(Photo: Brad Paris)

What kind of parent shops here?
Designers or photographers who live in the meatpacking district or Brooklyn. They’re kind of big kids themselves. My favorite is this one guy who buys all the Gloomy Bear stuff for his daughter. It’s a teddy bear that has blood coming out of his mouth, but it’s baby pink. So it’s still girlie but not so—

Patronizing?
Yeah. A lot of stuff here has a very local, subversive sense of humor. One guy was shopping for his nephew, and I suggested the Andy Warhol bananas—three-foot-long pillows that unzip. They’re so cool. He said it wouldn’t be so cool coming from the gay uncle.

Do adults buy toys, too?
There’s a very chic woman in her late fifties who has a huge collection. When she comes in, she’s like, Oh, my God! I love that elephant with the ice cream smashed on his face!

Why do adults surround themselves with figurines?
I consider it to be fine art, just in larger editions. It has something to do with the fact that for a really long time contemporary art hasn’t taken itself so seriously.

Are you an artist?
I’m a photographer. Much of my work is based on memories of childhood. Today, in the store, we’re watching the original Batman, and I’m looking at the super-low-tech Batcave with its flashing buttons and painted-cardboard Super Molecular Dust Separator and getting tons of ideas.

Related:

• Archive: “Ask Shop Girl”
• Articles by Denise Penny
• Table of Contents: May 8, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!