Lasting Impressions of Toys R Us, 4.18.18
I believe physical toys are important for kids. Growing up, having tangible items was the catalyst to my imagination. I collected Hot Wheels, and pretended to drive them around running errands on a playmat my parents bought me with roads and buildings. When I got older and got in to wrestling, I pretended to have matchups with wrestlers I couldn’t see on PPV. Action figures were my favorite. From superheroes to sports stars, I would make believe scenarios that translated into real-life. These days kids are growing up in a digital world, which I’m not too sure what to make of. Although convenient, how stimulating is it for a young mind new to the world? Does it stimulate curiosity? Can an intangible character on a screen provide the same comfort as its tangible version?
With that being said, Toys R Us and KB Toys were dreamlands for me as a kid. I couldn’t spend enough time there. All of the characters I saw on television, all of my friends, were found at these stores. KB Toys closed in 2009. I was sad, but I shopped there a few times before they went out of business. Earlier this year, it was reported Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy. A few months later, they announced the closing of all their stores. Things from my childhood are disappearing at what feels like an alarming rate. Blockbuster is gone. KB Toys has been gone for almost a decade. Toys R Us will be next. Wake up! It’s sad times we’re living in people!!
I wanted to visit Toys R Us for one of my last times to document it. I didn’t think to do it with KB or BB, but I was a kid back then focused on being a kid, plus I wasn’t a photographer. I went to the Toys R Us in Concord across from Concord Mills, a store I’ve been a patron to various times over my tenure in Charlotte, and took some final impressions. Check them out below and leave a Disqus comment under!!
May the 90’s and physical toys live on.
Check out some of my photos below, let me know what you think! Leave a comment!
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