Hello, Toy People readers! 2020 has entered its final month, and the most romantic season of the year is almost here: Christmas! Whether you are exchanging gifts with friends, your partner, or coworkers, the countdown is on. Have you picked out your present yet? Even if your progress is still sitting at zero, don’t worry. For this special feature, the Toy People Explorer team is bringing you a full Christmas Gift Exchange Guide, packed with toy recommendations that just might become your number-one gift pick this year.
For this Christmas gift exchange feature, we covered the topic in both article and video form, hoping to explore as many corners of the toy world as possible. We visited a model kit shop, a video game store, a vintage toy and collectible shop, and a LEGO specialty store to give fellow toy fans a wider range of options. To make things easier, we divided the recommendations into three broad price ranges: “Under NT$1,000,” “NT$1,000–3,000,” and “Over NT$3,000.” Let’s get started!
① HOBBY GARAGE Ximen Main Store
Address: 2F, No. 31, Lane 114, Section 1, Zhonghua Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 11:00–22:00
Phone: 0901-123-780
Official Website: https://www.hobbygarage.com.tw/
Our first stop was HOBBY GARAGE in Ximending. Here, collectors can find Gundam and Digimon model kits, prize figures from My Hero Academia, One Piece, and Dragon Ball, as well as completed action figures including Nendoroid and S.H.Figuarts releases.
For this feature, we asked store manager Nine to share her Christmas gift exchange recommendations. First up in the under-NT$1,000 category is SHINE’s Eevee version of the Itazura Bank. When you place a coin on it, Eevee pops out with adorable sound effects to “steal” your money. As a year-end gift for 2020, it also gives the recipient a cute little reason to start saving in 2021.
SHINE product coverage (click here)
Next, in the NT$1,000–3,000 range, Nine chose Nendoroid figures, a line that covers a massive variety of characters and IPs. According to Nine, Nendoroids are not only cute, but also great for both display and light posing, making them a solid gift option for all kinds of fans. The editor also imagined drawing a Crayon Shin-chan Nendoroid in a Christmas gift exchange—and yes, that would be an instant win.
Nendoroid series product coverage (click here)
Finally, for the over-NT$3,000 category, Nine brought out a truly premium pick: the “MGEX 1/100 Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka” model kit. This is the kind of gift you would probably only bring out for a very close friend or a special someone. On-site, we got a closer look at the kit’s lighting gimmick and its triple-shield display, and it was every bit as impressive as expected.
“MGEX 1/100 Unicorn Gundam Ver.Ka” product coverage (click here) & promotional PV (click here)
② PLEY Ximen Concept Store
Address: 4F-16, No. 70, Xining South Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City; inside Wannian Building
Business Hours: 11:30–22:00; Monday 14:00–22:00
Phone: 02-2375-4942
Official Website: https://www.tvgame.com.tw/?lang=zh-TW
PLEY offers not only a complete selection of video games and consoles, but also a surprisingly rich range of related merchandise. The store may not be huge, but it is packed with fun discoveries.
This time, we invited “Chicken Leg” from PLEY Ximen Concept Store to introduce some of his recommended Christmas gift exchange picks. First, in the under-NT$1,000 range, he selected the Kimetsu Tamagotchi, a Tamagotchi release themed around the massive hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. It is cute, portable, and very gift-friendly.
Kimetsu Tamagotchi product coverage (click here)
Another safe and fun pick is Nintendo’s amiibo series, which can be used as game support items while also working as small display collectibles. Mario, Isabelle, and Pikachu are all choices that are hard to go wrong with.
Moving into the NT$1,000–3,000 range, Chicken Leg recommended the red-and-gold “Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.” system released for the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., along with Ring Fit Adventure, a game that combines exercise, fitness, and genuinely fun gameplay.
“Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.” product coverage (click here)
Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure promotional PV (click here)
Finally, in the over-NT$3,000 range, he brought out two big-ticket items: “Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit,” which turns your living room into a racetrack and was previously unboxed by our video team member 55 (watch here), and the special-design Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch console, which had been notoriously difficult to find for a while unless bundled with a pile of games. These are great options for very close friends or couples who love gaming together. Staying home on Christmas and playing games instead of heading into the crowds sounds pretty wonderful too.
“Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit” product coverage (click here)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch special-design console product coverage (click here)
③ ArtLife Toy Buy/Sell Office
Address: No. 6, Lane 76, Section 1, Zhonghua Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City
Business Hours: By appointment; hours vary, usually 12:00–20:00
Phone: 02-2371-0626
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/artlife.taipei/
Our third stop was ArtLife, a shop filled with rare vintage items and designer toys. Located away from the main Ximending shopping area, the store has a cool personality of its own—and so does its owner. Once the conversation turns to the collectibles he loves, his smile is as passionate as any lifelong toy fan’s. The shop carries both hard-to-find vintage toys and newer releases, spanning Japanese, American, and Hong Kong styles. Inside the display cases, you can also spot soft-vinyl toys from well-known designer brands.
When the owner showed us his under-NT$1,000 gift recommendation, the whole team immediately reacted: a Super Mushroom drink bottle from SUPER NINTENDO WORLD! With its classic, adorable silhouette and a shoulder bag printed with SUPER NINTENDO WORLD key art, whoever draws this gift is seriously lucky. Honestly, if the editor bought one, it probably would not make it into the gift exchange at all.
For the NT$1,000–3,000 range, the shop recommended MEDICOM TOY’s black “Bruna Bonbon mini,” the GODZILLA STORE limited “Mechagodzilla (1975) Metallic Green Ver.,” and a vintage RX-78-2 Gundam head night light that would absolutely excite Gundam fans. Any one of these would instantly become one of the most wanted items at a gift exchange.
Finally, for the over-NT$3,000 category, the owner selected items from the BE@RBRICK series that both toy collectors and designer-toy fans can appreciate: Godzilla-themed BE@RBRICK 100% & 400% sets, featuring Godzilla (1964) and Mechagodzilla.
④ Bidbuy4u LEGO East District Store
Address: No. 26, Alley 4, Lane 345, Section 4, Ren’ai Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 11:00–20:00
Phone: 02-2771-7551
Official Website: https://www.bidbuy4u.com.tw/
Taiwanese LEGO fans are likely already familiar with Bidbuy4u, which has stores in Shida, Taipei’s East District, and Linkou. This time, we invited “Tiger Bro” and “Store Flower” from Bidbuy4u to share their recommended Christmas gift exchange picks, all centered around LEGO sets and LEGO-related goods.
First up, in the under-NT$1,000 LEGO category, Bidbuy4u brought out “LEGO 40353 Reindeer, Elf and Elfie,” “LEGO 40416 Ice Skating Rink,” and the LEGO Storage Head, which can be used to store loose bricks or small items. Personally, the editor also recommends the BrickHeadz series for its wide character selection and satisfying completed look. With relatively few parts, you can build a cute big-headed character that is easy to display, making it enjoyable even for someone who does not normally collect LEGO.
LEGO series product coverage (click here)
Next, in the NT$1,000–3,000 range, the recommendations include the then-popular “LEGO 71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course” and the 2020 winter release “LEGO 10275 Elf Club House.” One is a fun and adorable starter set that may pull the recipient straight into the LEGO Super Mario universe, while the other is a festive seasonal set filled with charming details.
“LEGO 71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course” product coverage (click here) and unboxing report (click here)
“LEGO 10275 Elf Club House” product coverage (click here)
For the final over-NT$3,000 category, Bidbuy4u chose two truly heavyweight items for Christmas gift exchanges: “LEGO 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System” and the massive “LEGO 10276 Colosseum.” All the editor can say is that if you choose the Colosseum as a gift exchange present, the recipient may want you to include a building service as part of the package!
“LEGO 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System” product coverage (click here) and unboxing report (click here)
“LEGO 10276 Colosseum” product coverage (click here)
That wraps up Toy People’s 2020 Christmas Gift Exchange Guide. Did you find anything cool that caught your eye? Even if you are not joining a gift exchange this year, there is nothing wrong with buying yourself an amazing toy for Christmas as a reward for making it through the year. Let us know your picks and thoughts in the comments!
2020 Christmas Gift Exchange Toy People Vlog: