This is a special "Back to School" edition of The Closer, a series from Project Brazen and PRX that shares the inside story of the deals that changed the world. In this episode, host Aimee Keane explores "Who Killed Toys R Us?"
If you were a kid at any point in the last, let's say 60 years or so, there's a decent chance you'll remember visiting a Toys or Us store. Going into Toys R Us felt more like entering this teaming toy Palace than it did a big box store. There were aisles upon aisles of toys. There were the Easy Bake ovens, the Cabbage Patch Dolls and Barbie, everything.
So what happened? We take you inside the retailer's final days with Lauren Hirsch, the reporter who first revealed the iconic company's impending bankruptcy. And then we explain what ultimately drove the company out of business.
