I Don't want To Grow Up I'm A Toys R Us Kid.

   

     Last week, Toys R Us announced that they would be closing or selling off all of their 800 stores located across the United States.  Toys R Us at least for me, has been a source of happiness and good memories over the past several decades.  It was the place that I would walk into on a day where I was not feeling completely happy, and come out in a much better mood.
     As a child of the 1980's, I would travel to the gigantic toy store with my family and spend what felt like hours staring at the enormous selection of action figures and games.  In their heyday, Toys R Us stores would have aisles dedicated to each major toy line.  Some of my all-time favorites to look at were G.I.Joe, Masters of the Universe, Sectaurs, Thundercats, Hot Wheels and anything Dungeons and Dragons.  I can still remember saving the five dollars my grandmother had given me to spend on my school class trip in order to buy Zartan and his Swamp Skier Chameleon.
     "What a great day it was to go home with the color-changing Master of Disguise."
       Although it wasn't a normal occurrence to come home with toys when I was a kid, the enjoyment of simply being able to look at all the possibilities was enough to fuel and fill my holiday and birthday wish lists.  Even the Toys R Us Wish Book that would come in the Sunday newspaper or the mail was awesome to peer over.
     When I was a teenager and old enough to drive, I would travel to my local Toys R Us stores almost weekly.  I had a well-paying part-time job and other than gas and food, my paycheck was mine to spend. My favorite place to look would be the clearance aisles.  I bought many items over the years which included almost all of the 15th-anniversary G.I.Joe figures and vehicles, a Mantua HO scale Super Bowl train set, and all the Dragonheart figures and monsters.  I amassed quite a collection of MOC figures, many of which I still own today.
     On other days, my good friends and I would simply go into the store to challenge each other to two-player games like Virtua Fighter.  One of my best memories is my friend Troy saying, "Do you know what KO stands for?"
    Me "No, what?"
    "Kicked Oss!"
     We still laugh about that to this day.
     At other times, we would go in and have Nerf wars, or ride bicycles around the store.  It was a more innocent time and salespeople were friendlier and much more accommodating.
     In my mid-twenties and even my early thirties, I would visit my local Toys R Us on Thursday mornings when the store was opening.  This was the day that new items would be on the shelves and if you wanted them you need to be the first person in the store.  I collected all five of the G.I.Joe five packs this way.  I was so happy when a 4 of 5 and 5 of 5 were sitting on the shelf for me to scoop up one Thursday over the summer.  I also bought all the new Thundercats figures this way.  The clearance aisle was still a place to check regularly, as rare gems would show up hidden among the things that apparently no one wanted.  I purchased a second Crimson Chopper with the twins Tomax and Xamot this way for a whopping $7.00.
     One of my last acquisitions in a Toys R Us store was the three-pack of Thundercats Dorbs.  At first, it appeared as if there were none available. Then as I was also searching for Destro and Flocked Beastman from the recent Comic-Con, behind some Minecraft packages I found them. Total score!
     Toys R Us has always provided me with a place to discover things I never knew existed like newer board games and even some of the more scientific lab kits and models.  There is truly no place left like it among all the brick and mortar stores.  I bought awesome games like Lord of the Rings Stratego, Dungeons and Dragons Clue, Star Wars Monopoly, Hero Quest and Battle Masters.
    During my life, I have experienced the demise of Lionel Kiddie City, ChildWorld, Kay B Toys and now I will see Toys R Us fall.  It is a sad day indeed.  I hope that I can make it into my local store one last time to take some pictures or videos for posterity.  Although not the same layout of the days of the 80s, there are still many gems hidden in the aisles of the store, and I fear that future generations of children will miss out on the memories and good times that this once great toy giant have provided for countless Toys R Us kids the world over.  Where else will children be able to find anything from Playmobile, to Lego, to boardgames, and the "Slip and Slide" all under one roof?

     "From bikes, to trains, to video games,
       It's the biggest toy store there is.
       I don't want to grow up, cuz baby if I did,
       I wouldn't be a Toys R Us kid!"