Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois

If you drive or walk past the Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois, you’ll probably do a double take. That’s what happened to me the first time I went past. “What is that?” I squealed in delight at the giant yellow door with a giant silver knob and a giant green and purple monster peeking through the window pane.

Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois | A giant yellow door with a monster peeking out the window in the West Loop

That is the big yellow door that belongs to Big Monster Toys, a company that creates, invents, designs, prototypes, and licenses all kinds of wonderful games and toys for companies such as Mattel, Fisher Price, Goliath, and Hasbro. If you’ve played with toys, you’ve probably played with one of the creations they came up with for the likes of Polly Pocket, UNO, Barbie, Disney, and more.

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago

The Big Monster Door makes for a fantastic photo opp when walking through the West Loop of Chicago. But it often leaves visitors wondering, “what’s behind that door?” As a private business, the inside is usually off limits to visitors and if you try to ring the bell on the adjacent human-sized door, you’ll be sent away.

Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois | A giant yellow door with a monster peeking out the window in the West Loop

But, one weekend a year, at Open House Chicago, the company opens its doors, big and small, for the public to step inside see what lies beyond the monster.

Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois | A giant yellow door with a monster peeking out the window in the West Loop

Open House Chicago is an annual architecture festival where buildings all across the city, many of which are usually closed to visitors, welcome people inside. Everything from giant skyscrapers to small churches to Chicago castles participate, and this toy company is among them. So, what’s inside Big Monster Toys? Well, it’s just as wonderful inside as it is outside.

Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago

If Santa had a workshop in Chicago, this would be it. There’s a big caboose-shaped kitchen in the middle of the floor. A giant giraffe towers above. A building-wide elevated train set loops around. A full-sized Toys R Us sign lights up a passageway. An elliptical conference room looks like it came straight out of a movie set. And every desk and every surface is covered in a myriad of toys, toys, and more toys.

Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago

What’s the most fun secret you’ll find inside Big Monster Toys? The back of the monster! In a small waiting room at the front of the building you can see the big purple monster in full, scaling the wall and a tower of oversized building blocks reading BMT (the company’s initials and original name) and watching out the Big Monster Door at all the visitors taking selfies below.

Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago

More Photos of the Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys

Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois | A giant yellow door with a monster peeking out the window in the West Loop
Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois | A giant yellow door with a monster peeking out the window in the West Loop
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago
Inside Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois at Open House Chicago

Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys

Address: Big Monster Toys, 21 South Racine, Chicago, IL. 60607
Cost: Free to See
Hours: The door is visible 24/7, the office is closed to the public


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The Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys is a giant yellow door with a big green and purple monster peeping through. Inside, it's like Santa's workshop. Visit this weird roadside attraction on a Illinois road trip or Chicago vacation or weekend getaway. Add it to your travel bucket list of things to do in Illinois! 
#IllinoisRoadsideAttractions #IllinoisRoadsideAttraction #RoadsideAttractions #RoadsideAttraction #RoadTrip #IllinoisRoadTrip #WeirdRoadsideAttractions #RoadTripStops #Chicago
The Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys is a giant yellow door with a big green and purple monster peeping through. Inside, it’s like Santa’s workshop. Visit this weird roadside attraction on a Illinois road trip or Chicago vacation or weekend getaway. Add it to your travel bucket list of things to do in Illinois!

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Valerie Bromann

Founder & ROad Trip Expert

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book, she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

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Last modified: May 15, 2022
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The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.