Cork's beloved small toy shops feature in TV programme
A child paints a figure at the Toy Soldier Factory Visitor Centre.
IT’S been a hectic time for the country’s toy shops, and a documentary on RTE1 explores the role they play in our lives.
The Toy Shop on RTE1 at 9.30pm on Wednesday, December 22, sits down with the people and places that spark the imagination of their youngest customers and the memories of their eldest.
Featuring 16 independent shops across the country, including the Toy Soldier Factory in Macroom, and Pinnochio’s in Cork city, the documentary asks the owners of these businesses about the power of toys and the role they play in making imaginings of our wildest dreams come true – from becoming a pilot, teacher, or artist, to, well, opening a toy shop.
On the theme of toys, many of us will remember the impression Cork boy Adam King left when he starred on The Late Late Toy Show last year.
Adam stole the hearts of the nation when he introduced us to his Virtual Hug, a heart-shaped sign he carried during the pandemic to help him stay connected to his teacher while he was learning from home.
Now he is taking centre stage again, when he stars in a short animated adventure called Adam Saves Christmas which premieres on Christmas Eve on RTE Jr at 6.20pm. It features Ryan Tubridy, his sidekick on the Toy Show, as the voice of Santa.
It’s Christmas Eve and Adam, Speedy, Bubby, and Zuzu need to get back to planet Earth in time for Christmas to see what Santa will bring. But Christmas is in peril as Adam discovers when Santa calls to tell them the Northern Lights aren’t working and it’s so dark, he can’t find his reindeer.
It’s the first animated Irish children’s programme to feature a wheelchair-user as protagonist, and Eimear O’Mahony of RTÉ said: “Adam is a real inspiration and his message of positivity and joy is something we think is really important to get out there.”
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