I enjoyed all of your website with the many photographs. I did take some pictures with my children - perhaps you may want to take a look. Let me know.

I remember going here as a kid and it was always a lot of fun. To this day, I still get asked about it, even though, to the best of my knowledge, we aren't related.

i loved this place every friday in the early 70s me an a friend go there buy 2 ho slot cars an 2 pcs of track oh how i miss that place bought many slot cars from there

Yes I rember my Dad buying Lionel Trains in 1963. The back wall had a huge artwork on Lionel Trains. Several years ago my daughter played Gems softball with one of the granddaughters in Westomt.

My grandmother was a Dispensa. Not sure how she was related to the Dispensas of the Castle of Toys. I remember visiting the castle in my childhood, and knowing there was some family connection. No discounts though. :)

I remembered Kiddie Kingdom while watching a commercial of people purchasing Christmas Tree's.....my Dad would take me here and I would just awe at all the things.....its wonderful all the work put into this site....and thank you for all the wonderful memories!

I remember Mom taking me there when I was a kid growing up on the south side of Chicago....Mom's gone but the memories are still alive!!! Thanks for your hard work...

I remember my dad buying model train hobby stuff from the building in front where the future castle of toys was to be built.

thanks for the site. Do you have any pictures of inside the castle and the toys store? I would also love to see pictures of the inside, of the little fun house that was in the back corner.

I have great childhood memories of Kiddie Kingdom!!

I have never been to your store . But I remember your commercials on TV. When I was a kid it made me feel so good inside and made me so anxious about xmas. I to this day sing that commercial jingle in my head. Crazy huh. Dont care . Makes me still smile.and remember my child hood. Thanks

Wow, I never realized the castle was around that long (opened one year before I was born). We used to go there for my friend's parties all the time. Thanks for the great site and the memories.

ive often wondered what happened to the train that ran at the kingdom. i remember helping build the line when i worked for the dispensas

What a wonderful website and collection. I had completely forgotten about Dispensa's. Thanks for the memories and all your hard work.

I remember Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom and the Castle of Toys so vividly. Very fond memories. Thanks for this site!!

what a great trip down memory lane!! thank you for posting all this fun stuff!!

Great place to visit. I was told that before there was Toys-R-Us that Dispensas was the largest purchaser from Parker Brothers than anyone else in the country at that time. Impressive! Too bad things like this disappear. Thanks for eveything...

We would go there everyday

GOD I loved this place

Lots of fun and fond memories.

What a great site! Thank you for the memories!

WOW! This is just amazing and brought back a flood of memories. What I wouldn't do to be able to go back in time and visit the Castle of Toys and take a ride on the Mite Mouse roller coaster just one more time. So many great memories with my brother and sister here that will never be forgotten. Thank you Dispensa's for years of fun that will last a lifetime.

A bunch of great memories flooded within me when I was looking at all the pictures and listening to the commercials. I remember going to Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom when I was little, my grandparents took my brothers and I a few times a summer. I remember that the train ride was always the last ride we went on and we went on as a family. Looking at this website brought me back to when fun didn't cost your whole paycheck and everyone left with a smile. Thank you so much.

Thanks for the memories! My parents used to take myself and sisters to Kiddie Kingdom when we lived in Oak Forest, IL. Thanks!

Wow! What a GREAT trip down memory lane...when the commercial jingle came on I immediately remembered all the words and sang along, as I did as a child growing up in Elmhurst. I always pleaded with my parents to take me to Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom and Castle of Toys; unfortunately it was never enough and I was so sorry to see it gone. I'm so happy to have found this treasure-of-a-website to return to for sharing happy memories. Thank you!

I was born and raised in Elmhurst. I remember Kiddie Kingdom well. Although I didn't get many chances to go there, I really do remember the times that I did. What a great website this is. Thank you so much for these memories.

This web site rocks. My family had so many wonderful times here. The toy Castle was so much better than Toys R Us. You really felt like you were wlking into a real castle once you went over the draw bridge and the mote. My Dad would take me here to buy H/O trains and all kinds of other stuff for our rail road track. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this web site!!!!!!

What a great site! I'm writing a book about vintage parks (that still exist) across the U.S. and it's such a treat to be able to take a trip down Memory Lane with your site, to see this small, delightful park again in its heyday. Great job!

I went there in my Childhood, I lived in: Elmhurst, IL. Growing up, my folks & I didn't have much money, this was: 'Poor Mans WDW/WDL'/ Heaven On Earth. Thank-You for a Tribute To My Youth !!

WOW! What an awesome trip down memory lane! I loved Kiddie Kingdom so much as a child! Fantastic memories! Thank you for this site!

Just found this after a classmate posted the youtube commercial on FB! I grew up in Elmhurst, and had many birthday parties here, loved it! And thought the toy store was the most amazing place! I was there the day the restaurant "the Flame" burnt down in OBT-I watched the whole thing from the top of the ferris wheel! Thanks for the memory trip!

Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful pictures. I grew up in Hillside and my mom and dad used to take my brothers and I here. So many good memories!!!!!

Wow!! Don't even know why I was thinking about the old Kiddie Kingdom or the Castle of Toys, but low and behold when I googled Dispensa's this website appeared. Thanks for putting up this website. Seeing the pictures brought back a lot of memories of my childhood. With so many things from our youth disappearing, its nice to see someone take the time to put something like this together! Unbelievable flash-back going to the castle with my grandfather when I was little in the early 70's...I also remember all of the train stuff you sold in the back corner. Kiddie Kingdom was always an in-expensive way to spend a saturday afternoon..Thanks again and keep the memories alive!

I loved this place. I only went there a few times but it was a GREAT part of my childhood. This sie evoked many happy memories. Thank you for putting this site up.

I too was a ride operator, worked on setting up rides with john sr. John and I setup the scrambler together. Helped with the setup of the kiddie park. Worked the Grand Opening of the Kiddie Park. Best memory doing a complete tear down of Dupage Fair and completely setting up Kane County Fair in one day. Great times and enjoyed the company.

I remember going to Kiddie Kingdom when we were little! We lived in Streamwood, but my grandma lived in Villa Park. My mom went to grandmas house every Friday. I remember begging to go to Kiddie Kingdom every time we drove by it! Every once in a while they would suprise us and actually take us there!!! I so remember riding the train (I loved that train)! And the boats in the water- another fav! And those swings and mini scrambler!! Also loved the storybook ride. I loved this place! Nothing like pulling up to those huge toy soldiers on the front of the building!!! I will never forget Kiddie Kingdom!!!

I worked as a Ride Operator the summer of 1980. Seeing the pictures brings back a lot of great memories! Thanks!

i rember all the storys the family whould tell me about the place and the family. my grandma is a dispensa her name is rose and she is a relative of the dispensa she worked in the shoe store with her father. it i nice to see something like this so i can learn more about my family thank you

This is a great web page!! My kids always enjoyed going there....actually I loved playing the games and the ice cream shop! Thanks for all the memories!!!

I remember all the fun I had at Kiddie Kingdom. It was a decent price and when there are a lot of kids, price is important. I also have the Shirley Temple doll and Lacey doll from the castle. They are very old and precious to me.So thank you for all the great memories Kiddie Kingdom.