Were you a Toys R'Us kid? Let's share our stories!
Given the demise of the largest toy mega store, I feel the need to reflect on its impact on those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s.
In Puerto Rico, it was on a Saturday morning back in 1990. I was watching cartoons while Mom made breakfast, when I saw an ad that would mark my childhood forever. "The world's largest toy store is coming to Puerto Rico! Thousands of toys all under one roof! Don't miss it's grand opening and become a Toys R'US kid!" A friendly giraffe character played with super happy American kids and a song came up about not wanting to grow up, and I was sold. I told Mom about it, because nobody could miss such an important event. I assumed all children of Puerto Rico would be there, so I couldn't miss it.
On Monday, all kids at school were talking about how many toys their parents were going to buy them at the opening day. Others speculated about how big this place was going to be. Bigger than our school? Maybe 30 stories high! Some kids had family in the States that reported that you could spend a whole at Toys R'US and you wouldn't be able to see all of it. In the meantime, we all learned the store's jingle in Spanish, in order to prove to each other we were worthy of being called Toys R'US kids.
Finally, the opening day arrived, and hundreds of kids and their parents stood in line under the hot Caribbean sun to get in. I was one of them along with Dad, who very sternly warned me that we couldn't not afford to buy much. Still, I saw people leaving the store with their carts full of toys, so I had great hopes. Then, our turn to get in came, and there it was. A toy store.
A pretty generic, impersonal toy store with lot's of overpriced toys and little of the magic I saw on TV. I went to the WWF toys section, and saw my poor Dad grimacing at the ridiculous prices for the action figures I collected, looking at me nervously, thinking I would be wanting him to do what so many parents were doing that day: spending excessive amounts of money so that their kids could brag at school that they got an early Santa Claus visit thanks to Geoffrey the Giraffe. Dad was shocked when he heard me say: "This is just another store. You can buy me action figures somewhere else later!" He smiled, proudly, and said to me: "Go ahead, get one. Just remember what you learned today- all stores are the same crap. They just want for you to buy more than what you need, and to get in debt."
That was my first and last visit to Toys R'US. At age 7, it was the first time I truly felt like a victim of mass marketing. Still, I enjoyed the advertisement and sang the jingle for years to come. From time to time, I still do.
Farewell, Toys R'US, and thanks for the lesson, the memories and the Big Boss Man action figure. You will be missed.
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