Toys “R” Us' rebirth continues by opening interactive exhibits this fall

After learning this summer that we didn’t have to grow up, since Toys “R” Us would be opening new and newly designed stores across the U.S., the retail giant has given us kidults even more good news. Next month, it will be opening two pop-up shops this fall – one in Atlanta and one in Chicago – offering an exhibit designed to make your inner child (and outer children, if you have them) go “squee.”

As a precursor/warmup/appetizer to the new stores planned for late 2019 and throughout 2020, Toys “R” Us parent company Tru Kids Brands has announced that it is teaming up with confectioner Candytopia to present “The Toys ‘R’ Us Adventure,” an interactive exhibit where attendees big and small can tour eight rooms featuring countless toys to play with.

The first two pop-up locations, in Chicago and Atlanta, open in late October. Tickets, which need to be bought in advance, are $28 for adults, $20 for kids between the ages of 4 and 12, and free for anyone younger. Tours last about an hour, and only 12 tickets can be bought together. Tickets for both the Chicago and Atlanta stores can be bought at the Toys “R” Us Adventure website.  

Toys “R” Us announced in March 2018 that it had filed for bankruptcy and would be closing all of its 800 locations in the United States. But former CEO Jerry Storch announced that summer that he was exploring a possible "reboot" for the chain. Toys "R" Us canceled plans for a bankruptcy option in the hopes of a reorg plan in the fall.

In July, Tru Kids unveiled plans to open new Toys “R” Us stores across the U.S. that offer a more interactive and playground-like environment where kids can play with the toys prior to purchasing. The plan is to open two stores of this kind during the holidays, one in The Galleria in Houston, Texas, and the other in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, then open more locations in the U.S. over the course of 2020. Viva la Commerce!