Toy Circus owner Paddy McIvor on a clown bike at the entrance to his Shannon attraction. Photo / Judith Lacy
Toy Circus owner Paddy McIvor on a clown bike at the entrance to his Shannon attraction. Photo / Judith Lacy
Growing up, Paddy McIvor didn’t carry around a cuddly or a soft toy. He was seldom seen without a comic in his hand.
His mother was a keen op shopper and McIvor loved his toys so much he still has them.
“I was the crazy kid that kept everything.”
He opened Toy Circus in Shannon’s East St five and a half years ago. The toy and gaming museum, “whacky recycled” mini golf, skating rink, and Nerf gun shooting range are open every day in the school holidays.
McIvor jokes his name is Paddy “Womble” MacGyver. Like the fictional secret agent, he is resourceful and like the furry inhabitants of Wimbledon Common, he also believes in recycling and reusing.
Much of the museum collection is toys from the 1970s and 1980s.
McIvor says the slice of Kiwiana history is an equally good experience for adults and kids. For the adults who are nostalgic for their childhood the toys bring back memories, while the kids are entertained and can have a go at old-school video games like Pac-Man.
McIvor was born in 1977, “the year Star Wars came out”, and he loves the bright, funky colours of 1970s toys.
Toy Circus includes cabinets of moving attractions from Fantasyland in Hastings, such as animated nursery rhymes.
Most of the lasagne-loving Garfields Paddy McIvor picked up at a garage sale in Palmerston North. Photo / Judith Lacy
Toy Circus has been built up through years and years of McIvor going to garage sales and op shops and browsing Trade Me.
Plus, he’s had people bring him toys. “I have people everywhere now hunting for me.”
Toy Circus started with toys he’s had since he was a preschooler and he also “pinched” his two sisters’ and his brother’s toys.
Conscious dolls were not his thing as a child, McIvor says he has put effort into building up a collection of dolls.
Toy Circus is also home to “New Zealand’s biggest robot” that McIvor built from recycled materials.
Repairs and maintenance involve “lots of bad language and McGuyering”.
The colourful learn to skate tent at Toy Circus. Photo / Judith Lacy
His mother Jenny McIvor is the “boss” and looks after the gardens. They have converted stables on their property into the museum.
Asked how many times he has been to Disneyland, McIvor is coy. “A few times, I’m not even going to tell you.”
The self-described “Disney geek” will say he has been more than 10 times. Those visits and attending a Disney convention have helped inspire what he has created.
