To ask what on earth is this children's book... driving me mad!

[surreygirl1987]

I have a little boy who loves books. I remember a book I read as a small child that I absolutely adored, and gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling when I think back to it. I'd love to read it with my son. Trouble is, I can't remember what it was called. Can anyone help?

Here are the things I can remember:
It is a colle tip of short stories.
It's about a toyshop full of toys.
The toys are magical and come to life.
There are dolls, a Teddy and a jack in a box.
In one of the stories, the toys all go outside at night and getting muddy and cold.

I think it was a hardback book in portrait. I've gone loads of Googling but although there seems to be loads of magic toyshop books, I can't find the one I had and loved!
Thanks in advance!

Bedtime Stories by Enid Blyton?
it was a large hardback book with short stories, the cover was a blue-ish colour

Probably no help here because I can't remember the name of it either but I distinctly remember a book set in a nursery about toys coming to life and they drove around in a pear drop or a gum drop and the main character (doll) had a name starting with V, Veronica or Vanessa or similar. I think it was a collection a short stories, hardback with a purple cover.
Google just gives me the Gumdrop car books but that's not it.

This is ringing bells with me too!

There's an IG where they help you ask others about a book:

instagram.com/myoldbooks

@JuanitathePizza
Are you thinking of the book ‘Tottie, Story of a dolls house’?

Is the one with the doll called Vanessa 'Five Dolls in a House'? Used to love this book when I was young.

Toys Go Out?

Were all the stories about the toys? As the one in thinking about they weren't. I remember our one was an orange hardback.

@eleflump that's it, thank you! It was annoying me more than I want to admit. OP sorry to hijack your thread!

I loved Teddy Robinson

Is this? A cat is featured

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Toy-Museum-David-Lucas/dp/1406332062/ref=asc_df_1406332062/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311219507756&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16399623492599176155&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045615&hvtargid=pla-565095971411&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

This was what immediately came to my mind. I loved those books

I remember this, no idea what it was called, are you sure it was a book? I can picture the characters so clearly it could have been a programme.

What a lovely thread ! I loved Teddy Robinson and "Ex and Shoff" is one of mine and my mother's little shared phrases nobody else knows the provenance of.
I loved five dolls in a house and had completely forgotten it. I'm going to have to try and dig mine out.
Might it be The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden @surreygirl1987
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Holly_and_Ivy.
if it isn't I can highly recommend it.

Was it not The Raghu Dolls by Melvyn Jacobson? They were made in a toy shop but were chucked out due to not being finished properly. So they went on adventures instead!

*Raggy obviously, not Raghu!

Ooh is it The Magic Toybox?

I also thought it sounded like Puddle Lane. I'm sure there was one with a cat ...

Naughty Amelia Jane?

Did one of the toys have a pop gun?

I also thought the Jane Hissey books. I had this copy of Teddy Bear tales which is a collection of short stories. childrensbookshop.com/book-72236.html

One of the stories is a camel getting left out in the rain. It also features a story where the toys decorate the dolls house for Christmas and one of the toys hides and wraps himself up for Christmas so he can be new again.

I also remember a picnic on a hill and them all rolling down in a cart afterwards.

I got it for Christmas in about 1989 and it was always a favourite.

Sounds like Amelia Jane to me.

Was it Goodnight Stories by Enid Blyton? I've attached a photo of it - be warned, it does have a golliwog in it so quite outdated but I loved this book when I was a child. The toys have to escape outside and end up wet.

There are a few stories about these toys in the book.

Is it The Little Toyshop. Where the teddy and bunny become friends and the other toys get bought over time except for the bunny?!