 FUNdamentally Toys is a full-service, specialty toy store centrally located in the historic River Oaks Shopping Center just outside of downtown Houston. Our focus is on creative, developmental play that nourishes a child’s senses, helping them to develop important life skills while having loads of fun. First opened in 1995, the store doubled its size in 2004 as we expanded our selection of unique and classic toys, games, gifts and playthings.
Our large and loyal customer base depends on us to select the perfect toys and gifts for every occasion. You can check out reviews on lilaguide.com, Houston’s word of mouth survival guide for new parents. Our on-line catalog contains an edited selection of what we believe to be some of the best children’s products available. Shopping at FUNdamentallyToys.com is relaxing and easy. Enjoy!
A "good toy" is said to be 10% toy and 90% child. While many toys peak a child’s interest, those that hold their attention are few and far between. Those are the types of toys we focus on.
 To us toys are not frivolous playthings, they are basic learning tools that teach children everything from mathematics to social skills. They are baby-sitters and playmates, and we understand that a child’s favorite toy often becomes a trusted friend. While playing should always be FUN, it must also be taken seriously. Children are building a variety of skills, talents and abilities as they play. Their playthings should enrich and enhance their development.
We keep this in mind as we select items for our store. Our selections blend creative development with entertainment value. We avoid items that display gender stereotypes, those that promote aggressive or violent play, and those that make a child a spectator rather than a participant.
Our Houston customers continually praise our unique product selections and our helpful, friendly service. Contact us by phone at 713-524-4400 or by fax at 713-524-4408. You may also contact us by email.
If what you don't know about kids would fill a Barbie Dream House, big-box toy megastores can be scarier than the monster under your bed. The next time you're invited to your niece's birthday party, consider visiting this well-stocked shop. Tell the knowledgeable staff the youngster's age and how much you'd like to spend, and they'll point you to a kid-pleasing present.
• 1963 W. Gray ; 713-524-4400; www.fundamentallytoys.com
 You’ve tried the mammoth warehouse stores and have been left wondering how something supposedly as gleeful as toy-buying could be turned into such an impersonal industrial experience. You’ve tried the “educational” toy stores and have been baffled by oddly shaped and overpriced wooden things from Europe that promise to instill a “love of learning” in children, if only they would ever play with them. And as you shop for the 14th birthday party of the summer, you become convinced that the urge to procreate is merely an insidious plot fostered by wildly profitable toy manufacturers. It’s thought out there in Toyland; don’t let anyone tell you different.
One way to ease the pain is by heading for FUNdamentally Toys in the River Oaks Shopping Center. The smallish store is packed with playthings that vary widely in both price and preferred age range, with a healthy rotating selection of unusual items you won’t find in the megastores.
Owner Debbie Scholl knows that birthday-swamped parents need toys under $5. She knows that one trip to a Toys 'R' Us is no different from another, so she emphasizes buying smaller quantities of a lot of different stuff instead of huge quantities of the same old stuff. And, she knows that in Toyland, “educational” is all too often a synonym for boring.
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Store Hours
Open Daily
Monday to Saturday: 9am to 7pm
Sundays: 11am to 5pm |
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