This is a tribute to the former toy giant that captured many of our hearts.
This is a tribute to the toy giant, including our picks for Top 10 Memories of Toys ‘R’ Us that we’ll miss! Thank you for all the fond memories and toys growing up!
“Once a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid, always a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid”
How It Began
Charles Lazarus was the founder of Toys ‘R’ Us, he opened his first store ‘Children’s Bargin Town’ in Washington, D.C. in 1948. The baby furniture store didn’t do well, so he started selling toys and it was a success which inspired his path forward.
In 1957, almost a decade later, Lazarus renamed the company to Toys ‘R’ Us and created the first ever big-box toy store. Later, he opened a second store in New Jersey which became its headquarter. His business approach was different than every toy store at that time which were much smaller and ran like mom-and-pop shops. Lazarus was able to capitalize by buying toys in bulk at a cheaper price. Television was also starting to make its way into more homes which helped pushed sales and demands for toy merchandises. This was the era where iconic toys arrived to the scene such as Mr Potato Head, Mattel Barbies, Magic 8 ball, Hula hoop, Slinky, Frisbee, Matchbox cars, and Dollhouses just to name a few.
Photo By Rusty Blazenhoff
In 1973, Geoffrey the Giraffe had reached celebrity status when he starred in his first commercial. He could be seen with hundreds of excited kids dancing through the streets. Geoffrey was re-designed to be more life-like by the original creator of Dr.G.Raffe and renamed “Geoffrey” by a Toys ‘R’ Us sales associate.
In 1978, Toys ‘R’ Us went public, and was available on the Stock Exchange. Around that time, the toy industry was roughly valued at $500 million.
In the 80s, the famous Toys ‘R’ Us jingle had a theme about kids not wanting to grow up and Toys ‘R’ Us had launched a worldwide presence when stores opened in Canada and Singapore. The company also introduced Kids “R” Us which sold children’s clothing in 1983.
During the 90s, Toys ‘R’ Us reached the top of its peak controlling about 25-30% of the world’s toy market which was worth over $12 billion in 1990. There were over 20,000 different toys sold in 1,450 locations around the world. This was the time when video games were on the rise introducing Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Gameboy along with WWE (previously WWF) action figures, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Super Soakers and Pogs.
In 1994, Lazarus stepped down as CEO. This was the start of a new era with e-commerce, online shopping and big retailers who could slash more prices.
In 1996, Babies ‘R’ Us was born.
In 1998, Walmart beats Toys ‘R’ Us for the title of Top Toy Seller in the US for the very first time.
In 2003, Kids ‘R’ Us stores closed after 20 years.
In attempt to compete with it’s online competition, Toys R Us purchased EToys.com, Toys.com, and toy retailers KB Toys and FAO Schwarz in 2009.
Finally, on June 29, 2018, Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us officially closed its doors.
Store Closing in 2018
In March 2018, Toys ‘R’ Us sadly announced they will be closing its remaining 800 stores after 70 plus years in business. Many were hopeful it could be salvage by some investor or perhaps some sort of downsizing strategy. However, as time inch toward its last day on June 29th, the giant retailer’s fate was clear as it would suffer the same fate its past competitors faced. The toy giant had reached billion dollars in debt, and did not have the flexibility to innovate such as upgrading its stores to keep up with the likes of Walmart and Target, or even improve its website to compete with Amazon. This ultimately led to their demise and nationwide store closing.
It was “Special”
There’s no denying Toys ‘R’ Us was special. Toys ‘R’ Us was the true definition of a toy mecca that was built on every kid’s dreams. There are moments in life which you can treasure, and for many of us, it would be a childhood memory involving Toys ‘R’ Us in one way or another. It’s difficult not to get excited when walking into the store, parents made excuses that their child is the reason for their visit and it even became a regular outing for families.
As you pull up to the store, there’s always the sense of excitement. The kids would pierce through the glass windows with anticipation of leaving the store with a toy.
When entering through the glass doors, you are immediately greeted with assortment of toys stocked on every shelf. The store perimeters are carefully organized in no particular order but by gender, toy brand and age group. Each section of the store was devoted to toys name brands such as Legos, Imaginarium, Nerf, Power Wheel, and VTech. Then there were endless aisles of board games, outdoor toys, and also video games. And the ride-on aisles are where many bicycle, wagons, roller skates, skateboards and ride-on selections were on display. The variety of selection between bicycles and Power Wheel ride-ons were plentiful. Often times, you will find children taking the toys for a test ride. The aisles were wide enough where you could have done a few laps without an issue.
High above the shelves were colorful imprints of toy promotions and countless pictures of
Geoffrey the Giraffe throughout the store. For those with babies, Babies ‘R’ Us is probably one of the “go-to” stores for all your baby needs. They had everything from food, diapers, beds, rocking chairs to car seats and strollers.
Needless to say, walking through the entire store was a experience in itself. Toys ‘R’ Us wasn’t just for kids, a Toys ‘R’ Us kid could be anyone including parents, uncles, aunts, and even grandparents. Adults who walked the stores will always remember themselves as a child running through the aisles as their hearts raced and pumped with excitement seeing all the toys…now that was magical.
Top 10 Memories of Toys ‘R’ Us That We’ll Miss
1) Geoffrey the Giraffe
Who can forget Geoffrey the Giraffe? His presence was felt and visible throughout the store. He was our favorite beloved mascot who captured the heart of many children and has arguably the same charisma as Santa, especially around Christmas. Through the years, Geoffrey had evolved but remained popular among children and adults. You will be missed Geoffrey! Though there’s rumors that he may become the Ambassador at the San Antonio Zoo soon.
Image adapted from original, original source unknown
2) Toys! Toys! Toys!
There may never be another toy store quite like Toys ‘R’ Us. With every toy imaginable under one roof, “they got millions toys at Toys ‘R’ Us…”. Admittingly it was hard to resist leaving the store empty handed. Every square foot was occupied by some toy desired; there were aisles dedicated to Imaginarium, NERF, Disney, Lego, Barbie and the list goes on!
3) The Jingle and Commercials
How can we forget this famous jingle?- “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid”. Many of us still remember the jingle as adults since it had a nostalgic ring to it! The commercial was just as good and represents how most of us feel when we walk into the store…growing up is hard to do. Here are three of the original vintage commercials from the 80’s and 90s. The second commercial was a classic where Toys ‘R’ Us revisited an old commercial where the kids have managed to grow up and still be a Toys ‘R’ Us kid.
4) Toys ‘R’ Us – Gift Certificate Geoffrey Dollars & Gift Cards
In the 80’s and 90s, there was the Gift Certificate Money (also known as “Geoffrey Dollars”). Just like real dollars, they were available in singles, fives, tens, and twenties. Having Geoffrey dollars to spend made shopping more fun while stocking up the shopping cart with toys! It is one of the few things kids wouldn’t trade up for candy.
5) Toys ‘R’ US Catalog Ad
6) In-Store Character Meet-And-Greets
7) Geoffrey’s Birthday Club
As part of the birthday club, kids celebrated with Geoffrey on/around their birthday at a local Toys ‘R’ Us. It started with a special recognition by a personalize announcement that is broadcast to the entire store. Then the day continued with story time and the kids received gifts such as the “The Legend of Geoffrey” book, crown, balloon and a Geoffrey plush doll! Along with all these goodies, the children would dance to Geoffrey’s birthday song in a conga line around the store!
Your child would also have received a phone call from Geoffrey himself and a birthday card with a gift until the child member turned 10 years old.
Members were also automatically entered in the birthday sweepstakes where they had a chance to free trips and shopping spree!
8) Toy Events
Toys ‘R’ Us always knew how to draw a crowd. They often held events for kids of all ages. Those events gave kids the opportunity to have fun at their local toy store and receive free giveaways while there! The best part about it is that it was free requiring no registration, kids would just show up with an adult to participate. We’re definitely going to miss these events. Some of the popular events included Lego building which they sponsored mini-building events. Others include Star Wars, Pokemon card trading, and holiday seasonal events.
9) The Christmas Shopping Experience
It was a special time of year where many spent countless hours at Toys ‘R’ Us. With so many items on sale, you could easily find your shopping list growing at the store. As Christmas Eve drew closer, there were sale signs everywhere and store hours were extended to accommodate last minute shoppers! Toys ‘R’ Us will be surely missed around that time of year. Christmas will no longer be the same as many will flock to retailers with smaller toy selections and online shopping.
10) Toys ‘R’ Us Staff
Last but not least, those friendly staff members who were always very helpful. This goes to show how much the company cares about their customers and employees. Based on the response from Toynity team, we all were fortunate to have no bad memories dealing with any of the Toys ‘R’ Us staff. Many of them often went out their way to help disassemble toys or unpack them patiently while you load them into your car. A special big thank you for making our shopping experience great!
We will all miss you Toys ‘R’ Us and Thank you for all the special memories!
Geoffrey the Giraffe pictured here before leaving an empty Toys ‘R’ Us store.
Random Photos
Links To Other Tributes or Mentions of Toys ‘R’ Us
This Sad Version Of The Toys ‘r’ Us Theme Might Help You Mourn
Today is the last day Toys “R” Us is open, and the goodbye tweets are so sad
6 Beloved Toys ‘r’ Us Traditions And Memories That We’ll Really Miss
We asked for your Toys ‘R’ Us memories. Hundreds of you replied.
The end of Toys ‘R’ Us: Photos show empty shelves as people share memories of beloved store
This Picture of Geoffrey the Giraffe Waving Goodbye Is Upsetting Lots of Toys ‘R’ Us Kids
We’re sure there were things you felt like we’ve missed. Please share with us in the comments section what your favorite Toys ‘R’ Us memory is!
Check out our picks for the latest top toys trending!
Toynity’s Top Trending Toys in 2020
Other Photo Credits:
Charles Lazarus – Photo By Wikimedia Commons
Toys “R” Us Christmas supplement, 1972 – Photo By Rusty Blazenhoff
Toys “R” Us Miami (Barbie)- Photo By Phillip Pessar
Babies”R”Us Inside Toys”R”Us Miami – Photo By Phillip Pessar
Toys “R” Us Miami (Shopping Cart)- Photo By Phillip Pessar
Toys R Us, Corbin’s Corner West Hartford Farmington – Photo By Mike Mozart
Toys R Us, Corbin’s Corner West Hartford Farmington (Nerf) – Photo By Mike Mozart
Toys R Us, Corbin’s Corner West Hartford Farmington (Tonka) – Photo By Mike Mozart
Toys R Us, Manhattan, New York – Photo By Carlos Matilla
Toys R Us Black Friday Ad Scan – Page 1 – Photo By Julie & Heidi
Toys R Us Great Big Toy Book 2011 – Page 1 – Photo By Julie & Heidi
Toys R Us, Brent Cross, 21:45, 14 December – Photo By Steve Bowbrick
Toys for Tots Troop 12/12/09 – Photo By Mike Bryan
Toys “R” Us (Waterford, Connecticut) – Photo By JJBers
Toys “R” Us going out of business – Photo By Dan Keck
“I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m a Toys R Us Kid”- Photo By Robert S
Toys R Us Hialeah Florida Closing Sale – Photo By Phillip Pessar
I miss Toys R Us just as much as this article! Great job!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for visiting us Nikki!