If you couldn’t get enough of Home Alone on Christmas Eve, the good news is that the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York is heading to screens on Christmas Day.
The movie’s airing on Channel 4 just 24 hours after they screened the 1990 original – with Macaulay Culkin reprising the role of Kevin McAllister, who this time is separated from his family during a festive trip to the Big Apple.
And this film is of course the one with the scene in which Kevin ends up at the toy store of dreams, Duncan’s Toy Chest.
It certainly looks like a real toy store – but does it actually exist in real life and can you visit it?
Here’s what you need to know…
Is the toy shop in Home Alone 2: Lost In New York real?
Here’s the bad news. Duncan’s Toy Chest sadly does not exist – and in fact it wasn’t even filmed in New York.
In fact, the scenes set in the toy shop were actually shot in Chicago, with the exterior of the store being the Rookery Building – a historic landmark in the city that’s also been in such movies as The Untouchables.
As for the inside of the store, where Kevin is gifted a pair of ceramic turtle doves?
That was filmed at Chicago’s Uptown Theatre – which has also been featured in movies including I Love Trouble and Backdraft.
Was the toy shop in Home Alone 2 inspired by a real shop?
The answer to that is yes it was – with the real-life toy store FAO Schwarz serving as the inspiration for Duncan’s.
FAO Schwarz’s is the oldest toy store in the US, having originally opened in Baltimore in 1862 before moving to New York in 1870, and operating in several locations – most notably on its Fifth Avenue site where it remained for 55 years.
The brand filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and permanently closed its Fifth Avenue store in 2015 – but a new branch has since re-opened in New York at Rockerfeller Plaza.
The store famously featured in Tom Hanks’ 1988 box office hit Big, when he and co-star Robert Loggia dance on the store’s giant dance-on piano.
When is Home Alone 2: Lost In New York on TV?
The film is on Channel 4 on Christmas Day at 4.55pm.
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