I Don't Want to Grow Up!

A day at Toys

After all, I am a Toys "R" Us kid! Ah yes, such a familiar phrase..."I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a Toys "R" Us Kid". As the children sang from their hearts and Toys "R" Us led a full scale, child led, toy loving revolution...all seemed right with the world. You remember those days don't you? Although the history of Toys 'R" Us dates back before my time, I can still remember my first experience with the backwards R. Join me as I take you back to when I proclaimed that I would never grow up, and that I was a Toys "R" Us kid!

The year was 1990, the location was Knoxville, TN. My mom took it upon herself to take my sister and I to the grand opening of Toys "R" Us in our area. Not only was this a big day on the terms of being overwhelmed with awesome toy selections, Geoffrey the giraffe had called in some reinforcements to help him celebrate his services to Knoxville.

That's right, I got the chance to shake hands with Batman, Skeletor and a Ninja Turtle himself; as they lined the back of the store patiently awaiting in their rubber suits, as screaming kids and annoyed parents waited for their turn in such a monumental occasion. Of course, I am sure there was a Barbie or another popular girl character too, but they had no place in my agenda for the day.
That trip would spark an undying interest to this day, as I set forth on my love for the thrill and excitement that Toys "R" Us had to offer. I am talking about the days when the aisles were jammed pack with goodness. Toys around every corner, and a video game section that stole hours of my life.

From the time those sliding doors opened for my arrival, until the time they opened for my departure...good times were had. Whether it be for a more focused purchase like an action figure or video game, or a child impulse buy like silly putty or a Pez; the feeling of being in a place where kid related stuff was th focus just seemed right. At our store, you could always expect plastic forts, playhouses and Huffy brand basketball goals to line the sidewalks like faithful soldiers ready for battle.
You could always count on Toys "R" Us to slap you in the face with the latest and greatest when you entered their stores. Brightly colored displays and set ups not only lured you like a fly to the soft glow of a bug zapper, it dared you to whip up some "make parents feel helpless and I really want to buy this for my child" tears...though that rarely ever worked.

Do you remember this? I sure hope you do, for I devoted much of my time trying to win this deal of a life time. Every now and then, Nickelodeon and Toys "R" Us would promote the option for a lucky child to win a $1,000 shopping spree at their local Toys "R" Us. I can't explain how bad I wanted this deal. I think at one point I even made out a map of our store and developed a plan of attack upon the chance that I may have won the shopping spree...yeah I know what your thinking... I never won either.

Sadly enough, it seems the era of Toys "R" Us has begun to fade a little. Even though we still have a Toys "R" Us, other areas have seen better days (like the picture above). I know that Toys "R" Us always was a little pricey, but it just always seemed worth it. Upon a trip to the store moths ago, sadness became the overall tone of the trip. If my experience was a straight to video movie, the scene would have involved me walking down the aisle with visions of children laughing and running about; all the while the store really being in horrible shape and almost in a run down condition. What happened? I suppose toys are just easily bought elsewhere, leaving Toy stores a thing of the past. However, I do hope these stores still thrive like they once did in other parts of our country. It just seems like a crime for a child not to get the chance to run about a store devoted to them...
In conclusion, I still hum that tune in my head every now and then. Maybe I should let things go, and forget the past...or maybe I could just stay true to my pledge of the yesteryears and never grow up, for I am a Toys "R" Us kid! I think option number two is looking pretty good....

Thanks to the websites that I borrowed pictures from...you helped make this article possible!

Comments

Yeah Toys 'R' Us was a great place. Sadly though the closest one to where I live is about 80 miles give or take. So I got to go maybe once a year as a kid. But I loved it and it always seemed worth it. God bless my folks for taking me. lol. God bless.

Sadly, "Toys R Us" like everything else these days, stinks> They were the best back in the day. But as bad as they are, "KB Toys" is even worse. Your article reminded me of one of the best times I ever had at "Toys R Us." It was my 7th birthday when my parents took me to buy ne some toys. I got a "Spider-Man" figure, a few "Batman" figures, a Battletech figure, and several others. Some of my happiest childhood moments are when we went to "Toys R Us." Great times.

Sad about the store closing in VA... Our TRU (the one in Lima on Elida Rd.) is still there and completely renovated (the store also doubling as a Kids R Us), inside and out. But it isn't like what it used to with the colorful plastic faux wood lining the store exterior, now replaced with bright blue diamond tiles. I still want to go shopping there!

great article! heck i wish i could share this article on my facebook... toy stores ( although i did not get to go too often as a kid) are a big part of childhood... without toy stores (among other classic childhood "rites"

our society will be a bunch of ipad users..

I have to agree with anyone who says Toys R Us has a great selection. I recently started a Transformers collection and for the life of me I could not find a Legends Class Optimus Prime Figure. Sure enough Toys R Us had it. Then about a month later, I was trying to find Ironhide and Grindor too. TRU had them!! I've all but finished my TF collection but if there is a new Optimus Prime or Starscream figure I want, I know where to go. That said, now I'm seeking out a Green Ranger figure from the new re-release Mighty Morphin Power Rangers line. Tommy was my favorite as a kid but I never had his action figure. I was more of a Turtle fan but I still loved watching the Rangers battle monsters in their colossal zords every week!! GO-GO POWER RANGERS!!

Great article. The picture of the "Store Closing" was the location that was invaded by my sister and I. It was in Hampton, VA, and its closed up =-( I went to the local TRU in December, to find out how small it got since I'd last been there. The big old store in Hampton was one that did really well in buisness. It sucks it had to close up.

The Toys R Us near me is doing scary well surprisingly. But it's changed, the aisles are set up like a maze. Doing the Christmas shopping left me lost and frustrated, and the sales associates should have just had "please shoot me now" across their foreheads because they clearly hated their jobs and everything it entailed. Still it's been going strong and crowded all day long since I was a kid and they're constantly upgrading and expanding, but the cliental and the associates get meaner by the minute. Toys carries things you just can't find everywhere. I remember a kid every Friday I'd get $5 allowance, and I'd immediately head to Toys to spend it all on a Flip N Fancy, Polly Pocket, or cheap Barbie.

the toysrus by my home is still going strong and i got some good vgs there like tmnt turtles in time and mario 3 and i getting good vgs there still

I guess people prefer to shop at Wal-Mart now instead. You can grab everything else you need while you're there and their prices are way lower. I think that's sad because Toy "R" Us had a higher selection.

Now you've got me thinking about it... I miss TRU. In Brooklyn, it was all the way out, practically on Coney Island, so it was a truly special journey, and yeah, the store itself was pretty awesome when you're under the age of 15. Now "toys" are everywhere, being sold by everyone, and I guess the magic of the toy emporium is fading. This article also reminds me that I don't know how the one out there is doing, although there is the really really big store in Times Square that I've yet to visit... Anyhow, good job with the article.

I remember how exciting it was for me to go to Toys "R" Us each and every time. My pace would always quicken as I stepped into the store and smelled the wonderful smell of toys. I'd stroll past the Super Soakers and the Nerf Guns, which only seem to be shadows of themselves these days, and I'd drool over the expensive Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis on display that my parents never got me. My aisle of choice was the action figure aisle, where I could find such exciting toys as Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Crash Dummies, Power Rangers, Mighty Max, and even Ghostbusters when I was really young. I think I kept going to that same Toys "R" Us in San Bernardino until they went out of business and the once proud toy store became a worthless 99 cent store. For a while, I had no Toys "R" Us to go to until only very recently when one actually opened up where I live in Redlands. I was excited that Toys "R" Us was once again available to me and the new store is where I got my show-accurate red ranger figurines. Unfortunately, though, there were many things missing from the shelves and the store was stocked with all sorts of modern toys like that weird, twisty skateboard that seems designed for causing injuries and the less child-friendly game consoles of today like Xbox360 and Playstation 2. The store was smaller than the one I used to go to and the shelves were shorter, but the golden years will always live on in my heart and I will never grow out of being a Toys "R" Us kid.

I WAS THERE!!! Yes, Barbie was there, and I believe that Skeletor made you cry!!

I don't think there was any better feeleing than finally finding a Jawa at Toys R Us in 1978. I almost exploded. I will never forget that day. Great article!

*tear*

that was beautiful man

This store brought forth many exclusives that I had to have. In my area it is one of the few just toy stores available still. Of course now that I am an adult the lyrics have changed though:
I don't wanna go to work I am a lazy ass kid, I got this stupid job and I wish I never did.." feel free to extrapolate further lyrics as necessary.

Oh who didn't love Toys R Us? That second picture sure takes me back, only the one I grew up around had the entrance on the far right, and I remembered when you walked in there was a distinct smell to the air, and there was a long corridor that eventually led you to massively overwhelming selection of toys, many of which my parents couldn't afford unfortunately. Every now and then I go to the one I live near now, and yeah it's not the same as it used to be, nowhere near as big. Good article, thumbs up.

you know, before i was in a toys r us last year, i always thought they were overpriced. but when i was in there last year i looked at the prices and said "This is a nice and reasonable price range."

I hate toys r us now and so do my three kids.Everything is garbage and over priced.My last good memory that I had there was buying my Tyco twin turbo lamborghini r/c car back in 1992.After that it was all downhill.What happened to the aisles that filled both sides from floor to ceiling?All of the aisles were filled like that,now all of them are about 4 ft high with nothing appealing on them.Allot of things are missing.........

train sets
slot cars
models
r/c cars and boats
water toys

what happened?.......what happened....

Ah, Toys R Us...

I loved it as a kid, and I still do! I don't think that Toys R Us are going down, in fact I think they're growing! Even here in Europe, they've gotten Toys R Us'es.

But I have to admit, the last time I went to a Toys R Us back in the states, it was a little disappointing. It didn't feel the same for some reason. The toys that I used to see there are now gone, bikes have gone from Huffy bikes to some weird name brand etc.

Either way, I'm a Toys R Us kid, and I always will be!

Great article!

Those were the days...I remember how excited I was every time I went to Toys R Us...All the Video Games, Wrestling Figures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ghostbusters Toys I could dream of.

I went to this very same TRU every weekend. Soemtimes, both days. My weekly allowance was usually actually sunk into anime tapes or old computer games at the eB in East Towne Mall (Knoxville Center, now)... but I spent hours on hours playing the NES, genesis, later Sega saturn games...good old NiGHTS... I still live nearby, if you'd ever like to hang out drop me a line.

Toys R Us... where do I begin. I can remember as a kid seeing toys R Us as the holies of holy places. I didnt have one where I lived, the nearest one was 45 mins. away, so I hardly ever got to go to one. I can remember the first time I ever went to one, it was Christmas, and I got a Super Mario Bros pinball machine (not full sized, but still electronic etc. it was pretty sweet).. anyways, it broke about 2 days after Christmas, so my mom took me to return it, and IGOT TO PICK OUT NEW TOYS!!! I still remember what I got, a Ninja Turtles hand held game, a Dino Rider figure/with dinosaur, and a styrofoam air plane. I was in heaven.

We still have Two great toys r us in Dallas and they are really well-maintained.

Toys R' Us just aren't the same any more. There are less aisles devoted to Joes and Madballs than there used to be.

I am a Toys R Us Adult YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH also i never believed TRU was so pricey. Ive shopped around and other stores either sold them at the same prices or a dollar more, sometimes a dollar less...and Toys sometimes has what i want unless its an exclusive somewhere else.

I went to a Toys "R" Us nearby where I live about a week ago. I bought a neat Return of the Jedi Endor R2-D2 Star Wars Action Figure and two mystery Hot Wheels cars, which turned out to be awesome little surprises. I agree that the era of awesome Toys "R" Us store is over but we hold on to all the memories of what the stores once were. I first went to my local Toys "R" Us when I was 3 years old and it was intense. The same store started to kind of phase out to its current state when I was about 15 or 16, but I still visit occasionally.

Nice aticle, everyone has fond memories of toys r us and it's sad that the kids of today are missing out. There used to be a massive toys r us where i live but for the last few years it's been a carpet shop or somthing else thats really useless and boring. Toys r us always had cool adverts aswell.

makes me sad..

my toys r us is still going... I just hope it never goes down..at the time all the stores were in the same area... now most have moved away... toys r us ehre sits next to a big lots and such... no more wal mart,... no more kmart

good times abck then

the article makes me sad though cause yeah the toys r us in my town is just sitting by itself it always looks abandoned even when its open.

the article was good though

this was the EXACT toys R us i went to in K*town as a kid, its always got a place for me. and it isnt closed down bro

i think i went to toys r us from 92 to 97. i remember getting a set of nerf guns and other random toys here =) ah, i miss the days of being a kid when it came to toys r us. i think the video games there were at a lower price point than what they are at other stores

Great Article. Yeah everytime I would get to go to Toy R Us as a kid (which wasn't very often) it was so awesome. Now today as I go into the Toys R Us I went into as a kid, I see nothing more than a mess, but Toys R Us still has its little charm. A feeling that brings you back to when you never wanted to grow up. Well, soon they're closing that 20- something year old Toys R Us in my town, but luckily it's being reloacted down the road from where it is now.

So true, I wanna go to "Toys R Us" Now! Thanks for the article. =]

Great article! I remember back when I was a kid and going to buy Star Wars action figures and video games at TRU. Unfortunately, the one near me closed and was torn down to make a "Super Wal-Mart". It was sad, because my dad also went there as a kid, and it caused my eternal hatred towards Wal-Mart.

I have many fond memories of the Toys "R" Us across from the old Carolina Circle Mall. It had the same brown roof as the one in the picture and it always brought a smile on my face whenever I'd visit it. Sadly, it went the same way as the mall and closed in 2002. The one across town near Four Seasons Mall isn't doing too well. Thank you for this article. It made my day.