Mondieu Reviews

by Nikita Weymann on August 12th, 2014

1jackmondieu

Not Just for Kids

Gamaliel’s Vintage Toys & Dolls
French Market, New Toulouse

You may know Mr. Gamaliel as the person who cracked the radio code and who, together with his wife Arijah Ankh Khalid-Zyn, operates Ravenwood Arts & Curios on Shotgun Row. He can be seen around town in various elaborate costumes. Now he has a new venture: a toy shop in the French Market district. Since was giving away free popcorn, naturally I had to take a look.

Why open a toy store in New Toulouse? He and his wife recently made a wooden doll for a little girl who visited Ravenwood. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life,” said Gamaliel. “Some good, some bad, and some … well, we’re not gonna go there. But it felt good making that doll—to know that someone will enjoy the hard work put into it. It also reminded me of my dad. When I was little, he carved me a wooden toy boat. It was probably the best gift I ever got from my old man, who lathed fine furniture by hand. So in a way, it was like living that all over again.”
gama1
Gamaliel has in stock a fine selection of handmade jigsaw puzzles with pictures of local scenery. He also sells toy planes and is giving away a special New Toulouse version as a gift. “It’s made of a really thin, lightweight strip of wood. The propeller is wound tightly by a flexible band that makes the propeller move, so when you toss it, it flies like the real thing. On my travels I met one of the Schweizer brothers, who was exhibiting a glider prototype. This is the best I could replicate it, but I figured I’d make it look like a biplane.”

Toys aren’t just for kids, he says. “I once was playing with a toy car at a general store in Chicago, moving it back and forth, chuckling to myself. The owner came over and said, ‘Aren’t you too old to be playing with that toy?’ I laughed and said you are never too old to play with toys. He smirked and said, ‘I beg to differ,’ before he fumbled off, muttering to himself. I felt bad for the guy, because he was a miserable guy. From what I heard, he passed a few weeks later. In this world today, filled with the revolution of the steel industry and the possibility that anything can happen, it is ridiculous to believe that one can’t stop to have some fun, be it socializing or playing with a toy boat.”

He pointed to a machine by the door. “I have been to Look What the Cat Dragged In, and I saw the same type of machine, filled with all sorts of trinkets and jewels. So I found one and decided to run a bit of a different promotion with it. In this machine is a bunch of toys—some common, some rare, some prizes off the shelf, some you will only find in the gacha. But here’s the kicker: I am putting in lucky horseshoes. You might be thinking, big whoop, you can go and get horseshoes from Pazzo. But if you get one of these, it will act as a voucher, if you wish to trade it in for an item in the store. Bronze will be worth L$25, silver L$100, and gold a whopping L$250. Also, I accidentally got a shipment from Paris of these small wooden dolls, which I put in the gacha machine. I call them booby prizes. You’ll probably laugh when you see them.”
gama2
The shop’s grand opening was postponed by the hurricane and subsequent flooding, but a day later I noticed the boards gone from the shop and a sign inviting custom. From the safety of the Cafe du Jour coffee boat, I saw Gamaliel wading in the water, inspecting damage and replacing toys along the shelves. Why on earth, I asked him, aren’t you taking shelter from the flood?

“You know,” he said, “this flood really isn’t that bad. Sure, we’ve had some really strong wind and are knee-deep in water, but that hasn’t stopped anyone else in New Toulouse from going about their daily lives, so it ain’t gonna stop me. We have a motto from Chicago: Early bird gets the worm. The man who said that to us became Chicago’s top guy—also Chicago’s most notorious guy. So instead of just saying it, I’m going to practice it. Flood or not.”

So is this your grand opening?

“No, sir, this is just the early bird opening. A preview of things to come. The grand opening will come later.” The disaster has delayed a shipment of Dracaena reflexa wood from the Ivory Coast for the making of dolls.

I suggested that he either had smarts or a death wish.

“When you’ve seen some of these things I have, it will harden you to things like death. But this isn’t about death,” he said, “it’s about having something to do to take your mind off the present so that it doesn’t affect you as much. Yes, it is serious, but everyone needs a break from the stress, whether it’s playing a game of horseshoes on the third floor of Doc’s hospital or doing one of the wood puzzles at Liza’s place.”
gama3
And unexpectedly, Gamaliel found his horseshoes to be quite useful against the zombies that washed into the city during the storm. “Not as effective as my typewriter, but they pack a wallop.”


Jack Mondieu is a child at heart but an old man at liver.

Comments are closed.