Celebrities Promotional Place
Being one of the most famous toy stores in America, Toys"R"Us had also encountered several celebrity appearances at their stores. One such thing happened when the 90s popular girl band ‘Destiny’s Child’ decided to take a break from their regular musical life and showed up at its Times Square branch out of nowhere.
As per ‘Sioux City Journal,’ it was a kind of publicity stunt by the singers who visited there to show off the dolls whose creation was inspired by them. Certainly, it must have been a lucky day for those who randomly stopped over at that shop for a quick purchase and ended up meeting these beauties.
When Things Were Better
For decades, Toys"R"Us was among the most popular and successful toy stores in the world, and this image, taken in 2001, is proof of that. The chain's executives and Geoffrey the giraffe all posed for a happy photo, but sadly, they didn't know of the hard time laying ahead that was coming towards them.
Everyone is smiling, and what makes it hilarious is seeing Geoffrey wearing a top hat while standing among the top brass of the company. Even then, they were living in the moment, and we bet when some of them look at the picture, a wave of nostalgia rushes through them.
Scary SpongeBob
Many of us love the SpongeBob cartoon series, it made our childhood enjoyable, but it seems this young girl doesn't share the same sentiment. Judging by the expression on her face, she looks worried about the appearance of the SpongeBob SquarePants toys, with one looking back at his ripped pants and the other sporting some scary eyes while playing the guitar.
Given how weird the figurines look, we don't blame the girl for picking Furby instead. That's real worry and fear in her eyes, and we wonder, did the store sell all SpongeBob playthings? We wouldn't mind owning a couple.
The Toy Hunt
Going to the toy stores like Toys"R"Us was a nightmare for many parents, as they would have to stand in long lines, waiting to get their children's favorite toys. The wait was always worth it, though, when they got back home, and they saw the joy on their kids' faces.
In the busy aisles of one store, this woman got spotted walking down the Star Wars section and what we don't know is if she's on the phone confirming the suitable toy to get her family, or is she one of the employees who's talking with her coworker on the walkie-talkie. Hopefully, she got what she was looking for.
Celebs Love It
If you thought that only children are fans of toys, then this picture of Christina Aguilera might change your mind. The acclaimed singer was spotted in a Toys"R"Us store doing her shopping, and while it isn't clear what she exactly got, it is refreshing to know that even she gets some figurines!
Considering that she was on the 'WWE' franchise aisle, it could be that she was purchasing some action figures from her favorite wrestling stars. Whatever the case, with the amount of money she has from her music and acting endeavors, the lass can afford any toy she wants.
Honk! Power Wheels On The Way!
In 1992, Power Wheels were the toy of the year and we don't think there was any child who didn't have these wheels back then. As such, it wasn't surprising to see people thronging the toy stores to get their hands on the playthings, and that's when this image got taken.
While the drivers look like grown people making their way through traffic, you might notice something peculiar if you look on the second level. There seems to be an actual child in one of the cars, and if that's genuinely the case, how did she manage to get up there has got us scratching our heads.
A Tall Hug
We all get excited when we see things that we have longed for, for a while, and it seems like this guy might be over the moon by just being at the Toys"R"Us store. On the other hand, it could be that he is also happy to see the giraffe among the other toys, and he just had to go in for an embrace.
Either way, it makes for a hilariously strange image; being caught hugging the mascot with a huge smile on your face is bound to raise some eyebrows. Yet, as the saying goes, we only live once, and the young man is undoubtedly letting his inner child come to the fore.
Superman To The Rescue
When you first step into ant Toys"R"Us store, you'll be met with real-life-sized display sets, which we must say were brilliant pieces of creation. Take this Superman figurine, for example, which looks like he is saving the people on the checkout aisles from impending danger.
The superhero's doing his job, holding the colossal truck hanging from the ceiling and given the angle, anyone passing below would feel amazed at how it all came together. When it came to displaying sets, the franchise indeed didn't mess about, and they knew how to get it right while at the same time attracting people to their shops.
Cheap Poker Chips
When the Toys"R"Us store closed its doors and had to get rid of its stock, they had to reduce the prices of their toys. Nothing was spared, and even in the empty aisles like the ones in this picture, the poker chips were going for a discounted price, and still, no one was buying them.
That is a sad state of affairs for a mart that was super popular with people from all walks of life, which in the end, saw everything look disorganized. Hopefully, they managed to sell every toy they had stocked, to avoid incurring massive losses.
Giraffe Selfie
With the onset of gadgets that have front-facing cameras, it's expected that many people get selfies with their families and friends at whatever chance they get, but one can add to the list a giraffe. No, not the wild giraffe found at the zoo or the national parks, but the one at the Toys"R"Us store.
This woman couldn't resist the urge to take a picture with Geoffrey, the giraffe at the Times Square store, and by the looks of it, both of them were enjoying the moment. Also, is it a coincidence that the visitor is also holding a toy giraffe?
We Shall Always Want Toys
Anyone who visited the Toys"R"Us stores knows how strange they were, with aisles full of toys. Yet, the place was a treasure trove for all toy lovers where could get anything they wanted, like these two who decided to fill their trolley with 'Star Wars' figurines.
It all makes sense considering that the picture was taken in 1999 when the prequel to the film was released, and the couple didn't hold back getting all the action figures and pod racers that they could. While they look a bit older than most of the people in the store, going by the Toys"R"Us song, they sure did tap into their inner child.
A Paranormal Encounter
During its glorious years in business, Toys"R"Us saw several ups and downs. Yet, nothing can beat the incident that happened in its Sunnyvale store in California, where several strange occurrences were reported by ‘The Paranormal Guide.’
So to investigate the matter, a group of people even conducted a séance at the store, and this picture came out of it. It may look like an ordinary image with people sitting around. However, the shocking part is the figure in the background, which, in fact, nobody remembered to have seen then. So, is it really a ghost or just a camera glitch? Sadly, we can never get the answer to this unexplained phenomenon.
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Natural calamities can occur anywhere, anytime, and to anyone, no matter who we are. That's what happened with Toys"R"Us in Lanham, Maryland, in 2003 when its roof collapsed. The worst part is that it took place during winter, and it didn't take long for the snow to accumulate inside the shop, which must have made the rescue operation difficult.
From the image, it's clear that it was a terrible sight to see, yet the thing which grabs our attention is the poster of a smiling dog as if reminding everyone to be happy in every situation. It's hard to tell if people noticed it back then, but whoever did, it certainly would've brought a smile on their faces.
Unpleasant Barbie Head
Over the years, several varieties of dolls were launched, yet nothing can beat the popularity of the world-famous Barbie dolls. So, if you ever visited the Toys"R"Us store, then you would have probably noticed that they had an entirely separate aisle dedicated to these playthings.
Nevertheless, apart from their charming faces, there is a creepier side of these dolls too. Let’s just take a look at this image. Doesn’t this big Barbie head give you a shiver down the spine? Well, it does to us. Now imagine how small kids must have felt when took a stroll around the doll section at Toys"R"Us back then.
The Man Behind Toys"R"Us
Many may think he is just a random grandpa who came to Toys"R"Us with his grandchildren and decided to play hide and seek with them. In reality, he is much more than that, and if we go by the store's official website, this photo is of Charles P. Lazarus, the founder of one of the most successful toy stores in America.
Given his suited attire, we assume he must have visited the store for a regular inspection which is when this image was taken, probably for promotional purposes. Who knows! Yet, we thank this legend whose hard work filled millions of kids' life with happiness.
Hands Up
Relax, don't get scared by this picture because there is nothing dangerous about it. This is just an innocent guy who is too invested in his toys and is having a blast with them, so don't confuse him with any dangerous person who's here to rob the store.
Well, it's not his fault that he does not care about his surroundings because we would be doing the same if we were at his place. These toy armor bring back so many childhood memories that we can't help but want to relive our childhood. So we're glad that he takes time out from his busy routine to enjoy his favorite toys.
The Party Is On!
While some of us have seen and been to many toy stores in our lives, we can tell that this decoration is something we have not seen before. We can see that the decorators put a lot of effort into making this a party room; still, things didn't turn out to be very impressive.
We know that efforts count, but they don't count everywhere because we sometimes need results. We can see a couple sitting towards the left, and a baby is weirdly placed on the man's lap. Some awkward kids are dancing in the background with a giraffe while a poor lonely kid is sitting all by himself towards the right.
Someone Has Lost Way
Wait a minute, who is that? Is that our hero who saves the day? What is he doing outside a toy store? Well, maybe our favorite Dark Knight has lost his way and somehow ended up at the 'Toys"R"Us' store entrance located at Times Square.
One thing is for sure; this isn't the real Dark Knight because he is busy chasing the bad guys, and we are confident that no villains would decide to take a stroll in a children's toy store. This person seems like a big fan of the 'Batman' series. He might have heard that there is a new collection of 'Batman' toys in the store, so he decided to dress up like one to go shopping.
Guest Appearance
It's not usual that we see celebrities at any given store, just casually wandering around. However, in 2009, the people who were present at a 'Toys"R"Us' in Mayfield were very fortunate that they got to witness the famous football player, Shaq, in the store.
It is kind of nice to see the celebrity enjoying some time by himself and being surrounded by fans who are eager to take selfies or autographs because we don't usually see celebs chilling at public places. The star seems to be enjoying his wagon ride, and we wonder what his favorite toy is.
Taking Over
'Toys"R"Us' is a big children's toy store chain with its stores spread wide across the country. When the owners decided to close some stores, many properties were left vacant. So, it's very natural that a big building doesn't remain empty for long and some other business decides to take it over.
Something similar happened when the famous toy store chain emptied one of their buildings and the renowned restaurant chain 'Hooters' decided to make their way in the building, but they forgot to do one thing. They did not bother to change the huge sign outside the building. Now, this seems like a collaboration between the two businesses, which would be weird since they are very contradictory.