A Madison institution.
Playthings is full of all sorts of toys, but not the awful flavor-of-the-week trendy crap. This is often the place you'll be able to find high quality, unusual options. They have a lot of child-positive options like Lottie dolls and don't cater much to the "for girls" or "for boys" crap. They just have lots of wonderful options for all children throughout the store. I always pop in here when I'm at Hilldale to have a look around as, even as an adult, there's always something fun to see!