The British have been renowned for their army, so it comes as no surprise that the British Toy Soldier Army would be of comparable glory. With over fifty soldiers in attendance, many who flew in from other countries, the magnificent British brigade marched through London with pride to spread the word of Steel in an annual event known as “The Great Grand British London Invasion”. The event was organized by Sir Jack of Blades, Monte, Carnal Commandant Krastus, Baron Andrew Von Jazz, and Sergeant Dutch, but every soldier in attendance did their part.
Beginning on a hot Saturday afternoon, soldiers shared leaflets with strangers and Steel-themed goodies with fellow soldiers, including temporary tattoos. From the grandest of pub-crawls to the most compact of phone booths, Toy Soldiers dispersed propaganda and cheer throughout the great city over the course of the day. They even taught tour guides and tourists alike a few things at the Imperial War Museum! Chinatown and Camden were also infected with the news of the impending Playland.
However, merely one day of revelry would not satiate this stupendous assembly. The invasion carried on for a second day, featuring bumper cars, a protest in Parliament Square, and a trip to every soldier’s joy: a toy store! Namely Hamleys, the largest toy store in all of London. Every Tonka truck and Barbie doll was envious of the Ugly doll and Dr. Steel’s dancing monkey, featured members of our Steelish group.
The grand invasion concluded at the Steam Engine with a viewing of the World Cup finals and plentiful libations. Participating soldiers report tremendous happiness and pride resulting from this invasion, as well as new recruits and new friends. Some soldiers even found new love. Reluctantly returning to their homes with a buzz of enthusiasm still going strong, soldiers basked in memories of the reportedly epic weekend with the certainty of its return in years to come.
