Toys R Us fans are lamenting the death of the store — take a look back at what it was like in its heyday

AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer

• Toys R Us is now preparing to sell or close all its US stores as part of a liquidation process after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year.
• The company struggled to keep up with competitors and was burdened with over $5 billion worth of debt.
• Over its more than 60 years in business, Toys R Us gained lots of fans, many of whom are now mourning the death of the store and remembering their favorite childhood memories there.

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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 close or sell its more than 700 stores across the US.

The store has been saddled with debt since a leveraged buyout in 2005 and struggled to keep up with competitors.

Though many Toys R Us fans were aware of this, they're still heartbroken to see it go.

In 1948 in Washington, DC, Charles Lazarus opened a baby-furniture store that would become the first 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:

As Toys R Us prepares to close its doors for good, fans are lamenting the death of the chain and looking back on their favorite childhood memories.

AP Photo/Richard Drew

This is what a store in New Jersey looked like in 1996.

AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer

It had everything a kid could want. This photo from 2001 shows the Imaginarium section of a New Jersey store.

AP Photo/Jeff Zelevansky

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

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• Toys R Us is closing all its US stores — and blowout clearance sales could begin within weeks
• Toys R Us will close or sell all of its US stores

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