My horn can pierce the sky.

Last night's Office hit the nail on the head. Toys - they cause havoc and death. No. Wait. Parents cause those things when they go nuts trying to buy their kids toys. And crazy parents will pay an arm and leg to buy the right toy. But Christmas doesn't have to be a bloody nightmare. In El Segundo, just south of the airport, you'll find the headquarters for the great toy company, Mattel. I never played with Barbies as a kid, but I know they are considered the shiz. And since Mattel IS the House of Barbie, well, you best believe there are some amazing things here.
What most people don't know is that there is a Mattel outlet store located right on their campus, with some GREAT deals. It is open year round, so it's a great place to shop, anytime. HOWEVER. At Christmas, the deals are even sweeter because that's when they open up their 'Tent Sale'. Wow. Talk about deals, I was thinking about buying this Cars carrying case for the kids, it was only about $15 elsewhere, but still, I was on the fence about it. At the Tent sale - $5. And matching cars? 99 CENTS. I snapped that right up.

There were tons of Dora things and Barbie stuff, but I don't have girls. I'm sure they'd make great gifts, especially at 60% off retail. And seeing as how Mattel is the Home of Barbie, there are plenty of those there too. I couldn't resist taking a photo of this one to show you:
A Hello Kitty Barbie! Had I not had little pirate boys, perhaps I would buy this.

From now until Christmas they offer extra deals - every day, better than the next. In addition you can add coupons and save even more. It's definitely worth a trip down there, since it is the main company, new stock is added everyday. Moral of the story, you don't need to trample people at Walmart to give your kid a good Christmas. Take it easy peeps. Sheesh.

The Mattel Toy Store
333 Continental Blvd.
El Segundo, CA 90245

Mon. – Sat., 9am to 6pm.
Fri., 10am to 8pm
Sun., 12pm to 5pm