Altan takes us on a great toy excursion in Istanbul and Turkey. Sure most people are there for the thousand years of history, the art and the architecture …

We are there are CARS 🙂

Since the shelves are currently invaded by Wall-E which I believe very disappointed for retailer, only small shops are still selling Pixar character as lots. Here is some photos from my recent investigation.

Photos are taken in Istanbul, population 17,000,000, biggest city, biggest economy, etc.

(Must be interesting to live with 17 million people in one city … 🙂 ).

We have 3 big toy store chains which are Toyiki, formerly known as Toys’r’Us, then licensed problems I heard, ToyzzShop, Maxitoys. All of them are selling toys, stationaries, PC games, books, everything a baby and youngster needs.

Toyiki: During 2007 literally nothing, during 2008 up to 4-6 pegs were full. Now, “I am a poor lonesome piggy”. But you can find pirate productions, characters like Mater, Sally, McQueen. They are selling the most inexpensive toys. 9.50 TL (app $6) but if you find something. The same store had 4 Hamms when I visited 3 months ago.

(It’s uncanny – it’s exactly like they re-created Toys R Us here 🙂  🙁   ).

ToyzzShop: Average. During the season very satisfactory. Now, it looks like vanishing. No full pegs for some months. The basket full of different Ramones including Lightning Ramone, Chuki and Fillmore Pit Crew. Looks like clearance but it is not. All the packs are damaged but the price is regular 9.90 YTL. You can see sounded Dinoco McQueen, RC Mater and walkie talkies. Another store I went in another city, Pixar Cars was presented by a single Mattel Chuki and Megabloks Mater.

Maxitoys: No photo at this moment. 2 weeks ago 15 Chuki, 5 Hamm, 10 Ramone retail price 11.90 TL. Plus lots of Mack Bachelor Pad, a few Mack Mega Playset.

Another Toyiki. This one is Toyiki Express,relatively small store but displays more Pixar Cars items. The previous Toyiki is one of the mega main store in Istanbul.

Carrefour, the biggest hypermarket chain in Turkey, displays pulbax since 4 months something. All the characters were available then, now only Ramone and Luigi.

Pullbacks are amazing in that where-ever you go the world over, after being stocked on the pegs, they are UNTOUCHED by human hands EVER again. These are the RARE Supercharged Pullbacks – rare yes, anyone collecting them, rarer still … these make Speed Racers look like CARS … I think it’s safe to say that out of the 25 CARS lines done by Mattel, this one is the only outright BOMB.

Maxitoys, the best source for Pixar Cars, where you could find almost every Pixar Cars related items, playsets, RC, pedal cars, acumulated Go-Cart style McQueens, everything. About a month ago, full 1:55 line, Mack, etc. Today, only 2 Chuki and other related items. Sold really fast.

This art set looks interesting, available in the US?

Behold the power of Disney Licensing.

These look cool … plus if you get the Pooh ones intermixed, you can watch kids fight like cats & dogs 🙂

I know I’ve seen this learning thinger …

Impressive display – – looks like a multitude of choices – Collect Them All!

The bigger puzzles.

Again, only Disney Licensing would offer you a choice of 30 kid’s tents …

Thanks for the fun trip around your toys store in Istanbul … and as Altan alludes to, he also has some “pirate” CARS … they are he-larious …. I’ll do a separate post because they are just too funny. Thanks for the great pics, Altan!