The return of nostalgia is bringing back Toys “R” Us as it opens 120 stores, nine years after bankruptcy

Remember when holiday shopping started with a very important research trip through the rainbow-colored doors of Toys “R” Us? To an 8-year-old, it was serious business: Santa needed to know exactly which toys to bring, of course. And inevitably, when the holidays rolled around, there was always a sneaking suspicion that the pogo stick-shaped present under the tree was the same one from aisle 20.

Now, those 8-year-olds have grown up, and Toys “R” Us wants them back. The retailer is planning to open 120 stores across the U.S. this holiday season, nine years after the company filed for bankruptcy and eventually closed all of the more than 800 stores nationwide. But the new aisles won’t just be for kids making wish lists; they’re also courting adults who buy LEGO sets, trading cards, and collectibles themselves. 

The timing aligns with an uptick in toy sales: U.S. toy sales rose 17% in the first half of 2026, while sales of toys bought for adults climbed 25%, according to data by Circana. The question now is whether nostalgia can get those grown-up shoppers through the doors often enough to keep them open.

“Our customer base now extends well beyond kids and parents,” Jamie Uitdenhowen, the retailer’s executive VP at WHP Global, told Fortune in a statement. “Adults are increasingly buying toys, collectibles, and........

© Fortune