The ‘Dino Trading Post’ offers unique toy swap for dinosaur lovers

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (InvestigateTV) -A five-year-old is bringing dinosaur enthusiasts together from across St. Louis.

Mylo Mundwiller’s ‘Dino Trading Post’ sits along Galena Court in south St. Louis County and started as a way to bring toys home, without purchasing them brand new.

“They always want something new, a new toy,” said Maggie Mundwiller. “It’s just not realistic to get something new every time.”

So Mundwiller found a workaround she said, creating a trading post full of her son’s favorite dinosaurs.

“I thought, we can trade,” she said. “It’s not all about getting something new every single time, things that are used and loved by other people can be loved by you.”

The trading post started by setting several dinosaurs on top of the storm drain near their home.

Mundwiller would post in several area Facebook groups about the effort, which would bring people out with their children to trade some of their older toys for something new.

“For Christmas, Santa brought a little bookcase for them,” she said. “So then we were able to keep it stocked and out during all times of the year.”

On Thursday evening, Melissa Burrell and her daughter, Millie, visited the trading post for the second time.

“It’s so fun to have a chance to go and trade our dinosaurs, so anytime we get bored of a dinosaur at home, we can come over here and find a new one,” said Burrell.

Mundwiller said she hopes to partner with a local business to host a large-scale toy swap for children in the area, expanding outside of Mylo’s beloved dinosaurs.

“When he wakes up, before he goes to bed, when we come home from school, when we’re at his grandma and grandpa’s house and we come home...the first thing we do is check the Dino Trading Post,” she said. “It’s been a really nice way for he and I to get to know the community.”

Mundwiller said while Mylo gets first pick of newly dropped off dinosaurs with the trading post near his house, there is one rule.

“Our rule is if he wants a new dinosaur from the trading post, he has to give up one from his own collection and place it in there,” she laughed. “It teaches some good life skills while being fun, too.”