Don’t just throw away broken toys. Instead, go to a Repair Café in your neighbourhood!
Many people don’t like to throw toys away. Children (and parents) are often attached to specific dolls or cuddly toys, a battery-operated train or a remote-controlled car. Fortunately, in many cases, toys can be repaired very well. Bring your broken things to a Repair Café and find out for yourself!
We successfully repair electric and electronic toys in 70 per cent of cases, according to our RepairMonitor, an online system where repairers keep track of what they fix. For non-electric toys, the number is as high as 76 per cent. So, it’s a shame to throw broken toys away.
Repairing electric toys
The problem with electric toys is often the battery that’s no longer connected or a rusty circuit. “We’ve seen every possible thing that has a battery. There’s often not much wrong with it”, explains Wijnand Klaver of Repair Café Hilversum (the Netherlands). “Usually, it’s just a loose wire. Generally, you can get these things working again. Sometimes, you must repair it in such a way that you can see it’s been repaired, but that doesn’t matter at all.”
Repairing dolls and cuddly toys
Dolls and cuddly toys are often missing stuffing from the body or an eye. Often, there’s also a loose seam or a missing leg. “That’s a bit more manual work, as you don’t usually use a sewing machine to fix it”, says Marion van den Akker of Repair Café Oostzaan (Netherlands).
Repairing toys is often gratifying work, according to both Wijnand and Marion. “It can mean a lot to someone,” says Wijnand. “At one point, an older woman came to us. She’d brought a doll from 1950 that she had played with herself. The doll had been broken for thirty years, but we managed to put it back together with a lot of fiddling and polishing. She was delighted when we repaired the doll because now her grandchild could play with it.”
Learning to make repairs together
Marion: “You can’t always estimate what something means to someone. Sometimes, you do a minimal thing, and people are completely overwhelmed by it. For example, for someone, we once fixed a cuddly toy missing, I think, its arm or leg. And the lady was so excited that you almost thought: ‘how come?’ While we hadn’t done all that much. That’s something I remember.”
Marion and Wijnand like to repair, but they enjoy it even more when people actively think and help. “The nicer repairs are when people come up with things they’ve already started doing themselves”, says Wijnand. “I think it’s imperative to include people in the repair process. So much knowledge gets lost; we have to watch out for that.”
“That’s our policy anyway”, Marion explains. “We don’t like to bring you in, leave you and come back again. The idea is that you come and sit with us, with a cup of coffee or tea. We want the repair to be a social activity and to make people aware that things can be repaired.”
Repair toys yourself or drop by the Repair Café!
Do you need help repairing toys? Then come to a Repair Café in your area. Want to do the repair yourself? Then find a repair guide at iFixit! You can also use these step-by-step manuals to prepare your visit to the Repair Café. This way you can read what to expect.
So I have a toy that’s not broken but his hand it’s broken from one finger and it’s a rare toy
You’re welcome at a Repair Café in your community!
I have two items, the first being my granddaughter’s double dolls pushchair, where one of the double wheels at the front doesn’t turn properly. She loves this pushchair, but gets frustrated when she tries to push it. The second item is a poodle pyjama case, which belonged to my mum. She didn’t use it but the poodles head should turn and play music, when wound up. If any of your clever craftsmen could fix them, I would be most grateful.
Dear Mrs. C Peck, that sounds like two interesting repairs! Please take them to a Repair Café near you. Good luck!
Do you repair Christmas animated figures it’s both electric and battery operated
Dear David, yes, most Repair Cafes can do that! Please contact a Repair Cafe near you.
Can Teddy Ruxpin/Grubby be repaired? When connected, only static if wiggling the wire attachment. Tapes play sometimes, always turn be not always heard.I’m in Waukesha, Wi
I have an old Fisher Price train that we used to put around our Christmas tree when my children were little. The engine car pulls the whole train but hasn’t worked in over 30 years. I could never bring myself to throw it out because I’ve always loved it so much. I’m now a grandma for the first time and would love to set it up. Is it possible for me to ship it if I can’t get to a location? I live in Brooklyn NY. Can anyone’s help?
Dear Linda, there is a Repair Café in Manhattan; maybe this is an option for you? If not, please discuss your question with some of the Repair Cafés in New York State. There are several. Good luck!
I have a figure recently and was disappointed with it’s condition. Nothing extremely bad though. One of the figure’s leggings have a tear and the plastic box is little damage by the delivery. Hopefully I can get some help from your services.
Wii you help me fixing my 2 favorite toys miss bloobby dady bloobby baby bloobby they needs some working to im donate to advanced to special person as an gift in my on well from jamie George larcombe
Hi Jamie, please find a Repair Cafe near you for this. Good luck!
Hello guys, don’t know where else to ask, need advice.
I have a plush horse with a speaker inside. The speaker ran out, so, I decided (more like planned) to cut the horse open, take the speaker out, and sew the horse back up. That is the general procedure for me with plushies like these, because after that I don’t need to worry about moisture danger anymore.
But to my suprise, I instead discovered that the speaker has a regular battery compartment for three button batteries that is perfectly openable and closable with just your fingers. It’s as if they were designed to be easily replaceable by customers, which makes no sense considering that I was only able to access them by violently mutilating the horse.
What now? I could put the speaker back in, with new batteries, and then sew the horse back up, but then if the batteries ran out again, I’d have to make a hole in the horse again, which is just bananas.
My point is that I would like to find a way to be able to seal and unseal the horse at will for purpose of battery replacment – I thought about sewing a zipper over the hole, but I’d have to sacrifice an already existing zipper for that.
Plus even if so, it would look bad if it wasn’t pink just like the horse, and while I do have some pink pencil cases at hand, all of them are new and pretty. Velcro – I have even less of that, and not even pink. Anyone got any other ideas?
I have fire engine about 10 years old. It shoot water and ladder goes up and down and can be driven remotely. Has a battery pack. Name on Battery pack is FastLane Fire Fighter. I rescued it from my grandsons trash 19 years ago. He is 16 now. Needs repairs. Help. Jan
My granddaughter received a large activity center from a friend. The metal for the beads on top are all loose. I looked underneath to see if I could fix it and I do not see where they are connected. I do not want to destroy the the top.
Any advise would be appreciated
Thanks
Problem with my beefeater guard toy
i just bought a Book of Sith Vault Edition and it took me about 2 minutes to break. i didn’t realize it was mechanized and i manually opened the hatch and pulled out the shelf-type thing. it still works it just doesn’t work properly. the hatch doesn’t open as high as it is supposed to, in order to allow the sliding “shelf” the proper room to eject and retract. can i bring it in to be fully repaired? thanks for reading 🙂
Hi Rachel, please check this with a Repair Café in your area. Good luck!
My toy Tigger is not working
Hi Maria, please come to a Repair Café near you.
I have a “Farmer in the dell” tin toy that no longer plays the music or allows each character to come out of the barn. Can it be repaired? Thanks
Donna Serpico
Hi Donna, chances are that it can be! Please find a Repair Café near you and go there with the toy. Good luck!
I have a Christmas stuffy that has a light-up nose, but the battery/power supply is dead after 10 years. I looked at it myself but all I found was a small PC board. I don’t know where to get it repaired.
Dear George, please find a Repair Cafe in your neighbourhood. They can definitely help you!
Great post! I’m so glad to see more people acknowledging the importance of repairing toys. It’s not just about extending the life of a toy, but also about teaching children the value of maintenance and repair. As a parent, I’ve seen firsthand how much more fun my kids have when they can fix and play with their toys instead of constantly buying new ones. Keep up the good work!
Love this post! As a parent, it’s so frustrating when toys become damaged and are thrown away. Repairing them not only saves money, but it also helps reduce waste and extends the toy’s lifespan. I’ll definitely be checking out the Repair Cafe in my area, thanks for sharing!
Love this idea! As a parent, it’s so important to repair and extend the life of toys to reduce waste and save money. It’s great to see a Repair Cafe dedicated to just that. I’ll definitely be bringing in some of my broken toys to get fixed 🙂
I have an electronic toy that no longer lights up. I changed the batteries and it’s still not working. Is there anything you could do to help? This toy reminds me of a special outing I had with my fiancé. He bought it for me on that outing.
Dear Karen, we advise you to visit a Repair Cafe near you with the item; if anyone can help you, it’s our repairers. Good luck!
Battery operating train set made by Play well.
It’s called Electronic Super Circus Train Set.
Battery connections need to be repaired. Are you able to help?
I’m in Baltimore Maryland area.
Could be reached at 703-966-6743.
Thanks
Dear Hessam, please find a Repair Café near you to help with this issue. Good luck!