Toys”R”Us returned November 27 with the opening of its first new U.S. retail store at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Back in time for the holiday season, the brand will carefully curate and showcase toy products in highly experiential smaller-format spaces.
The new Toys”R”Us brings an immersive modern shopping experience where products are off the shelves and in the hands and imaginations of customers. The second Toys”R”Us store will open at The Galleria, a Simon Mall in Houston, on Saturday, December 7.
“Toys”R”Us is built into the fabric of childhood and for more than 70 years has been the most trusted source for toys and play,” said Richard Barry, CEO at Tru Kids, the parent of the Toys”R”Us brand. “With the return of Toys”R”Us stores in the U.S., we are bringing a highly engaging, experience-driven retail destination that celebrates play and deepens the connection between the world’s best toy, play, and entertainment brands and customers.”
At the heart of the new stores are exclusive playscapes where kids can unleash their imaginations and create memorable moments with Geoffrey the Giraffe, the Toys”R”Us brand’s mascot. Upon entering the stores, guests will be greeted by a giant plush Geoffrey the Giraffe; can explore, read, and have fun climbing up steps that have the lyrics “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, I’m A Toys“R”Us Kid” into Geoffrey’s Tree House; or head to Geoffrey’s Magical Mirror playpod, where a 3D virtual Geoffrey comes to life and mimics their every movement.
The new Toys”R”Us stores offer interactive, hands-on play experiences from featured brand partners including:
- Hasbro – Hasbro will bring to life several of its brands, including an interactive NERF anchor shop, a dedicated Hasbro Games shop, and Baby Alive floor fixture (Houston only), as well as a curated selection of Hasbro products including Play-Doh, family games, and entertainment properties like Disney’s Frozen 2 and Star Wars.
- The LEGO Group – The LEGO Group’s anchor shop at Toys”R”Us, features hands-on opportunities for brick fans of all ages to build at the interactive play table, snap a photo with life-size LEGO models, and shop a curated selection of the latest LEGO sets.
- Melissa & Doug – Melissa & Doug’s feature shop filled with their wooden toys, crafts, pretend play sets, and games. A Toys”R”Us Play Pro will showcase the brand’s products out-of-the-box and encourage kids to see new possibilities and ways to play.
- MGA Entertainment – MGA will take over one of the Toys”R”Us store window displays to showcase two of this year’s hottest brands, L.O.L. Surprise! and Rainbow Surprise Dolls, which will also be featured in the What’s Cool! Shop (GSP only) along with Poopsie Slime Surprise products. MGA’s pre-school brand Little Tikes will present a selection of music toys to demo, including their newest line Little Baby Bum.
- Nintendo – The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite systems come to life as an anchor shop experience at Toys “R” Us. Titles like Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, and Luigi’s Mansion 3, power interactive game demos on play tables and a big screen right in the store.
- Schleich – Schleich (pronounced sh-like) will feature their full line of figurines and playsets and offer several in-store activities for kids. Playdates with Schleich will encourage kids to go from the stable to the farm, creating stories and having an open play experience. Around the World Animal Walk gets kids up on their feet, while learning about the habitats of different animals.
- Spin Master – Spin Master will showcase many of its toy brands, including an anchor shop dedicated to the preschool hit PAW Patrol, featuring all the pups from Adventure Bay and an interactive four-foot tall Lookout Tower, a Monster Jam feature shop with popular trucks from the stadium show and a life-size authentic BKT tire for photo ops, and an immersive, hands-on Kinetic Sand experience.
- VTech – At this feature shop, VTech will be displaying its latest toys for kids. From VTech’s toys and kid-tech devices to LeapFrog’s toys that make learning fun, kids and their families will experience interactive play across a wide range of ages and toy types.
- CRA-Z-ART (Houston Store Only) — CRA-Z-ART, manufacturer of toy, activity, art, and school supply products will set up a customer experience shop at the Toys”R”Us Houston store, showcasing a selection of their new products for Holiday 2019, such as The Flying Pigs pre-school game, Real 5-in-1 Nail Salon, and Mystic Madness Friendship Bracelet Kit. The space will also include a live demonstration table featuring the company’s Nickelodeon branded slime kits.
Further bringing to life the more than 40 brands carried in-store is the Play-A-Round Theater, an open event space where kids and adults come to play, learn and discover — together. The theater will host a rotating schedule of programmed events including brand demonstrations, product launches, author visits, character meet-and-greets, and more.
Throughout the stores are a team of sales associates, called Play Pros, who will assist customers with product discovery and in-store purchases, as well as online sales. For customers who wish to purchase items not available in store, interactive touchscreen displays are available throughout the store, providing the ability to browse and discover a deeper assortment of product through the newly launched ToysRUs.com website, which is powered by Target. When a customer is ready to check out at the digital display, they can select to scan a QR code or send themselves a text or email with a link to the product page on ToysRUs.com. When consumers click “Buy Now at Target.com,” they’re automatically linked to the same product page
on Target.com to complete their purchase.