Video games? Naw. At the two Happy Hippo Toys, playtime has long meant the traditional.

Walking down the aisles of Happy Hippo Toys in Moorestown or Haddonfield, with their wide selection of classic and new toys, is akin to walking through a toy museum.

The Moorestown Happy Hippo Toys location opened about 48 years ago to fill a need in the town, according to Manager Maryellen DeMille. The Haddonfield store opened a few years later, according to DeMille.

"If you're going to open a store, you might as well have it be something fun," she told 70and73.com.

The Boren family owns both stores. DeMille, who described herself as a family friend, manages both locations.

Some things do not change — like Happy Hippo Toys' layout, which has been pretty much unaltered over the years, DeMille said.

Some of the toys also have been equally timeless. Others are new. Filling the shelves are playthings like Fisher-Price's Rock-a-Stack and Speak and Spell and Bruder Trucks. More contemporary Sesame Street characters like Abby Cadabby join longtime favorites like Mr. Snuffleupagus. And dozens of dolls like Madeline and Raggedy Ann and stuffed animals ranging from Scooby-Doo to Gumby cram the shelves like an overstuffed toybox.

"You won't find video games here," DeMille said. "You won't find a lot of electronics."

She firmly believes that although computer-based video games have exploded in popularity in recent years, there will always be a market for products like those sold by Happy Hippo Toys.

"We still have people that come in here and look for toys for going on a road trip or doing this or doing that," she said. "As long as there are kids, there will always be a need for toys."

Even so, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted how Happy Hippo Toys did things, according to DeMille. The store closed to foot traffic, but still took phone orders and offered curbside pickup, she recalled.

Now that the store is open again to browsing customers, Happy Hippo veterans will find that some of the merchandise is arranged by recommended age groups. DeMille said she finds that occasionally a first-time customer walks in, but most of the store’s customers are repeat ones who cover all age groups and multiple generations.

"We just had somebody come in here, who said they had not been here in 20 years," DeMille said, adding that she and the customer agreed that the store had not changed much in those 20 years.

While the unwillingness to change could mean economic disaster for some businesses, Happy Hippo Toys proves that the concept can work under the right circumstances.

"I don't see us doing a lot of changing as long as we have people that still want to shop for toys," she said. "We're just going to keep it going."

IF YOU GO:

Happy Hippo Toys has locations at 135 W. Main St. in Moorestown and 201 Kings Highway East in Haddonfield. Both shops are open from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The website for both stores is http://www.happyhippotoys.com/.

Fixtures is a regular feature of 70and73.com, celebrating the aspects of our suburban life that have become fixtures in our world. Often, they can be businesses. But not always. If you have a nominee, send it to contactus@70and73.com.

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