The news that Toys R Us is filing for bankruptcy has hit the internet right in the nostalgia. After the company announced that it is caving to financial pressure Tuesday, some people mistook the news to mean the onetime retail giant is going out of business for good, though the toy retailer said its roughly 1,600 stores will remain open through the crucial holiday season. Some fans of the store are worried it will completely fold after Christmas, while others are left remembering the Toys R Us heyday of yesteryear.
But we’ve got you. Check out these vintage Toys R Us ads, and you might remember what it felt like to be a Toys R Us kid. Child stars Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley’s lead singer), Jaleel White (Erkel), and Lindsay Price (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) sing their way through this commercial from the 1980s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJJ-ZLdrTwY
Here’s a compilation of old Toys R Us commercials. These kids loved riding bikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZiG1LhUV7k
This ’90s ad features child stars from the ’80s reprising their roles as Toys R Us kids, proving that even grown-ups can buy toys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmAXyQcL8Po
You can check out Twitter’s sadness at the news over here.