Toys "R" Us Sold a Quarter of America's Toys. Then Every U.S. Store Closed.

In 1989, Toys "R" Us rang up roughly one of every four toys sold in America. By June 29, 2018, its last U.S. stores had closed. This is the history of Toys "R" Us, from Charles Lazarus's 1948 baby-furniture store, set up inside his father's Washington, D.C. bicycle-repair shop, to the day the last stores went dark. Along the way: Geoffrey the giraffe, a department-store bankruptcy, a deal with Amazon, and a Wednesday in March 2005. Most people say Amazon. We follow the paper trail. 00:00 A Quarter of America's Toys 01:06 A Bicycle Shop on 18th Street 03:47 The Giraffe and the Department Store 06:52 Bankrupt Before It Was Famous 09:34 A President in the Toy Aisle 13:11 A Wednesday in March 16:40 FAO Schwarz and a Withdrawn IPO 18:56 Twelve Days in September 21:15 A Hundred and Six Days 23:41 Geoffrey's New Address Sources: Toys "R" Us, Inc. filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (CIK 1005414): 2005 merger proxy statement, 2010 Form S-1, March 15, 2018 Form 8-K. Declaration of David A. Brandon, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Va., Case No. 17-34665 (September 19, 2017). International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 57 (St. James Press, 2004). Toys "R" Us v. FTC, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2000). Amazon.com press release, August 10, 2000. Fortune, CNBC, NPR and Associated Press reporting, 2017 to 2018. Narration voice is AI-generated. Script researched and written by the channel. Which Toys "R" Us did you walk into: the town, and the year? #ToysRUs #RetailHistory #AmericanHistory #BusinessHistory