Toys R Us Is Closing Every US Store & People Think Their Childhood Is Officially Dead

toys r us closing

Geoffrey the entrepreneurial giraffe will soon be just another memory from your childhood. Toys 'R' Us will close or sell all 800 of its stores in the US, according to reports and a letter sent to employees.

The news has sent countless children of the 80s and 90s into wistful rounds of the "I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid" jingle. Around for over half a century, Toys 'R' Us was the hub for every toy a kid could dream of. At least, that was the case until big box stores started to provide stiff competition. And then it was Amazon and other online retailers that further elbowed out Toys 'R' Us.

The store filed for bankruptcy in September, hoping it could turn things around. However, the store's situation didn't change and in January, the retailer announced it would close 182 stores in the US. But the closures now aren't just limited to the US, though it does include all US locations. The company announced earlier Wednesday that it would be closing all of its stores in the UK as well. 

The news has sparked strong reactions on social media. Many feel the sting of the so-called retail apocalypse keenly because they associated Toys 'R' Us with their childhood. Others are pointing out that they never went there as a kid because the stores were too expensive and, as adults, didn't go there because the stores felt dated.

Many of the retailers shutting loads of stores, according to industry experts, have resisted the digital transformation necessary to stay competitive. It's unlikely Toys 'R' Us will be the last retailer in this situation. But it may be the retailer that invokes the most nostalgia-laced stares into the middle-distance. 

