Toys “R” Us is putting its name back on storefronts across America in a way shoppers have not seen since the retailer’s dramatic collapse nearly a decade ago.
The company plans to open 120 standalone stores across the United States for the 2026 holiday season through its partnership with Go! Retail Group. The rollout will add to the 40 standalone locations already operating and bring the chain to 160 standalone U.S. stores during the holidays.
The Toys R Us expansion represents a major escalation of a comeback that has unfolded in stages since the original U.S. business disappeared in 2018. The company’s announcement did not provide a complete list of the 120 incoming locations or individual opening dates, so shoppers in many markets will have to wait for additional details as the holiday rollout approaches.
“This is a major moment for Toys ‘R’ Us as we significantly expand our presence across the United States,” Jamie Uitdenhowen, executive vice president of Toys “R” Us at parent company WHP Global, said in the announcement.
“Together with our incredible partners, we are growing Toys ‘R’ Us in unique ways to meet customers wherever they are, whether that’s at a standalone store in their hometown, inside Macy’s, at the airport or at a Navy Exchange,” he continued. “Toys ‘R’ Us has always been a place for discovery, and we’re building on that legacy by bringing customers the hottest toys, biggest trends and experiences that make the brand unlike any other.”
The new Toys R Us stores are expected to carry major brands and entertainment properties including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and “KPop Demon Hunters,” according to the company. Select locations will also move beyond traditional toy aisles with candy shops, cafés and Creator Studios designed for influencers, creators and toy companies to produce content, reveal products and stage launches or special events.
The Creator Studio strategy gives this comeback a distinctly 2026 twist. According to Forbes’ reporting on the expansion, the concept is launching at five existing stores: American Dream in New Jersey, Mall of America in Minnesota, Camarillo Premium Outlets in California, Denver Premium Outlets in Colorado, and Chicago Premium Outlets in Illinois. The company intends to use those locations to test the concept before expanding it further.
The physical stores could also become more permanent than the phrase “holiday season” suggests. Uitdenhowen told Forbes that previous locations originally envisioned as seasonal stores performed well enough for leases to be extended. Forbes reported that Toys “R” Us expects many stores from the new wave to remain open after the holidays if demand supports them.
That would mark another major step away from the retailer’s collapse in the late 2010s. Reuters reported in September 2017 that Toys “R” Us entered Chapter 11 while attempting to restructure roughly $5 billion in long-term debt. Reuters separately reported that much of the burden traced back to the company’s $6.6 billion leveraged buyout in 2005, which left the retailer paying roughly $400 million annually in interest.
The restructuring failed to save the U.S. chain. In 2018, it was reported that Toys “R” Us was closing its final U.S. locations after the debt burden, changing shopping habits, and increased competition left the company unable to keep pace. AP reporting from that period said the liquidation affected hundreds of U.S. stores and more than 30,000 workers.
An early attempt to bring Toys R Us stores back produced locations in Paramus, New Jersey, and Houston in 2019, but both closed in January 2021, according to Associated Press reporting. Later that year, WHP Global acquired a controlling interest in the Toys “R” Us brand and began pursuing a broader revival.
WHP’s strategy quickly moved beyond conventional big box stores. According to WHP Global, a 20,000-square-foot, two-level flagship opened at American Dream in New Jersey in 2021 with interactive features, a café, an ice cream parlor, and a two-story slide. The following year, Macy’s announced that Toys “R” Us shops would roll out across its U.S. store network after an earlier online partnership showed strong toy sales growth.
By 2023, WHP had partnered with Go! Retail Group to accelerate standalone expansion. Retail Dive reported this week that Toys “R” Us opened more than 30 additional flagship and seasonal stores around the 2025 holiday period before announcing the much larger 120-store push this year. The company is also placing branded shops in airports and Navy Exchange locations.
The timing could work in Toys R Us’ favor because the toy business itself is having a strong year. Circana reported in August that U.S. toy dollar sales jumped 17 percent during the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, the industry’s strongest first half in six years. Unit sales increased 12 percent, while average selling prices rose 4 percent. Circana said trading cards, collectibles, licensed products and fandom driven purchases helped fuel the gains.
Adults are increasingly part of that equation. Earlier 2026 data from Circana found that consumers ages 18 and older accounted for 35 percent of total U.S. toy industry growth through April. That broader customer base helps explain why the new stores are being built around collectibles, social content and experiences instead of simply recreating the toy warehouse model many shoppers remember from childhood.
Toys “R” Us says its global brand now generates more than $2 billion in annual retail sales through more than 1,680 stores and e-commerce businesses across 37 countries, according to its September announcement. While 160 U.S. standalone stores would still represent a much smaller domestic footprint than the hundreds the chain operated before liquidation, it would make the brand considerably more visible heading into the most important toy buying period of the year.
“There’s something special about walking into a Toys ‘R’ Us store, especially during the holidays — the excitement of discovering the hottest toys, seeing favorite brands and characters come to life, and finding that perfect gift,” Go! Retail Group CEO Gideon Schlessinger said in a statement.
“With 160 stores open this season, we have an incredible opportunity to bring that experience to millions of customers,” he added, “and create destinations they’ll want to come back to throughout the year.”
After years of trying different formats, partnerships, and comeback strategies, the 2026 rollout gives Toys “R” Us its biggest opportunity yet to find out whether nostalgia, adult collectors, and a new generation of shoppers can support a lasting American store network.
