Uncle Fun
Category: Toy Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lakeview1338 W. Belmont Avenue
(between Lakewood Ave & Southport Ave)
Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 477-8223
- Nearest Transit:
Southport (Brown)
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sat 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
17 reviews
Neighborhood: Lakeview
"This shop rox!!! We saw it a few months ago but never went in. We drove by this place again today and given there's a parking spot nearby,…" read more »
107 Reviews for Uncle Fun
Best kitschy toy store ever. Anytime I have an art project or need some weird gift, this is my first stop. Plan on spending a LOT more time and money than you expected and walking out with a bag full of treasures! Anyone who doesn't like this place is a sad, lost soul.
Turbo kitsch. Crazy. Odds and ends. Somewhat useless shit.
It's a great place to take a date- that sounds cheesy, but we walked out of there with crazy shit, masks and made a day of it taking photos of our crazy finds. Brings out the inner kid in ya.
I have to say that their book selection is pretty decent. I've found some interesting outsider/ folk art and otherwise eclectic books in the back. Great finds.
It's a great haunt especially if your into making dioramas or shadow box art. Lots of little rubber and plastic figurines, animals, etc.
Cool retro postcards too. Slap a readymade frame on it and you got wall art, that's far more original than anything from urban outfitters and ikea combined.
Most important advice: have fun.
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My goodness gracious, I could spend all day inside this small wonderland. As soon as you walk into Uncle Fun, you feel as though you have entered the catacombs of silliness and all that is obnoxious and fun. They have tables and tables and drawers and shelves of good old prangster comic relief. I'm going to share a small list of some of the oddities and things that I've gotten from Uncle Fun:
-neon rubber finger puppets with many arms
-Jesus bandaids
-notepads that with an old school TV dinner photo on them
-a pink plastic tierra to wear while cleaning my place
-an albino figurine
-a monkey/Bush magnet
-a magnet with tribbles
-a bar mitzvah boy figurine
-candy smokes
...just to name a few. There is surely something to be said about a store that fills old library codex biblio-whatever holders with little plastic toys and snakes and aliens. Come on people, break away from the daily grind and let your inner kid/nutcase come out at Uncle Fun.
On a mildly more serious note, they actually have a pretty neat selection of books and art books in the back.
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without a doubt one of my most favoritest places on the planet.
everything you could possibly ever want. from rubber dog crap to bacon wallets, this place is amazing.
3d magic eye jesus? mr. t talking keychain? pee wee herman stickers? elvis ashtray? rubber dog crap? yup. they got it all and much MUCH more.
this place seriously rules. it is impossible to be disappointed when you go to uncle fun.
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The last time I was here I bought incense, a smoking baby, a Snoop Dogg doll, and a Crazy Cat Lady action figure.
And really, isn't that all one needs in life?
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This store is perfect. Not just to by stuff, but to hang out as well. I love the atmosphere here. The toys and books are my favorite merchandise. The employees make it fun, I really like them.
My boyfriend found this place. He loves it. I love it too. I can always find a random piece of boyband memorabilia, fuzzy unicorns or a knock off Tokidoki pattern. Oh and the books! Not a bad selection of kitchy cheap books!
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I go here whenever I'm in need of a pile of tiny plastic babies, or say...a rubber chicken, or a smoking baby doll. Need a punching nun or alien? Need some Michael Jackson stickers from 1984? Uncle Fun is a porthole to all that is good and right about the world. If you go to Uncle Fun and don't laugh at least a few times, something is seriously wrong.
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If only they opened before noon, I could come here on my lunch break.
Uncle fun's rocks!
We get all of our filler Christmas and Birthday presents here.
And I got a Griffin and Sabine book for like 4 bucks-- can't beat that!
This is a small store but, oh, it is chock full of everything you've always been looking for but afraid to ask where to find! Stop first, as you enter, to your right where you'll find old library card catalogs filled with plastic babies, battleships, tiny farm animals, and any other miniature one might be looking for. Travel around the corner, and you'll hit retro greeting cards for rock bottom prices. Whoopee Cushions and other pranks hang from the walls. The back has a selection of eccentric books. I even found fake mustaches for a relative in need.
The workers are always friendly and never seem to mind customers touching/playing/and guffawing at the ridiculous selection.
It's nice to know we live in a city big enough to have a well-established source of fake vomit, if you need it. Uncle Fun is such a place.
Never has the word "hodgepodge" been more aptly used than to describe Uncle Fun's toy selection. Imagine a cross between that magic store in Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Now cram it into a smallish shop. Uncle Fun is, in the words of Audrey Horne from Twin Peaks, "the concentrate they make [sweetass fun] concentrate from."
For the science-minded, fun-curious skeptics out there, kiss my deduction:
All toy stores that sell Telly Savalas postcards r00l. In 2003, I bought a Telly Savalas "Who Loves You, Baby?" postcard at Uncle Fun. It follows that Uncle Fun r00lz. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
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OHMYGODILOVETHISPLACE!OHMYGODILOVETHISPLACE!OHMYGO DI LOVETHISPLACE!
I've gone here alone and with the most twisted of all twisted, Dave Medusa and I pretty much always have a laughter induced stroke as a result. I laugh until I cry and buy silly things I don't need but they make me laugh and thats all good.
Imagine the craziest things in the world the most cynical, twisted mind (kinda like me) could come up with, packaged and for sale. Tis so delightful.
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I dig kitsch. I collect tacky artwork with Jesus on it, miniature instruments, and anything with zombies. I spent part of my morning reading reviews on Yelp and took my empty day and decided to hike on over to Uncle Fun -- which is a bit away from my place in Albany Park. The reviews got me super excited.
I was quite disappointed. The things I found that catered to my interests were either overpriced (I'd gotten similar holographic Jesus posters at a dollar store in the past) or just bland and couldn't provoke me to purchase them.
On the plus side: I love the way it's set up in a treasure chest sort of way, enabling one to find things hidden all over.
However, because of being chock-full of items, there was very little moving room and I kept getting checked with elbows of women who weren't completely self-aware.
The guy behind the counter with the spotted hair was really friendly...until he disappeared when I was ready to purchase and was gone for almost 10 minutes. I finally decided against the zombie finger puppets and left.
Uncle Fun served all of my random toy needs! I was hoping to liven up my drab cubicle with funny weird stuff, and not only did I find plenty of things to scare my co-workers with, but I had a great time picking it all out!
At the front of Uncle Fun there are small baskets you can use to load up with toys, and the best part is walking around and opening up random drawers to see what treasures lie inside. If you're going to visit you should plan on spending at least a half an hour there to really check everything out.
Just going to Uncle Fun brightened up my day, so I suggest it to anyone who wants to put a smile on their face - with a pair of wax lips.
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What a great place with a ton of items packed into their space. I found some great gag gifts for a birthday and plenty of current and old school stuff. The staff is super friendly and the prices are very good. Its worth a pop in or a little detour anytime, for a buck I am sure you can find something to entertain yourself for a few days.
Anyone remember Goodies? I miss Goodies so much. But the brother and sisters apparently split off and made Uncle Fun and Dorby MaGoo.
But back to the review. Ever needed some fake vomit? Or that gum that turns the chewer's mouth black? This is the place to go, and everything seems pretty cheap.
Toys, toys, toys!!
Who doesn't like toys? They bring us back to a time when life was perhaps a bit simpler and we were probably happier, and we can recapture some of that youthful happiness again at places like Uncle Fun. In addition to novelties, action figures, tricks, & gags, they also carry lots of cards and books, buttons, magnets and other assorted knick-knacks, which I always love. The atmosphere is slightly cluttered but in a cool-old-junk-store-overflowing-with-great-stuff kind of way; to clean it up would kill it.
The best toy store I had ever seen prior to moving to IL was Toy Joy in Austin, TX, and Uncle Fun is at least on par. Great for gifts, random fun or as a pick-me-up if you're feeling down.
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Yeah, Uncle Fun is a great place for stickers and buttons and all kinds of other goofy goo-gahs...but when I was a kid they told me not to hang around Uncle Fun anymore and definitely not to sit on his lap.
I did get the kickass Super Mario Brothers sticker that currently lives on my laptop there. 15 years ago I had the same sticker *nostalgic late '80s item from my childhood* so that's a radical find.
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Greatest. Place. Ever. I take all of my out of town visitors here and it never fails to enthrall. I love the little drawers of misc. toys.
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Can I move in here...? I not only buy very unique knick-knacks for myself, this store is great for kids -- stocking stuffers and party favors. I wouldn't bring the kids though unless you have a very dynamic exit strategy.
It's the place I've always dreamed of. Weird toys of all kinds, pins, buttons, books, postcards, silly nick-knacks, a really cool little store.
I always come here for silly birthday gifts for my friends and you can find the coolest stocking stuffer toys.
Cool Asian stuff too, bizarre journals in Engrish with non-sensical sayings.... fun.
The staff is ALWAYS cool too, they don't follow you or make you feel uncomfortable in any way. No attitude except for a good one.
I hope this place stays open forever.
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So, What's not to like?
1. Overly cheery staff who I guess are trying to go with the theme of the place and make it "FUN! YAY"
2. They really don't have much of anything you wouldn't find at uncommongoods.com - or on the internet somewhere. Maybe a rubber chicken. Laughing yet?
Best place to go for quirky extras for someone's gifts. Sure, Mom didn't need an Amish punching puppet or those fake Elvis tattoos...and Dad didn't need a Donkey that shot cigarettes out of his booty..but for less than five to seven bucks each, it makes Christmas a hoot. Thanks to UF, I was able to outfit Grandma's walker with fake tailfins and a Chippendales air freshener. Inappropriate? no! She loved it. Frolick in Uncle Fun when you are feelin' blue...it's joyful and reminds you not to take life so seriously.
Bonus: staff is kickass. Billy gave us free vegan cookies from his lady love's bakery and the employees are happy to help. go play!
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The only word I can use to adequately describe Uncle Fun is whimsical. Everything that is a toy that you can get from a gumball machine can be found by the dozen here. Weird old toys , wind up tin robots and piggy banks. Odd action figures , like of the Osbourne's , the Brady's , and Jesus. Pez dispensers , and gag gifts along with tricks and all the magic tricks your uncle used to pull on you during the holidays , like joy buzzers and snapping gum. Fun place , huge selection , nice help , and very cheap prices.
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I looove Uncle Fun. They satisfy my robot needs. I love the drawers of tiny cool stuff. I have the best notebooks from here. One of them has graph paper in it which is super. They also have some great books in the back. I have a few from the Taschen series from here that I got on sale. I also have a great tapestry of a peacock.
If you have any sense of fun in you at all, or even an affection for nostalgia this store has something for you. I plugged them in Time Out Chicago, thats how much I love them. I got my nephew a mustache for every day of the week for his birthday and it resulted in the best family photo we have ever had.
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I "heart" senseless purchases...
I don't know why I bought 15 little model airplanes. I know they're all the same, but for $.25 , why not!?!!
I had a 3d Betty Page photo magazine. For some reason I lost the 3d glasses. Behold, the have 3d glasses here. Betty looks good now.
Why did I need I gun that shoots ping balls? Because I can shoot people who ask me dumb questions like "Why did I need I gun that shoots ping balls? "
Every car/ desk should have a little statue of a Saint on it. I think I bought ST. Jude. He's my saint- the saint of loss causes and parking in Lincoln Park.
Senseless? Yes. Fun? Of course.
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I really haven't written a review of Uncle Fun yet? Really??
Uncle Fun is pretty much exactly what its name claims. I probably could spend an hour in this place and still not find everything cool that there is to find, even though it's not that big of a store. But there is so much surface area and so many drawers! And every square inch of it, full of fun stuff.
You can just find the awesomest, most useless stuff here, and it's all so cheap. I love it.
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A fun store with fun employees-an overall fun experience. I didn't feel compelled to take home a trinket but they had super postcards and fun knick-knacks to make the whole family smile. My family came to visit me in Chicago for Thanksgiving and we stumbled upon this treasure. My mom made the family detour and enter this quirky little shop. My brother walked out with 3 spinny thingies. One was called "WWBD?" (What would bacon do?)
He was thrilled. I walked out with a pack of watermelon pop rocks. I was a happy camper. Uncle fun is worth your time if you are in need of a smile or a baby doll head.
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I love to blow time and this a great place to blow time. Don't expect to walk in thinking you'll be there for just a few minutes. ADD kids, like myself, won't get bored. If there is anything that you want and know that you don't needed, but will still buy just because...this is it.
As a child I had to touch everything and play with it while ma told me to put my hands in my pockets. With all of the toys, books, posters, masks, trinkets that are there you can't help but play or look at it.
Junk toys that you had forgotten about after so years fill up the little drawers. If you are looking for a gift for someone and don't know what to get, you'll be sure to find something CHEAP that will put a smile on their face.
A must for any short attention spanner...even if you walk out there with troll doll pencil cap after a few hours of looking.
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Oh there is so many things here. Stuff that will make you laugh, groan, gasp, shake your head and just wonder why in the world would anyone make this. Then you will buy them all. So many kitschy kind of stuff, bobble heads, tons of gut busting funny postcards, dolls, magnets, silly stuff that make you giggle that yo can't believe you are buying it. This is a place for kids, adults, adults who act like kids, kids who act like adults, people who like to have fun and maybe, just maybe for people who don't like to have fun... but would you really bring them here? Maybe because Uncle Fun has this magic ability to make those fuddy duddy's even have fun.
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Oh Uncle Fun I always forget why I like you so much. I'll go visit you and have a good time and bring some stuff home from your place. Then there'll be those times where I pass you up time and time again and just look at you as I'm by thinking "Hmm, been along time since I visited you...oh, well...guess I'm not into you anymore." Then BOOM...gotta a Halloween Party I'm planning and I'm thinking "Where the heck can I get some cheesy gifts to give away as priz....hey, wait a minute..." Uncle Fun!
A Texas Chainsaw bobblehead, a coffin bank, jar of slime, bunch of wind up toys and various weird/sick toys oh and a Bush biscuit (last prize in the costume contest) later...it all comes back to me. Uncle Fun...why can't I quit you?
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This place is great. Has a huge selection, and has good/helpful employees/owners. This is a great place to pick-up a gift for someone who is hard to buy for. Only downside.... It's a small store, and is VERY popular. So kindof hard to navigate through the store.
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How could I have lived in the 'hood so long and not hit up this joint? Oh yeah, I was a child deprived of toys and find little interest in buying them now.
Needless to say, I'm an avid euchre player and when my club was having a holiday-related kooky card exchange, I figured this was the place.
The girl behind the counter couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful. She directed me towards the vast array of printed playing cards including Elvis, Prez Georgie, devil pin-up girls, celebrity mug shots, and biker babes. The tiny, filled to the brim store was packed with customers, but I managed to weave around finding other fun gag books & gifts for inexpensive holiday giving. Everything I bought was $5.00 or less and I left with a bag full of goodies.
It is indeed fun to go to this place. I found a lot of awesome knick knacks. I wish my uncle was this fun then I would consider the bj he asked me for.
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So everyone and his or her uncle has reviewed Uncle Fun. Still, stopping by here is really a good time. I could peruse for hours and just giggle to myself. I usually buy a boatload of things I don't need but MUST HAVE for fear I will never come across them again. For instance, I once had to buy a "There's Always TIme for Jesus" clock. I thought it would really spruce up the ol' kitchen. Little did I know, Jesus' ticks were so noisy, I couldn't sleep! I guess Jesus REALLY wanted me to make time for him! Luckily, the clock made an excellent gift at my friends' annual White Elephant Party. . . until someone was offended (only mildly). Curses, Uncle Fun.
There are lots more PC (and un-PC of course) finds at Uncle Fun. Bring the whole dang family and you're sure to lug out a crap load of. . .well. . . CRAP (but crap in a good way)! Remember to snatch up those rare gems you may NEVER find again!
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Clerk: "What are you looking for...fake poo? We have that. There are a few kinds to choose from over there." Me: "Thanks, wasn't sure I would be able to find this shit anywhere."
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Uncle Fun rocks! If I ever want to go down memory lane to the early 80s when I was a snot nosed 2nd grader that was into holographic rainbows and pipecleaner bees and funky erasers, I come here. I swear I saw a Trapper Keeper once.
When my nephew was into spiderman, I found a life-sized blow-up Spiderman and got it for his 7th birthday. I think my sister was horrified that I bought him his first blow-up doll. Yeah, I'm his cool Aunt Jerry.
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This place is a cross between the old Woolworth's Five and Dime stores and Pee-Wee's Playhouse. I regularly go there around Christmas to find stocking stuffers. It is great for party favors and all-around silly stuff that you won't find anywhere else. It puts the catalog house Archee McPhee to shame. (Although it stocks a lot of Archee McPhee-type stuff too.) I love you Uncle Fun! Come and play with me!
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this is my favorite store in the city! it's fun to go alone or with a friend (or date). I always stock up on their cheap, strange postcards (6 for $1) and have found some pretty awesome books in the back area. This place is great for cheap, weird gifts. (I love sending disarticulated doll body parts to friends through the mail.) Also, the employees are wonderful. Friendly, helpful and funny, as you would expect from a place like this.
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