I toured one of the new Toys 'R' Us revival stores at Macy's. It's a kid's paradise full of giant Lego displays and Nerf games — see inside

The Toy's 'R' Us sign.
  • Macy's is on track to launch more than 400 Toys 'R' Us locations in its US department stores. 
  • The partnership is the revival the toy retailer has desperately needed since going bankrupt in 2017.
  • The store was the perfect mix of nostalgic and up-to-date, and it made me want to be a kid again. 
This holiday season, Macy's launched over 400 in-store Toys 'R' Us shops in select locations across the country in an effort to expand the toy portion of its business.
Macy's

Source: Insider

For Toys ‘R’ Us, the newly formed partnership is a second chance at a comeback. After failing to refinance its mounting debt in 2017, the company was forced to shutter its over 700 locations for good.
toys r us

Source: Insider

I decided to check out the revival store to see if the collaboration has what it takes for Toys 'R' Us to be able to reclaim its toy-store throne.
Toys 'R' Us
To get the full experience, I went to the Herald Square Macy's flagship store in New York City, which is the site of the largest Toys 'R' Us shop, spanning 14,000 square feet.
The Macy's building.

Source: Forbes

Once I entered the building, it wasn't hard to find signs pointing me in the right direction.
The Toy's 'R' Us giraffe.
I took the elevators embossed with the Toys 'R' Us logo up to the seventh floor.
The Toy's 'R' Us elevator doors inside Macy's.
The entrance, which was in the women's-clothing section, was hard to miss.
Ann Matica in front of the Toy's 'R' Us entrance.
The store layout is cleverly designed so that shoppers have to walk through Macy's children's clothing section before reaching the toy store.
Children's sports section.
Children's outfits ranging from sports jerseys to winter coats were on display.
Kids winter coats.
I also passed an in-store Carvel ice cream shop…
A Carvel location inside Macy's.
…and an Auntie Anne's pretzel shop.
A Auntie Anne's location inside Macy's.
After walking through the clothing section, I finally came across more signs reassuring me that I was headed in the right direction.
Toys 'R' Us direction signs.
A brightly lit Toys 'R' Us sign glowed overhead.
The Toys 'R' Us glowing sign.
I recognized a statue of the Toys 'R' Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. I hadn't seen an image of Geoffrey since my childhood.
A giraffe statue.
From my first steps into the toy section, I could already tell it was designed to be a kid's paradise.
Spiderman statue.
There were shelves stacked high with Spiderman and Thor figurines from the Marvel franchise.
The Marvel section.
Also available for purchase were wands and stuffed-animal owls from the 'Harry Potter' series.
The Harry Potter section.
The 'Star Wars' area featured Boba Fett helmets and lightsabers.
The Star Wars section.
I thought the Baby Yoda dolls were particularly cute to look at.
Baby yoda.
The store had a large collection of Legos, including a human-sized Statue of Liberty...
The Statue of Liberty made out of Legos.
…and a replica of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade…
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade made out of Legos.
…complete with the turkey float.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade turkey float made out of Legos.
While the displays were off limits, there were Lego play stations close by for kids to enjoy.
Big lego blocks play station.
There was also no shortage of stuffed animals on the premises.
The stuffed animal section.
I came across a giant tiger, a llama, and a brown bear enjoying each other's company.
Giant stuffed animal llama and brown bear.
Some large statues of popular children's TV show characters, like this one of Thomas the Tank Engine, offered parents the perfect place for a quick photoshoot with their kids.
Thomas the Tank Engine and a friend.
There was also a 'Paw Patrol' display that was a perfect prop for a photo opp.
Paw Patrol sign.
Like the original Toys 'R' Us stores I grew up going to, this one had toys for a wide range of age groups...
The Peppa pig section.
... although many of the toys for sale didn't exist when I was a kid, such as these LOL Surprise! Dolls.
The surprise toy section.
There's also a large play structure for kids inside the Toys 'R' Us store.
The Toy's 'R' Us play area.
The area is called 'Geoffrey's Playground' and was complete with a bright yellow taxicab with Geoffrey himself sitting in the passenger's seat.
A yellow play taxi cab.
A traffic light and a sign warned shoppers that there were 'kids at play' in the area.
A "kids at play" sign.
There were also large craft tables for children and parents to play with toys like Play-Doh or Mr. Potato Head.
An orange play table.
A kinetic sand station was set up close by, too.
The kinetic sand station.
Older children can stop by the Nerf tent and participate in an aiming game.
Nerf tent
The outdoor-play area had all the usual recreational toys, like skateboards and Razor scooters.
The outdoor toy section.
I was taken off-guard by the hoverboard section close by, which made me realize how much children's toys have changed since I was a kid.
The hover bored section.
Even the Barbie Dreamhouse I remember longing for as a child has been upgraded.
Barbie dream house display.
The house now features a water slide and an outdoor pool.
The Barbie dream house.
As children ran around the store enthusiastically, some parents took a moment to relax.
A bench with a giraffe statue sitting n it.
The checkout line was relatively fast, even though just one employee was ringing customers up while I was there.
Checkout desk.
On my way out of the store, I saw a sign that perfectly summed up my experience at the revival store. It was the iconic jingle: 'I don't want to grow up. I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid!'
A sign that says, "I don't wan't to grow up. I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid."
The Macy's collaboration nailed its mission to appeal to a new young customer base by offering a vast selection of toys and large play areas to keep them entertained. It also satisfied the nostalgic feeling for adults of walking into a Toys 'R' Us that I hadn't even realized I'd been missing.
Macy's entrance.
As I left the store, my only complaint was that I wasn't able to travel back in time so that my kid self could have enjoyed it too.
Toy's 'R' Us billboard.
Read the original article on Business Insider


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