Toys R Yesterday: Reflecting on the Collapse America’s Greatest Toy Store

Brian Robert Marshall

Brian Robert Marshall / TOYS “Я” US (Toys R Us), Oxford Road, Swindon on Christmas Eve. The toy Giants final day was Friday, June 29th 2018.

If you were born in the 80s, 90s, or early 2000s, you remember the days of circling the “Christmas Wishlist” in the direct-to-mail Toys-R-Us Catalog. Long before the days of Wish or Amazon, kids all around the world woke up on Christmas morning to find Toys-R-Us products under a sparkling tree. It seems like just yesterday kids were running through the isles of the store of their dreams, picking out all the dolls, stuffed animals, and “Talking Elmos” they could reach. Although this was nearly a decade ago, kids all around the world still want quality toys, and their parents want them for the lowest price they can find. In the modern age of door delivery and Amazon, it’s hard to remember saving for a toy you saw on an infomercial. It’s hard to remember the Toys R Us jingle being played over the store’s loudspeakers. It’s hard to remember watching Geoffrey the Giraffe gaze at the sunset after a long day of play on TV commercials. Even though it is hard to remember these days, there was once a time where every child was a Toys-R-Us kid. So, although dear Geoffrey is now unemployed, although you may never hear that jingle in a store again, although the days of circling what your elementary school heart desired in a yearly catalog, the faint memories of being a Toys-R-Us kid still remain the same. So the next time you order something on your phone, remember the time when Geoffrey was your biggest hero, when Barbie was your closest friend, and when everything was much more simple than now.