AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer A Toys R Us store in 1996.
- Toys R Us is preparing to sell or close all of its US stores as part of a liquidation process after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2017.
- The company struggled to keep up with competitors and was burdened with over $5 billion worth of debt.
- After over 60 years in business, Toys R Us has lots of fans who are mourning the death of the store and remembering all of their favorite childhood memories.
As Toys R Us nears its end, fans of the store are lamenting its demise.
The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September and officially filed for liquidation early Thursday. As a result, Toys R Us will soon be closing or selling all of its more than 700 stores across the US. The store has been saddled with debt since a leveraged buyout in 2005, and it has struggled to keep up with competitors.
Though many fans were aware of this, they're still heartbroken to see it go.
The first location of what would become Toys R Us was opened by Charles Lazarus in Washington, DC, in 1948. It was originally a baby furniture store and took on the name Toys R Us after expanding into toys in 1957.
In the 1990s, Toys R Us was the biggest toy seller in the US, expanding rapidly as it pushed out smaller chains. But by 1998, things had changed, and Walmart began selling more toys than Toys R Us in the US - a signal of more trouble ahead.
Take a look back at what Toys R Us was like in its heyday:
