A semi-famous toy store in Austin, Texas. It's situated a little north of the Drag on Guadalupe. Instantly recognizable by the bright colors of the building and the giant ants that are glued to the façade.
Toy Joy is one of those places that I miss the most since leaving Austin. On a recent trip back to the city, I made a point of going in there. I was not disappointed.
It was all there: an entire corner section devoted to Hello Kitty and other Sanrio creations; the glow-in-the-dark room; a huge selection of rubbery finger puppets, including Shiva and other Hindu deities; classic tin wind-up toys; neon-colored Hoberman spheres and other science toys; and of course, an immense arsenal of plastic roaches, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, and other creepy crawlies.
We ended up spending way too much money there, but it was worth it: a complete set of Alice in Wonderland Christmas ornaments, a cat-headed Buddha statuette, and even plush Totoro toys. When do you outgrow toys? Not at 28, apparently.