Fundamentally Toys

Rude. Racist. I could feel the judgment on my back as I walked around the store with my two children. One employee even asked me where the store «demo» (a little car) near me was, as if I might have stolen it. It was right there so he pretended to show us how it worked. Yes, I am brown and yes this area is very affluent, but that doesn’t mean I can’t shop at your store.
Every time I turned around, all the employees were staring at us and talking with tight lips.
We heard about this place through a friend and we were very excited to come.
If you’re going to profile, at least be subtle about it.

Best toy shop in Houston. Great service. Staff knows every toy and what type and age of kid would love it. They even let adults test drive. :)
Love that they wrap gifts at no extra charge.
Loyalty points is a plus.

Toys! I’m a kid again. There are soo many toys! Stuffed animals, puzzles, books, animal figurines, legos, trains, costumes and much more. There’s also a book section in the back of the store. I bought 2 golden books for my nephew. And my boyfriend bought build yourself metal models. The prices is a little pricey. Staff is friendly and so informative.

Definitely one of the better children/​toy stores in the area. Was shopping here for Christmas presents for the niece and nephew and was able to find some interesting gifts. The store is not as big as Imagination Toys (which is closer to where I live), but the selection is still pretty impressive. They have everything from stuffed animals, costumes, educational toys, board games, etc. You can easily find something relevant for most age ranges.
Staff is friendly and incredibly helpful. The free gift wrapping was a plus! Prices do run a bit on the higher side, but that’s understandable given its location and type of toy store it is. Highly recommend this store if you need a last minute children’s gift or happen to be in the Rice Village area.

This a wonderful toy store for both kids and the adults who refuse to grow up. They offer free wrapping during the holidays which is the icing on the cake. Daddy can grab a beer down the street while they wrap the presents. That’s a win-​win!

Absolutely love this store! Fun, creative and educational toys. Have purchased many items and never been disappointed. If you’re looking for a gift, you can always find something unique, that any child would love.

Kind of pricey, but they have a rewards program where you get $ 10 off if you come in the month of your birthday — for each member of your family! They have a lot of toys out for kids to play with then beg you to buy for them. Wide variety of toys for all ages.

The kind of toy store I wish was around when I was a kid.
I can’t help but to stop in here everytime I’m in the village. And everytime, I end up loading on toys for my niece and nephews. Stuffed animals, puzzles, costumes and early development goodies are plentiful here. There’s also a reading area surrounded by walls of books.
The staff is friendly, willing to help. Gift wrapping is available!

When you don’t have a child, it’s hard to know what’s appropriate as a gift for a 1 year old’s birthday party. And we had conveniently waited until the day of the party to buy said gift.
Luckily, fundamentally toys has a great selection and great staff. The woman who helped us was phenomenal and not only pointed us to a totally age appropriate toy and matching book, but then beautifully gift-​wrapped it all.
I know where I’ll be going for future baby shower gifts and kiddie birthday presents!

This is a family friendly toy store!
Dragons, Knights, Mystical Unicorns, OH MY!
Legos, Science Kits, everything for little ones and pre teens! Trains!
Great, and helpful staff, if your cruising through Rice Village, it’s a good walk-​through store, even if your not a kid!

If you have a boatload of extra cash on hand, then go ahead and go shopping here. None of what they have impresses me, esp for the price.

Personally, for brainy toys. .. go to local MUSEUM gift shops like HMNS or MFAH.

Skip the children’s museum gift shop and come here. This place is amazing. Many of the toys you can find elsewhere, but many you can’t. The prices are similar to Amazon/​Toys R Us (I looked many up while in the store.) There are cool stocking stuffer toys, educational toys, wooden, lots of stuffed animals and «healthier» baby toys that don’t have the bad plastics in them.
The customer service was awesome. They have a lot of toys out on the floor for kids to test, and they don’t mind kids testing at all. They don’t hover over customers and allow kids to try out the toys and even have a reading nook to look at the books in. Our toddler had such a fun time playing. It’s a small space, but it’s laid out well. This was such a fun experience and is worth the drive if you don’t live nearby. They also have a rewards program (which the clerk didn’t tell us about, which was the only negative.)
The best thing is, they offer all of this at competitive prices (from what I saw.) Some of the items I compared were a dollar more, but that was way less than I expected at an independent toy store. Also, free gift wrapping.

This precious toystore is such a breath of fresh air when it comes to big box stores. They have a great selection of toys from infants up, and a lot of things I have not been able to find elsewhere in the city. They also have a darling book section.
As parents we try our best to pick out things that are developmentally challenging as well as not too anoying with flashing lights and obnoxious songs (I know it’s not completely avoidable but we try!). There are so many great toys in Fundamentally Toys that fit that criteria. I also love their selection of international toys and fun dress up clothes. It’s a really fun shop.
It’s more so a premium toystore, but the quality of the toys is great and they have a good rewards program. My son got a $ 10 gift certificate on his birthday by signing up!
Stop in and see yourself!

Ended up in Houston on a day when the museum store was closed. So, I went in search of fabulous toy stores as I was definitely missing The Wooden Horse from back home. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed in this place.
It’s a nice store and all of that and the people were certainly nice enough. But, it just didn’t thrill me like a toy store should. Missing were the high end dolls like Corolles, the Breyer horses, Steiff animals and more. It wasn’t packed to the brim with things I wanted to play with.
They did have an ok selection of European baby toys and I managed to snag a few gifts for the little grandson, but other than that; it wasn’t very exciting.
Written in my travelogue: There’s toys here but I’ve seen better.

In my opinion this is the best toy store inside the loop. The key for me is that the selection is clearly well thought out, picked by people who really look for items that are both fun AND good for kids. You won’t find the big brand name flavor of the month here. I’m sure they have Dora, Diego, and all that stuff on some items but it’s not prominent at all in the way it tends to be in big stores. Plus, since the staff knows about the selection they can actually help you pick out age appropriate gifts. Imagine that: actual help in a toy store. You will definitely find premium items (like Kettler trikes) and higher prices on some items, but the service definitely has a value… and they do occasionally have great sales.

This store is super cute. All the displays are done perfectly. It’s easy to figure out what part is the girly part and what part is for the little boys.
I also love that they have a mixture of classic and new toys. I was looking at things that I played with when I was a kid and then I’d turn around and see something that was brand new. They have a pretty awesome book selection for a toy store.
This store has basically hand picked all the cool things from trendy toy stores and filled an entire store up with it. If I were a kid, this place would be total heaven to me. Plus the girls that were working the day I went in were very attentive and nice. I wasn’t looking to buy but they didn’t harass me, they asked me if I needed help and when I said I was doing okay they respected that.
Also when I was in there I saw a dad bring his daughter in there and it was adorable watching her play in the mini doll house room with the baby dolls while her dad «pretended» to be interested in the train set.
I’m definitely buying all my Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews here!

Stopped in to get a few things for the kids in Milwaukee. Nice place; pricey though. There are a lot of items that have no indication of price and it makes me think the same thing that I think when I see that on a menu: ‘uh-​oh.’ Over paid for some cool stuff but she threw-​in a $ 15 item so it kinda washed-​out. I’ll go back, when in Houston.

As they say in business, Location Location Location.
This place couldnt be in a better spot. I saw this store on Unilocal so i went looking for a toy for my friends one year old and it was packed with children.
I asked the saleslady for the loudest most obnoxious toy for a 1 yr old that the infants love and she pointed me in the right direction. As soon as she showed it to me i knew it was perfect.
I snapped it up, they wrapped it for free (nice touch) and i was on my way.
Note: my friends kid beat on the drum the whole time i was there i was so happy it was worth every penny!!!

Twas the night before Christmas and daddy realized
he forgot the pteradactyl that was his son’s heart’s desire
So daddy grabbed the iPhone and Unilocaled with great care
and found Fundamentally Toys and its dinosaurs there
So without leaving Montrose
And without fighting crowds
Daddy scored the pteradactyl
and snuck back to the house
This is a great toy shop… unusual selection, people that answer questions and actually care about you as a customer. Really cool toys from all over the world and all have an educational value… huge selection, small store, in the Montrose… I just wish I found out about them 3 years ago… they have been around for 13 years and have a very loyal following… write more reviews…

Since getting a haircut causes my 2-​year-​old a measurable amount of distress, we usually head over to Fundamentally Toys as a reward. Thirty minutes in this store and my son has forgotten all previous trauma. The store is on the small side, but it is laid out really well and offers plenty of hands-​on opportunities to touch and play.
They have a Thomas train table set up in the rear of the store, as well as a kids-​size mini-​kitchen for the little ones to touch and explore. The ride-​on toys are also at the rear of the store, and there is just enough room to try them out to make sure junior’s feet can reach the pedals (or the floor as the case may be). In the front of the store, there is a reading area with large plush zoo animals and some of the smaller battery operated toys on display. We had quite a fun time trying out the airplane that intelligently switches direction whenever it bumps into something.
There is a nice selection at Fundamentally Toys, and at reasonable prices. You’ll also find a more interesting mix of toys here than in your average large retail chain, and the small, intimate setting makes for a much more pleasing experience. I also don’t feel like I have to wipe my child down with anti-​bacterial gel after visiting this store as is often the case at the local megamart.
Staff is super-​friendly and will give you advice on gifts if you don’t have anything in mind. They’ll also do special orders if they carry the brand, and you can’t find what you’re looking for in the store. Even better, I also just learned that they have a loyalty program. You get 5% back on all your purchases, so you can get a little back for all those birthday party gifts you’re sure to start buying once your kids get social.
All in all, Fundamentally Toys is a great place for parents and non-​parents to buy toys for their little loved ones. It also feels great to support a locally owned store.