KB Toys (The G.I. Shrub toy producer) declares bankruptcy

[CatWoman]

just heard on Mike Malloy

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. Link to Boston Globe story....

here

[CatWoman]

3. thanks!!

:hi:

[yankeedem]

2. Another example of Walmart

creating jobs in the community- FAO Schwartz, Toys R US (Kids R US) and now Kay Bee. Good job Walmart. More desperate job applicants to exploit.

[Tansy_Gold]

11. Ah, yes, Wal-Mart,

whose main purchasing office is in China.

:puke:

[pstokely]

16. FAO was overpriced, they have a PS1 for $120, Best Buy has it for $50

FAO
http://www.fao.com/global/store/product_detail.cfm?TID=13341253061785650415012184&Site=Toys&rs_section=Electronics&category=Video%20Games&TreeID=173791&SubCategory=Electronics&CategoryList=Video%20Games&GroupID=160653&GroupTP=Model&ItemDetail=PlayStation%20One

Best Buy
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051806446287&skuId=4010894&type=product

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. We always went to FAO

for the atmosphere. You could play with the toys BEFORE you purchased. The sales people played with the toys while working. The music, stuffed animals and giant gumballs....it was just a KEWL store. It was a nostalgic place to go, too. It's been around forever. KB Toys, I couldn't care less about, but FAO was a FUN place for kids.

[noonwitch]

19. I always liked FAO, too.

I liked buying dolls for my nieces that were keepsakes, and discount stores don't carry that kind of stuff. For metro Detroiters and visitors to the area, there is a vintage toy store in Berkely, on 12 Mile Road, called The Doll Hospital. They repair old and antique dolls, but also have a great collection of higher-priced, but good quality dolls, along with dollhouse furniture, tin soldiers, educational toys and god knows what else. I've found some really cool stuff there over the years to give to kids in my family.

[sasquatch]

4. Karma is a bitch is it not

:evilgrin:

[rfranklin]

5. Bush bankrupted them...

just like every other company he's been involved in. Now, he's brought his "management" techniques to our formerly great nation.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Does This Mean Bush* Action Figures for $1.99 on Closeout?

This has possibilities...

[Warpy]

9. I think those Bush dollies

....will sell almost as fast as long pins.

[Ruby Romaine]

10. KB is owned by

Consolidated Stores Corporation-
Big Lots
Odd Lots
Pic N Save
Mc Frugals

maybe they will have the * dolls for real cheap!

[Bridget Burke]

21. Big Lots here I come!

There's one in my neighborhood. Interesting clientele: the regular Houston ethnic mix, with all income levels represented.

If I get one cheap enough, surely it could be posed in interesting ways.....

[Ruby Romaine]

23. you know the economy is bad...

last time i went to big lots, it was full of yuppie looking people!

[kskiska]

7. After all the Freeps loaded up

for Christmas. Did they do the Coulter doll, too?

[CatWoman]

8. Don't know -- Mike only mentioned *

:hi:

but I would think so -- the same company probably jumped on the bandwagon, and produced all those stupid action figures.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. They've been on the ropes for months...

and there was some speculation they would just close the doors. Looks like they might pull out now, but hopes are slim.

I kinda liked the place. Lots of stuff you can't get anywhere else, aside from the Bush doll.

My favorite, of course, was FAO Schwartz. That place was amazing, and the Fith Ave. store was a tourist destination in itself. Too bad they couldn't sell that many carousels or $500 monkeys. The branch stores they set up didn't have the cachet of the main one, nor did they have much of a decent stock of goods for most mall shoppers.

[opihimoimoi]

13. 19 warehouses of Bush Dolls that didn't sell is what killed them

[fernandovaz]

20. serves them right

[Cat Atomic]

14. Well hell. Who's going to make the red armbands now?

[stopbush]

15. Ha ha! Serves 'em right for that effing bush doll!

I have two kids, 6 & 10, and until this year, I did plenty of toy shopping at KB (even bought my kid's PS2 there when it first came out). But they really pissed me off with that bush flight suit doll, and I swore to not shop there again. I don't do Walmart, so I bought everything for Xmas at Target and a few indy toy stores out here.

Ta-ta, shit-heads.

[dusty64]

18. Hee hee

Ha ha, thanks for the chuckle.

[UTUSN]

22. BWAHH-hah-hah-HAH!!!! n/t

[TNOE]

24. This was a great laugh

God what great news! Guess that doll didn't go over too well.

[elfwitch]

25. Actually the figure was made by a company called BBI

And sadly, they are still in business.
http://www.toymania.com/news/messages/3779.shtml