Defunctland: The History of Toys “R” Us Times Square
In this one-off episode, Kevin dives into the flagship location of the iconic toy retailer Toys “R” Us in the heart of Times Square in New York City.
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@Defunctland
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the episode. If you're interested, we have a new Defunctland store with brand new shirts and pins! Check them out here: https://defunctland.com/store
@alexandraolivier1351
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
ugh such great memories here!! I remember going to the barbie dream house all the time
@LieutenantColumboLAPDD
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
"Virgin Megastore"
Finally a store built just for me!
@luser5317
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
"Why did this awesome thing get shut down and get replaced with boring grey rectangles?"
"They quadrupled the rent, raising it to $2500 per square foot."
"Oh yeah, that's why"
@sigilpaw
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
this is one of my favorite defunctland videos, it's just so chaotically funny and it just keeps coming throughout the video
@CrackTheIce
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Walking into this store as a kid has been a core memory since. The Ferris Wheel and huge wall of Nintendo Games feel like an insane dream when I think about it.
@LazarusStr
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
This was such an enjoyable and funny watch 😂😂😂.
I grew up in NYC and have had the privilege of visiting Toys R Us Times Square and FAO Schwartz.
Both were magical✨️ As for the street Elmo. No. No. They were not 😂😂😂😂 You don't want to tickle that Elmo 😂😂😂😂😂 As much as he may want to tickle you 😮😂😂😂😂😂
I never knew the history of it. I appreciate your video ❤. The ending was a nice touch 👌🏾
@ladybugdude
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
I've been to the store once but only have vague memories of it. I remember it being more like a mall because my mom and grandma were there for gift shopping but I knew about Toys R Us enough to be overjoyed when we went into the toy store section. I thought that it was just a random Toys R Us in a random mall for the longest time but the inclusion of the ferris wheel (I rode in the Toy Story car like the unabashed Disney kid I am) makes me realize it was the real deal.
@K.DeVille
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Not the Grannies outside hating on the toys 😂
@xGirlFromMars
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Toy stores are still a thing but Toys ‘R’ Us was just magical and I’m sad for the younger generations this past decade who have no idea about it. I used to get new Nintendo games and gifts for parties there. 🙁
@xGirlFromMars
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Geoffrey the giraffe was renamed to healthy Harold in Australia and he toured schools in a van that kids used to climb into the back of to get lectures about substance abuse.
@BearKiddo
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
my dad promised me as a kid we'd someday go ride that Ferris wheel. never did, i hope that something like this comes back around eventually.
@brohugproductions2005
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Toys R Us came back to life so it could reopen in time square again
@LDavis-je5iv
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
I used to work here!!!
@WMH01-c7c
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Now, It's 10 years later after it closed down.
@crossboy
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
a bunch of people forming an anti-war protest against a toy store instead of a military weapon designer or, you know, the *government*, is peak United States.
@2Absorbent2Individual-y4l
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
That's crazy! You'd never expect Walmart of all stores to surpass Toys R Us. I would have thought Target outsold Toys R Us.
@Carteeeer52
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
This place was so cool I got to go there a few times when I was a kid
@themessenger1871
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Toys R Us: Time Square was an ambitious effort. 14 years of being active before shutting down is nothing to scoff at, but what failed them was that the company was too headstrong & they overblew their expectations. If they went with a smaller location that allowed them to still do the ferris wheel & had things done more financially sustainable, then who knows? Maybe they could've been a real competitor to Walmart 😢
@LCOND12
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
What a great manager 👏
@sallyjack3822
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Popped up on my reccomendation
That place looked so fun—
it closed on my birthday in 2015.
I’m glad most of the character cars from the Ferris wheel were saved.
Stores being experiences is something I love seeing.
The store closing list, and the speech. Incredible.
@bran-rat
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
4:30 "Confronted" by Jefferey the Giraffe is so accurate and so fucking funny haha
@255ad
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Why did Eli say this was new?
@lunasol8306
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
I remember being scared to death by that dinosaur lmfao. I never realized how lucky i had it as a kid going there often
@windstream25
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
My favorite podcaster is in the background of this
@bubbles_7910
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
came here because I heard the latest Dear Old Dads podcast.
@mikek1686
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
I'm calling it now, that construction manager has the Dinosaur in his house.
@maxrose4308
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
God I remember to this when I was a kid, holy shit that was one of the best days of my life.
@KonoschABC
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
if it was still open all the kids would come back for sure
@KonoschABC
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
the last speech was actually very good, funny and emotional at the end
@KonoschABC
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
not gonna lie that store looks damn cool, i can just imagine going in there as a kid..
@AtraNoctes
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Nov… 2001!? No wonder my fam didn't go. Manhattan wasn't exactly family friendly for a long while
@richardnelson26
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
The store was an experience. Will always remember the Ferris Wheel and Geoffrey as you walk in.
@fiction1249
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
I remember like 15 years ago my family took us on a trip to the East Coast and when we were in New York for a few days, we visited the Toys R Us store. I got one of those Lego Mining sets with the Little Rock monster dudes and I remember I lost the mini fig in the hotel room and never found it 😭
@chrisrodriguez5110
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
I used to drive and clean those Ferris wheel carts when 16 🥲
@WaldoWantToKillZOMBS
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 pm
Failure or not – I had so many incredible memories here.
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