Last Chance to play!
We are closing the Play Emporium on 18th January. There are limited play sessions remaining!
Welcome to Play Emporium
Play Emporium is a traditional family fun play space hidden away on the upstairs floor of a factory warehouse in Exeter. Featuring traditional style fairground games, refreshments and even a secret white forest!
Side Stall Games
Traditional side stall games. Test your skill and play our traditional funfair style wooden games. We have a duck target range and tin can alley side by side. Next to this we have a bucket of bean bags to ‘knock ‘em down’. Reset the duck range by simply pulling the wooden ducks back up on their hinges. Or get creative resetting the tin can alley with a huge stack of cans as tall as you can reach and use multiple balls to knock it down or choose a small stack and try to knock it down in one!
Penny Roll
A traditional penny roll with real Victorian pennies – ‘roll ‘em down, and count ‘em up’. This game has been created at a low height so younger children can reach it and spend as long and they want rolling pennies down the wooden ramp. Straw bales and a circus podium either side provide seating for older children and adults to play too.
Ball Drop
A perfect height for toddlers to endlessly post ping-pong balls through one of 4 holes then watch as they randomly bounce down the wooden pegs into one of 4 slots ready to be picked up and posted again and again. Of course this game is great for all ages too, but has specifically been made accessible to toddlers without the need for an adult to lift them up.
Marble Maze
Use the two joysticks to manoeuvre marbles through a maze from the start to finish points. The maze is balanced on a central pivot and the joysticks allow one player to tilt the whole maze up and down and left and right making the marble roll in any direction. The marbles are not accessible to small hands so the maze is safe to use for all ages. It is also low down to allow children to play and a circus podium seat is provided for adults to sit down and play.
Hook a Duck
Hook a duck from a colourful barrel without water. We found that people enjoyed playing hook a duck even without water! Which meant we could keep it in the funfair as we found a barrel of water at toddler height was not a welcome game by parents! Rods are a good size to be used by adults and children alike
Splat the Rat
A classic seaside game. One person puts a the rat – in this case we have found little twin mice that are actually cat toys work perfectly – in the top of the ‘slide’ on the Helter Skelter and a second person holds a bat at the end of the slide to try and ‘splat’ the rat by pinning it to the surrounding wooden board with the bat. You need a good reaction speed to play! To make the game easier or harder hold the bat closer or further away from the wooden board
Beat the Buzzer
One of our most popular games of all time. This buzzer game was originally part of our prop hire collection before we closed in December 2023, it was our second most popular hire game ever. A game of skill, you need to very carefully run the looped handle all the way down the wire without touching them together – otherwise you’ll connect the circuit and the buzzer will sound. Add a competitive element by seeing who can complete the challenge in the fastest time!
Wind Up Race
It’s a wind up race, a very simple but addictive game. Choose from a constantly changing selection of wind up toys and simply wind up and race…but choose wisely as the toys go at different speeds, some change direction, some don’t even have enough energy to make it to the finish line!
Mini Golf
Very mini crazy golf. 5 mini golf holes in a row with a short path of obstacles in front of each. Adult size and child size putters available.
Refreshments
We have a small refreshments area serving freshly ground coffee, tea, hot chocolate, a selection of popular cold drinks, slushies, popcorn, candy floss, sweets, cakes, baby snacks, and fruit.
Calm Zone
The hidden white forest. This is our calm area if visitors need to have some quiet time. The white forest has 9 hand made trees with tiny creatures and objects hidden amongst the branches. Floor cushions, books and sensory toys mean you can spend as long as you want in the calm room.
Circus Arch
At one end of the funfair you’ll find a circus stage arch with closeable red curtains which makes for fun selfies or an impromptu performance!
Fancy Dress
A selection of fancy dress accessories for children and adults alike awaits you behind the circus arch to make those selfies even more fun!
Crazy Mirrors
Also behind the circus arch you’ll find a set of 4 crazy mirrors, these are especially popular alongside the fancy dress
Baby Area
Our very busy ‘busy board’ is perfect for the youngest of visitors. Situated in the enclosed baby area you can relax while they are kept busy and safe from others playing the bigger games like crazy golf.
Puppet Theatre
Make a show with the puppet theatre. Designed so children and adults can stand behind it and use our selection of puppets on sticks to create a show. You can choose from a variety of mix and match interchangeable backdrops to create your own story. A selection of prop furniture means you can really bring the stage to life – even the red curtains work! Write the title of your show on the chalkboard next to the puppet theatre and invite your audience to take a seat on the circus podiums in front.
Mini Arcade
We have three mini arcade machines featuring classic arcade and console games from the 80s and 90s. The machines are low down and there are stools for small children but we find adults playing on these games just as much as children!
Activity Tables
There are two low down activity tables near the café area. They currently feature a wooden train track you can build yourself. The train track spans across both tables but occasionally it might just be on one table with a seasonal activity for young children on the other table.
Skittle Alley
Play our mini skittle alley. Suitable for adults and children. Slanting sides mean there is no gutter for the ball to fall into so small children can play too.
Ring Toss
A simple but classic game – see how many rope hoops you can throw on top of the 5 wooden pegs.
Odditorium
Coming soon treasure hunt, Odditorium, Tombola, Paper airplanes, activity sheets, prize shop and more…
Funfair Seating Area
We have a modest seating area upstairs with three tables of four. We also have plenty of straw bales and blankets to sit on. But down worry about allergies as the straw bales are synthetic replicas.
Enchanted Seating Area
What will be our enchanted café next year currently serves as a downstairs seating area. You can take food and drinks from upstairs to have in this seating area downstairs.
Free Play Air Hockey
Play on our mini Hello Kitty air hockey table for free. Suitable for adults and children, just press the start button to begin.
Photo Opportunities
Have a photo on our giant dining chair or in front of the moon. We always have lots of fun places to take selfies and group photos.
Large Thomas The Tank Engine
This handmade wooden Thomas the Tank Engine is fine for children to sit in. It currently has a few giant Playmobil characters along for the ride too! We are not sure of our long term plan for Thomas, but we will make him into something fun and exciting!
Prop and Pre-loved Shop
We always have bits and bobs to sell so we plan to always have a shop downstairs. The shop is currently larger than it will be in the future as we have quite a few props left from our closed events company to sell off. You will also find misprinted 2D props and preloved toys and clothes.
Board Games
In our enchanted seating area we are always adding new board and card games. The wonderland clock has become an unofficial ‘help yourself’ storage shelf for all the games.
Toys and Activities
We are currently testing different toys and activities downstairs to see which people choose to use. So far a basket of toys and colouring are our options, but you might find different things to do downstairs on the day you visit.
Lucky Dip
For only 20p have a go on our gumball machine lucky dip – the prizes are completely random! From Love Hearts sweets to pre-loved toys and even buttons!