5 toy stores that aren't around anymore
Zany Brainy came onto the toy scene in 1991. The company lasted for a decade before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of slow sales.
The Lionel Corporation was on the right track for decades, opening in 1900 and chugging along until the '90s. The company owned a number of toy store chains, including Lionel Playworld, Lionel Kiddie City, and Lionel Toy City. The company liquidated in 1993.
Source: The New York Times
K·B Toys, also called Kay Bee Toys, first launched back in 1922 as a candy store chain. After WWII, the retailer pivoted to toys. The company shuttered in 2009, but it toyed with and later abandoned the idea of launching a second life as a pop-up-based chain in 2019.
Source: Comic Book, The Los Angeles Times
Founded in 1964, Circus World packed up its tent for good in 1996, thanks to a merger with K·B Toys.
Source: Me TV
Founded in 1962, Child World fell into debt over the decades. Its financial struggles ended in 1992, when the company filed for Chapter 11.
Source: The New York Times
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