To paraphrase the old royal-era French exclamation “The King (Charles VI, 1422) is Dead, Long Live the King! (Charles VII, his son)” we might now say, “Toys R Us is Dead, Long Live Geoffrey’s Toy Box!” The venerable old toy retailer has coming back; and though its new form is smaller, it’s still great news.
The revival of Toys R Us in the US under the rebranding of Geoffrey’s Toy Box was made known last month, to be a store-within-a-store partnered with retail outlets. We now know that the first retailer to pick up Geoffrey’s Toy Box is Kroger Stores.
A recent press release by The Kroger Co. related that the grocery retail chain was going to put a Geoffrey’s Toy Box in 600 of their Kroger Family Stores, a massive number spread across no less than 30 states. Installation of some of these Geoffrey’s Toy Box kiosks has already begun, with plans to reach the max number in time for Holidays.
Seen by @oansun at a Kroger! pic.twitter.com/Ns6pNaLfez
— Davideo (@FakeEyes22) November 1, 2018
But wait; in order to test the waters of the old TRU’s new store-within-a-store concept, only certain toy brands are being offered in the Toy Boxes this month: Animal Zone, Imaginarium, Journey Girls, Edu Science, You & Me, and Just Like Home. Projected prices will range from $19.99 to $49.99 and product assortments will change from one location to another.
We’re not really sure if all 600 of Geoffrey’s Tox Box will simply follow a kiosk-type of display to sell TRU’s own branded toys. And to be frank, its a bit underwhelming to see how this Toy Box concept turned out. The selection of toys on display is not really most fans may expect, but then again, with such the small place and footprint that it occupies, not all major brands will, or can be represented.
Obviously, LEGO and other more prominent brands won’t be a part of Geoffrey’s Toy Box during its early days. And as much as we hope that this rebirth of Toys R Us will kick off and that the LEGO brand will be once again be a part of it, most LEGO fans are still holding on to their horses and are still a bit skeptical about it if such TRU re-branding will really be successful.
It remains to be seen during the next few months until the first quarter of 2019 if LEGO sets will be added to Geoffrey’s Toy Box. We just have to wait and see.