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RIP Toys 'R' Us (1948-2018)

Thanks for making our childhood great, Geoffrey!

By Mark Wesley PritchardPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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I'll always love Toys 'R' Us.

You're probably familiar with the saying, "All good things must come to an end." It's an end of an era for one of the best toy stores in the world, but it's also a sad day for everyone who loved going to Toys 'R' Us as children and adults. After 70 years in business, Toys 'R' Us has officially closed all of their stores for good, as of today. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last fall in hopes to stay open. Unfortunately, lackluster sales during the holiday season ended up shying away customers and vendors. The "I don't want to grow up. I want to be a Toys 'R' Us kid" jingle that we all sang along to will always be in our hearts forever. This was a place that I loved going to as a kid in the '90s. It was like my happy place, playing with all the toys and checking out the video games. Now that I'm an adult, I'm going to share some moments that I enjoyed going to Toys 'R' Us.

I love me some Power Rangers!

Me and the Red Ranger

Shortly after I moved to Springdale, Arkansas in 2013, I went to my local Toys 'R' Us store in Fayetteville. I knew from the start what I wanted: a Power Rangers action figure. So I ended up buying a Red Ranger action figure and was ecstatic. It was the first Power Rangers toy I've owned since I was 5-years-old. Over the next three years, I've bought even more Power Rangers toys. Every time I go there, it feels like I'm reliving my childhood. I definitely felt the nostalgia.

Jackpot!

I loved both of these Zords so much.

October 2016: the Limited Black Edition Dragonzord and Legacy Falconzord were two of my biggest purchases from Toys 'R' Us. I had to buy both, since I couldn't buy one or the other. The Dragonzord was my absolute favorite. I couldn't pass up on a great deal like this.

Pokemon Day 2016 at Toys 'R' Us

Pokemon Trainer Red and Pikachu in Attendance for Pokemon Day

February, 27, 2016: Pokemon celebrated their 20th anniversary. In honor of the huge milestone, all Toys 'R' Us stores held a Pokemon Day event. I was in costume as Pokemon Trainer Red and also brought Pikachu along for the occasion. Everyone who attended the event received two Pokemon cards (Pikachu and Magikarp), an activity book, and a poster of the original 151 Pokemon. I took pictures with some people and had a great time that day.

I'm one happy gamer!

I was so eager to play both Pokemon Red and Blue.

In March 2016, I have bought a Pokemon 20th Anniversary Nintendo 3DS Red & Blue Bundle. Both games were pre-installed and I was so excited when it arrived in the mail. This bundle was released a few weeks earlier and I wanted to buy it, but my local Walmart and GameStop were sold out of them. I had to wait at least a few more weeks to buy one on eBay. I have paid almost $300 to snag one. The original price of this was $199, but when I went on to eBay, listings had them for twice the regular price. Whenever something good is released from Nintendo, the scalpers will buy more than one of the same item and then turn around to sell them for two to even four times than what it was originally priced at. They like to ruin the fun for us hardcore gamers. They're the worst people ever, but in the end, I got what I wanted and was satisfied.

Thank You, Geoffrey!

You got that right. I'll always be a Toys 'R' Us kid.

In closing, I want to say thanks to all of the employees from all over the country for making our shopping experiences wonderful and working hard to encourage us to come back again and again. Finally, a huge thanks to Geoffrey, for making our childhood great and memorable to all of us. You will be missed and we'll always remember you. We'll always watch the commercials and run into old ads with you in them. We may be adults, but we'll always be Toys 'R' Us kids.

pop culture
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About the Creator

Mark Wesley Pritchard

Award-winning cosplayer, cosplay model, influencer, retro gaming fanatic, die-hard Texas Rangers fan, and nostalgic freak. Need I say more?

Threads: @thecosplayerfromtexas

Instagram: @thecosplayerfromtexas

TikTok: @thecosplayerfromtexas

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