Murfeesboro Toy Company, Murfreesboro

Secret agents prowl the premises, peering through magnifying glasses at pop stars' fallen boa feathers and dusting pirates’ treasures for fingerprints before reporting their findings to a headquarters fortified with cupcakes. Murfreesboro Toy Company invites children to take on these and other imaginary personas within all-inclusive party packages. A team of party planners lead soirees for up to 12 guests, with themes such as Secret Agent Spy—complete with fingerprinting and decoding secret messages—and Pop Star Diva, whose commemorative music video zooms in on children wielding inflatable guitars and wearing feather boas and glittering makeup. Tables swathed in colorful cloths and dotted with coordinating flatware host feasts of pizza, cupcakes, and punch, and each guest departs with party favors such as bath gel or temporary tattoos. Murfreesboro Toy Company's cheerful storefront teems with whimsical and educational toys by Madame Alexander, Playmobil, and other brands. Selections include bathtub basketball hoops for toddlers, Fancy Nancy dolls, and solar-system floor puzzles to test school-age tykes' spatial skills and allegiance to heliocentrism.