FAO Schwarz brings its whimsical toy wonderland to Hudson's Bay

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      FAO Schwarz, the American toy store better known as the fictional Duncan’s Toy Chest that Kevin McCallister visits—and saves from impending burglary!—in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has arrived in Metro Vancouver in the form of a holiday pop-up.

      The retailer, which is known for its life-sized plush animals, classic toy-train sets, and that light-up floor piano that Tom Hanks’s character dances on in the 1988 film Big, has launched shop-in-shops at all Hudson’s Bay locations in Canada, including the nine in Metro Vancouver. Measuring between 300 to 1,200 square feet, the temporary boutiques stock FAO Schwarz’s in-house line of whimsical toys, dolls, and games, including smaller replicas of that giant walking piano.

      “There is something special and nostalgic about shopping for a perfect toy to bring joy to someone you love,” Alison Coville, president of Hudson’s Bay, said in a media statement. “We are thrilled to launch the FAO Schwarz brand in Canada and bring that sense of magic and wonder to our customers.”

      FAO Schwarz

      The FAO Schwarz pop-ups are open at Hudson’s Bay locations across Canada until December 31. In Metro Vancouver, they can be found at Hudson's Bay stores in downtown Vancouver and at Oakridge Centre, Park Royal Centre, Richmond Centre, Metropolis at Metrotown, Lougheed Town Centre, Guildford Town Centre, Coquitlam Centre, and Willowbrook Shopping Centre.

      Founded in 1862, FAO Schwarz is one of oldest and most recognized toy brands in the world. Its grand flagship store in Manhattan, which has been featured in movies such as Baby Boom and Big Business—as well as the two aforementioned flicks—closed in 2015, though the company has plans to open a new 20,000-square-foot shop in New York City’s Rockefeller Center this fall.

      Follow Lucy Lau on Twitter @lucylau.

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