Kids R Us

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Kids “R” Us was the children’s-clothing division of Toys “R” Us, created as the toy superstore operator expanded into apparel. Its first two stores opened in February 1983 in Paramus, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. The concept applied big-box logic to kid-sized wardrobes: racks of everyday clothing, bright retail energy, and one more stop on the family errand circuit.

The division grew rapidly alongside its parent. Toys “R” Us reported four Kids “R” Us stores by fiscal 1983, 217 by fiscal 1993, and 146 freestanding clothing stores as of February 1, 2003. It was a branded operating division rather than a separately incorporated company, based within the parent company’s New Jersey corporate organization.

On November 17, 2003, Toys “R” Us announced it would close all 146 freestanding Kids “R” Us stores. The company cited substantial performance declines and said the closures would affect stores, distribution centers, and support functions. Most locations closed by January 31, 2004; 44 remained briefly to liquidate apparel inventory. Clothing did not vanish entirely: Toys “R” Us continued apparel departments in its combo stores. Corporate consolidation: the least magical aisle, inevitably.

Our Kids R Us collection celebrates the era when a trip for socks, jeans, and school clothes could be folded into a pilgrimage for action figures, board games, and a wish list longer than the receipt.