY over priced. I feel like they scowl eBay for pricing and take the highest prices on stuff and mark that exact price in their store. I have been a toy collector for a long time and this used to be a go to spot.
I even think the owners are plucking any of the toys that they may be able to make a massive profit on eBay and list them there. Its a bummer cause this place used to be pretty fun to look around and now its just a mess of action figures crammed onto shelves. Thank God for the Newport Beach moms that don’t know any better that keep this place going.

Puzzle Zoo is right!!!
This place is impossible to find with GPS. Don’t use it.
If you know where the new Uniqlo Clothing store is it’s right across from it. Or near the Claim Jumper side. That makes it easier.
Décor:
Game store, Kinda tight in there. A lot of action figures, board games and puzzles covering all the walls. Register in the middle of the shop.
Puzzles:
They have just about every type of puzzle imaginable. We went there to get my mom a birthday gift. I found this really awesome 2000 piece puzzle that looks like an old french painting of a street in France or Italy. I’m not sure exactly where it is. It was $ 27.95
We also picked up this sweet 1500 pieces puzzle of 57 Corvette vintage garage for ourselves. $ 28.95
We mainly went here for just puzzles we did a little poking at the other junk but it’s a toy store so they have crap everywhere.

Cute little toy shop. Left side are the plushes and figurines, everything in the back are items that need to be constructed, or are part of a bigger set (e.g., dollhouses), right-​side are more traditional game sets (e.g., chess, checkers, etc.), and center is the cashier with small odds and ends surrounding it.
They have a lot of good-​quality stuff, but the prices will be a little high for some of the items. It’s very clean, though, and the staff is very good in answering questions or helping you out. The bf has actually bought something from the website and picked it up at the store, where there wasn’t a charge on the shipping, so that’s pretty cool.
Overall, will probably visit again, as it’s very attractively decorated, and they have a huge collection of Funko Pops. We may frequent their website more, though, to pickup from the store so that we know for sure that the items we want are there.

Everybody is so kind and the employees are awesome whenever you ask a question they are more than willing to get the right answer and double check for you. I LOVE PUZZLE ZOO! Julie is so nice. And so is the manager Manny. They give great costumer service. If they don’t have what you are looking for they give you a verity of places where you can find it.

During a recent time killing trip to South Coast plaza I stumbled into this store on a whim and was immediately taken aback by the sheer amount of toys, games and collectibles they offered.
I am a huge fan of the POP Vinyl figures that have recently taken the world by storm and was in awe at the large number of these figures offered in the store. 2 full shelves stocked full from top to bottom covering everything from Star Wars, Disney, Walking Dead to Horror Icons. Any and all figures I would be interested in were on the shelves and readily available for purchase. As I turned the corner I see the busts and statuettes of various comic heroes and villains. A large selection of action figures and other collectibles were also strewn across the area as well and covered all pop culture favorites.
If you are a fan of board games, Puzzle Zoo has you covered here as well. They offer a wide array of game favorites and even sell add ons and other items that can only typically be found and purchased online off the game manufacturers websites. Puzzles are also covered here in numerous fashions from your standard puzzles to the more modern 3D varieties. This store is a kids dream come true and for avid comic book fans and collectors like me it is just a matter of time before I come back again. Although I wasn’t here for long and did not make a purchase on my first go around I will definitely be back to see what other hidden gems I can find. I saw several POP figures I need to get and hope to be back soon to pick these up if I do not find them elsewhere first (as they are around $ 2 more than other retailers I have found which is to be expected at South Coast).
If you are a toy collector; fan or if you have kids, then you should definitely check this store out the next time you’re at the mall. They offer something for everyone and carry several items that your basic toy stores won’t.

Jerry was so helpful. He helped me find the perfect toy and even gift wrapped it for me. I’m so excited to give this gift.

THEY NEED TO CARRY MORE JIGSAW PUZZLES! They didn’t have many pretty ones, I was hoping for some pretty Ravensburger Disney ones but they mostly just had lame photograph type puzzles. I did manage to find one pretty colorful painting puzzle.

Military discount. Which is awesome, especially for Lego products, because Lego next door doesn’t have a discount and this place matches Lego prices.

Sunday went shopping and needed help, 4 employees just stood around together I’m the middle of the store talking to each other. They weren’t very helpful or knowledgeable. Very frustrating.

We’re really into family game nights, and this store has every puzzle and board game you could ever imagine. We could spend hours looking at all the fun stuff!
There are tons of stuffed animals. So many cute ones to choose from! Whether your child likes Angry Bird or Hello Kitty, it’s all here. I also noticed they had tons of dolls and craft kits too.
My son likes everything to do with Star Wars, and there are plenty of collectibles here. He was also a huge fan of the older wooden toys when he was younger, and there are plenty of well-​made wooden toys to choose from.
The toys are a bit expensive here, but it’s a great place to buy last minute gifts for friends and family. The store also seems a bit understaffed which causes the customer service to suffer some.
This is a really fun store to buy one of a kind toys. Whether you’re shopping for kids or adults, there really is something here for everyone!

This is a pretty cool toy store with some unique items. For Star Wars fans, there are cases of collectibles in the back that house many things a true Star Wars geek would want to own. BF was pointing out lots of stuff he had as a kid. They seem to carry every Marvel Comic and DC Comics action figure ever made here also. The back walls are filled with them. Old school toys like wooden rubber band guns and some games I had no idea were still manufactured that I remember playing with when I was younger are available here, also. They have a cool section of bobble heads with some very unique figures ranging from horror movie villains like Michael Myers to cartoon character like Homer Simpson. Definitely some bobble head characters I have never seen before. For girls, there are lots of dolls, stuffed animals and craft kits. Yes, this place is a little expensive price-​wise, but there is quite the varied collection of stuff here for kids, geek toy collectors and those who are young at heart.

What a fun toy store. I am not a kid anymore but I like this place.
Pink house and giant green dinosaur caught my eye. I actually stopped and stared at the giant green thing closing and opening his mouth. Dinosaur eating dinosaur food =P
I found all kind of toys here: educational, puzzles, action figures, cars, sock monkeys, tea sets, and even baby toys. Looking for creative toys to stimulate your child’s brain? They have lip balm shops to create your own lip balm, kits to make your own flower bracelet, and even friend and fashion fun to design fun clothes.
Doll collectors? They carry Barbie, Adora dolls, and Alexander Doll Company. Just want to be silly? Get your hula hoop here. You can even play hula hoop at the store to practice before you buy it. Cute lunchboxes too.
4 stars!