The House of Fun — Local services in Barrington

Decided to check this place out after seeing someone post about it on Instagram and realizing how close to me it actually was, I figured why not drive up and check it out. They have a very large selection, which makes it a plus, however a lot of the items are just over priced, but there are people out there that are willing to pay that price. We just weren’t those people. A lot of the items do not have prices on them, so we found quite a few things we were interested in, so we decided to inquire about prices. When asked, the girl at the counter had to keep running out to someone who was outside in their Jeep to ask them, I assume the owner. Afterwards I decided to guess where the numbers came from so I opened EBay and typed that item in, and behold, the first highest priced item that popped up on eBay is the price we were told. I collect quite a few of these figures, when told the price on one I inquired about, I was told because “it’s the rare chase variant” but there was never a chase released of the figure, because I recall when the preorder came out for it, nowhere ever was there a mention of a chase, I just never ordered it but since I saw it there I thought I’d ask about it, I didn’t need it bad enough to pay 3 times more than the original online price. I was there to get a gift for someone also, so I told them to pick out a few things to see what the prices were on them, after being turned off by the numbers, we went to the mall where I let them pick out a few things, some the exact same thing that was in the house of fun, just for the normal retail price. I’d you’re a collector and looking for that certain item that’s hard to find, I’m sure they may have it, and I’m sure you’ll already be expecting to pay a hefty price for it, which is fine, there are people who will pay that. Just a lot of the normal funkos and other figures were much more overpriced that normal. The rest of the staff waking around in the back didn’t seem very friendly when waking by you, when people are in certain areas it can be kind of tight in the store, some manners from the staff would go a long way. Maybe I’ll give it another try around the holidays when Christmas shopping, but can’t guarantee.I would have loved to walk out of there with a few items and support the independent business, but I felt for the prices asked, I for sure was not getting my money worth, it’s worth checking out to see the collection, but again, when going to the mall and 5 below, I was able to find almost all of the things we asked about or looked at, just for a more reasonable price, I understand wanting to make a profit, but also realizing that being greedy won’t bring back...

I've been a loyal customer of the House of Fun for close to 20 years! I feel privilaged to have watched it grow out of it's original location in Oaklyn into the current location in Barrington, where it has blossomed into a full blown New Jersey destination! I cannot say enough positive things about the employees who work so hard and have so much passion for the world of collecting. Their knowledge is uncanny, and even if you come in looking for something obscure, you will be pleased to find that the staff will most likely know exactly what you are looking for. There is no nerd shaming here!! This is a safe environment for any and all, because the staff is just as much of a nerd about their collections as you are about yours, I guarantee it! Harley is especially knowledgeable about Manga, Anime, Pokemon, and gaming. Any time I have questions about Manga or Anime (not my strong suit) I know Harley will have to best recommendations and can explain all the stuff I don't understand. Josh knows more about comics, wrestling, MOTU, and gaming than I know about any one subject. It is unbelievable how much passion and love these 2 humans have for the collecting world. The owner, Chris takes so much pride in his business, and has such a love for collecting. He has the widest range of variety I've ever seen at a toy store. The volume of awesomeness is breathtaking! If you are looking for an overwhelming experience, whether it is for your own collection, or for your kids to enjoy, this place is like no other toy store you will ever encounter. Best toy store on the East Coast by far!! Please be understanding that not everything is priced. Anyone who is in the collecting world should understand that toys (especially collectables that are not "new") are in a market that is ever-changing, as things go up and down in value due to trends, popularity, and rarity. Please be kind and patient as they price items for you. Whether you collect cards, comics, toys, anime, statues, video games, horror, barbie, or funco pops....old, new, import, or domestic....this store has literally everything you can possibly...

We been going here for over a year and cant understand how the guy that works there still has a job considering the fact he himself said he hated the job and customers and how he’s just showing up and collecting a paycheck. He’s the opposite of an obnoxious comic book guy. He hates everything about his job, the store, the merch,the videos playing and most of all the customers AND he doesn’t hold back when he’s trama dumping on you about how miserable he is at his job. Then again the owner isn’t much nicer so I don’t expect top notch customer service when we go there. Every single thing we showed even the slightest bit of excitement for he had something negative to say about it. I was excited about the vintage Star Wars and Star Trek. Instead of giving me any kind of information to sell me on buying vintage Mego Dolls. Instead I got a 10 minute lesson on why he hated them. Funkos? You guessed it! He hated them too! When I told him go to cons to meet and get them autographed. He not only hated going to cons but he hated the people we met the most. I got to the point where he was just so insufferable I had to leave the room. We did notice he was slightly less rude to the male customers but still had to let one guy know how much of a PITA it was to climb the ladder to check a price but unfortunately he couldn't let customers climb it themselves. The stuff they sell that does have prices are priced way to high and if it doesn’t have a price on it don’t worry. The guy will look it up on EBay and give you a price based on what people are trying to sell it for online. We decided recently that there’s way more places to check out in NJ to keep going to this place with their atrocious attitudes and customer service. I rather go get belittled by an obnoxious comic book at...