Toys R Us Memories Part II: Did I Really Grow Up?

In Part I of this article, I gave a few random memories from growing up at “The World's Biggest Toy Store,” Toys R Us. The last article focused on going to the store in elementary school. This time, I'll rattle off some memories from my teens and twenties. But first, we need to address the giant giraffe in the room. Geoffrey, to be exact.

The Reincarnations of Geoffrey

No trip to Toys R Us was complete without at least a glimpse of its mascot. The giraffe was a welcoming symbol to a world of shelves full of Kenner Star Wars toys that stretched to the ceiling, Lego models behind glass that were waiting to be gazed at, and video games that you couldn't hold until you gave the man behind the counter your slip sheet. Geoffrey was the welcoming wagon to everything else, and therefore, I think its necessary that in this look back on memory lane, I dedicate a section to the old boy.

Charles Lazarus with a Giraffe family delivery truck.

Geoffrey's a peculiar being, that's for sure. Initially known as Dr. G. Raffe, he was created as a mascot for Children's Bargain Town in the 1965, the precursor store to Toys R Us. The store was founded in 1957 by Charles Lazarus (who died just days after the company's final bow). In an ad for the store, the Giraffe had a speech bubble saying “Toys R Us.” This phrase must have caught on, because Lazarus's next store chain would take its name from it. “The Children's Bargain Town” became the store's subtitle for many years.

I'd listen to your friend there, buddy.

In 1975, we were introduced to Geoffrey's family members, his wife Gee Gee and their daughter, Baby Gee. Later, they'd welcome Geoffrey Junior to their clan. Years before the iconic “I Don't Want to Grow Up” jingle, the Giraffe family would sing “The world's greatest toy store is Toys R Us. The biggest selection: Toys R Us.”

In the 80's, these characters would “evolve.” I'm not sure who decided that the kids should grow up, but I can definitely say that these makeovers didn't last long.

No one puts Baby in a corner.

Notice how the bodies are exactly the same? 

Throughout the 80's and 90's, this version of Geoffrey became the one I still associate him with (despite the fact that I have a nice little collection of modern Geoffrey memorabilia). His face was seen on the outside of the store, replacing his 70's counterpart. He and his family could be found throughout the store, such as on the “Men” and “Women” signs for the restrooms (as well as the changing area in Kids R Us).

His look had a minor tweak in 1999 to make him appear more youthful, but I honestly didn't really notice this as a kid. Its so similar to the previous style that I just assumed they were one and the same. As the new millennium approached, however, Geoffrey's biggest change was yet to come.

"Catch ya on the flip side, dudemeisters! Not!"

Geoffrey in the Big Apple

In 2002, this ad introduced the world to a new Geoffrey, now live action and voiced by Jim Hanks, and a brand new Toys R Us. The world's largest toy store was getting its biggest location yet, and it was coming to Times Square. This new Geoffrey gave me mixed feelings. The commercials were cute, but I didn't care for the whistling of the jingle, preferring the original lyrics. I also missed the “real” Geoffrey I grew up with, but hey, he was back on TV in some form, and Toys R Us was getting a bigger media presence than it had in the past. That was something to be excited about.

The new flagship store did not disappoint. I was able to see it in person a couple years after it opened. Signs for it were everywhere upon arriving in the city. It even made an appearance in a Rockettes show I attended. Once I finally went inside, I was greeted with an amazing sight:

This friggin GIGANTIC ferris wheel was only one of the many surprises this location had in store. There was a large animatronic T-Rex from Jurassic Park, a life size Barbie dream house, superheros flying all over the ceiling, and a large assortment of Lego models. From what I've been told, there was also an animatronic of this new Geoffrey who would talk to guests. What's interesting is that the 1999 version of ol' Geoff could be found on the ET vehicle on the ferris wheel, giving a weird mixture of the old and the new to the place.

When I was there, a large section of the store was called “Animal Alley.” This area was a staple of most locations, but in this one, it was much larger. There were plush toys lining every nook and cranny. I'll never forget my younger brother, who came to the store with the sole purpose of spending money in Animal Alley, had his sights on a large stuffed dog that was almost his own size. Despite my parents trying to garner his interest in other plushies, he had his mind made up, and started walking around the store with this thing. Later on, we were leaving Macy's via their revolving door, and sure enough, some grumpy lady pushed past my brother, causing his poor dog to get stuck in the door for a minute. The toy wasn't damaged, but it gave us a quick wake up call that we were still in New York, and despite how flashy the stores are, the people there never change.

That was my only trip to the New York location. My family returned there another time and gave me a little Geoffrey doll in a New York shirt. The location was sadly closed for good in 2015, with the company citing that the store's purpose was more of a publicity advertisement than a practical business. It did return briefly to Times Square as a pop-up store in 2017.

Supes and Spidey working together instead of competing for box office revenue.

Losing that location really gives one the feeling that Times Square is missing something. Its closure was twice as depressing given that FAO Schwarz, Time Square's other big toy store which is also owned by Toys R Us's parent company, closed down the same year. Its location had moved previously, but it still clung to the large piano from Big which you could play given you were brave enough to wait in line with a bunch of screaming children. Losing both stores meant that the area was devoid major children's destinations. Sure, The Disney Store still has Marvel and Star Wars toys to purchase, but what if I want to buy Batman and Wonder Woman toys? What about the DC kids, gosh darn it?! There's a void there that no clothing or jewelry store can fill.

High school Aaron tries his best to play “Heart and Soul” before remembering he never took piano lessons

Working for Toys R Us

After a year of working for a mouse at a theme park, I spent a few months working for a different animal in a place just as commercial. As a kid, it never occurred to me that I might actually work at the greatest toy store, but that's exactly what happened. For several months throughout the holiday season, I worked as a cashier, a stock person for the layaway gifts, and as a cast member on the sales floor. Eventually, I ended up as the sole cashier in the R Zone, selling video games and electronics to customers. Let me explain why, at that point in my life, this was one of the most fun jobs I ever had.

These were defunct by the time I started. Too bad.

Working the holiday season at the world's busiest toy outlet was a challenge, but a mostly enjoyable one. Aside from a few difficult customers, most people were in good spirits, and I could tell that just by helping them, I was making a difference. One of my favorite things to do was to recommend game titles to clueless parents, but only if they asked me to. I'd tell them to put down the Hello Kitty and Despicable Me games, and to pick up the new Mario title or a collection of Sonic games from the Genesis days. I had an idea of what modern kids would like, because I remember being a kid and getting stuck with crappy licensed games. You all know the struggle.

This Christmas, get the gift that every child wants on their list.

By far the most popular items in the R Zone were the Skylanders toys. It was still a relatively new franchise, but we were already fending off crazy fans. If it wasn't parents, it was hardcore middle aged collectors. They'd show up the day our shipment of new toys came-one or two medium sized boxes-and proceed to grab every valuable figure we had. This meant that the rest of week, I knew I'd be facing other customers asking for said figures and wanting an explanation for their whereabouts. Having little experience playing the game, I quickly learned that I needed to research the characters and their popularity in my own time if I wished to survive this oncoming trend.

Your kid wants a Cynder figurine? Too bad! Santa sold the last one to some 39 year old in a ponytail who's about to sell it online.

Now, I've seen a lot of comments online, when TRU announced their closure, that the company left modern tech by the wayside, and that they refused to sell the latest devices. I can assure you, this was far from the case. Yes, we didn't have quite the stock that Best Buy had, and we mostly carried gimmicky accessories, but darn it, we sold some iPads, yo! Something that was just baffling to me was when parents would buy iPad or smartphone devices for their young kids. You thought parents were clueless when buying video games and figures of Spyro and Pop Fizz? I learned that they also hadn't caught onto cellular technology, either.

The iPotty! Why not kill two birds with one stone, and train them to do two everyday tasks at once? No, we did not sell this, but we might as well have.

One of my favorite examples of this ineptitude was when a couple explained that they wanted to buy their young son, about five years old, an iPad. I have seen studies showing that younger kids should not have constant exposure to such technology, because it will rewire their brain and make them more hyperactive. How was I supposed to explain this, though? I was just a cashier. So, this couple then tells me that they wanted to get an iPad for their younger daughter. “Our daughter is two. What age would be appropriate to give her one? Three?” I almost did a spit take, imagining the thought of a stroller-bound baby playing Angry Birds. I tried to compromise with them by saying I've heard that seven was a good age, but then of course, I had to backtrack because we had products to sell. “You're the parents, so it's up to you,” was always the proper answer.

A couple parents showed me these two phone accessories, toy guns that could hold a smartphone and run a shooter app. Toys R Us had stocked entire R Zone isles full of this kind of nonsense, from Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope figures to weird robotic pets, to physical Angry Birds sets for those that didn't want to play the mobile game, Geoffrey had confidence that if the devices themselves didn't sell, the plastic add-on's would. I sold the couple the bright orange guns as well as a bunch of other additional peripherals for the phones, in addition to the $199 phones themselves that were needed to run all this pointless crap. For those who say Toy R Us never jumped on the modern technology bandwagon, they were very mistaken.

We actually sold these. I still cringe at the thought.

These are fun memories. I'm not trying to sound negative with these stories, because I actually found the events somewhat amusing at the time. No, Toys R Us did make me feel special around Christmas and Thanksgiving time. Playing “Secret Santa” by hiding a child's present they had picked out, only for the parents to come back later and pick it up, was enough to make a Grinch's heart melt. Also, any Black Friday sale I've worked since Toys R Us has been a mere cakewalk. Sometimes you have to do the impossible to appreciate difficult work.

And Then There Were None

As you can see, this store has played a big part in my life from childhood to adulthood. I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me, and maybe I've made clear why the closing of this beloved brand meant so much to myself and to many others. Toys R Us was always there, through elementary school Lego contests to working the Black Friday crowds. Its exit opens another door in our lives, one with next to no physical toy market. A new chapter where if mom and pop didn't buy little Johnny those Wreck-It Ralph hands in person, they most certainly will online. As we continue to become one with new technology, a new generation will now experience all their retail and grocery needs met in cyberspace instead of a physical space. The rest of us will still have the memories.

Next Time: Something different! Let's stop talking about toy dragons and giant giraffes for a while. (I swear, if I have to type "giraffe" one more time, I'm going to lose it, but it's my own fault.) When Toys R Us closed, I traveled to several locations and took lots of pictures, including one very special location that you might be interested in. In the near future, I may post some of these photos, but for now, I'll come back next time with a new topic. See you then! Here's some old nostalgia to hold you over: 

Note that most of the pictures are ripped from Advertising Week and eBay. Some were taken by me, and one was take of me.

UPDATE: I wrote this Part II retrospective in small doses over the course of two months. It took me three hours to complete it the last night I worked on it, clocking the total time in at 4-6 hours! That is crazy. I've never wasted that much time on a blog article since I worked for a theme park blog a few years ago. Part of the reason it took me so long is because of Blogger's clunky interface. I've been using this site since 2011, and it used to be much more user friendly. Anyway, just wanted to throw that out. It's a new record! Let's see if I can top it in the future.