MENTION the word toys and Clarence Lam gets excited. So excited that the mention of a particular brand of toy robot I had broken as a child has Lam reeling off figures about the number produced, where it was made, and how much it would be worth today if I still had it.
As one of the four founding members of the Toys Institute, located in a 250-square-foot shop in Mongkok, Lam knows a lot about toys.
A mild-mannered banker by day and toy fanatic by night, Lam said the whole idea behind the institute which opened last April, was to have a place to display their treasures and where like-minded individuals could meet and exchange information about their passion.
'Here people can come and display their toys, get and buy and sell toys if they wish.' The group knew the shop was needed after a show at the Western Market last year proved to be a popular attraction with the public. This year the group is taking part in an even bigger exhibition, the RegCo '94 Toy Festival, which is running until January 2 at the Kwai Chung Sports Grounds. Their display is called the Toy Time Tunnel.
The aim of the festival is to enhance parental awareness on the educational value of toys in the growth of children, and the institute is displaying the history of toys through the ages. There are about 300 exhibits.
Joel Chung, one of the other partners in the Toys Institute, along with Lam, Max Nip and Sherman Ho, said the display concentrates mainly on toys from Hong Kong, Japan and China.
