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Hamley's, the famous West End of London Emporium of Toys, is a child’s dream. It is also an adult’s illusion of a childhood that may have passed, but is clung to fiercely, if, more often than not, held at an emotional distance. But, entry into Hamley's can break all but the most resolute, inflexible, emotional barriers; it is a wonderland for children and, unfortunately, people who like to look at children. The shop this day was more than a retail outlet for the latest toys, it was a Santa’s Grotto, constructed over four and five storeys of jam-packed illusions; childlike dreams brought to life in the eyes of children and the parents who brought their children, wanting them to experience this fantasy as much as they desired the experience themselves.
If you looked at the faces o
