Toys R Us used to be the Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory of kids' toys, but as video games, social media, and the internet changed how younger generations spent their time, the company eventually collapsed, filing for bankruptcy in 2017. Thankfully, it's making a comeback with 120 new stores, but surprisingly, that isn’t because kids have suddenly put down the screens. Weirdly, Pokémon and Lego are to blame.
Sort of; trading cards and collectibles have helped drive a resurgence in toy sales in recent years (via Newsweek). In the first six months of 2026 alone, it was reported that toy sales rose by 17%, with adults now making up 55% of all toy sales. And that boost is exactly why Toys R Us is jumping from 40 standalone stores to roughly 160 in the US alone.
"This will ultimately be a case study in resilience," 9i Capital Group CEO Kevin Thompson said. "What was once a company forced to restructure is now coming back with a vengeance."
Of course, the rise in adults buying TCGs and collectibles comes with its own problems. There are still kids who like toys, I say as a 26-year-old, not a boomer screaming through a megaphone that “kids these days and their newfangled gadgets and whatdayacallits.” And while the market for these kids does still exist, you also have adults crowding that space by elbowing each other out of the way to hoard Pokémon cards to flip online.
Just two days ago, we reported on an embarrassing video of grown adults pushing past each another for an entire stock of Pokémon TCG 30th Anniversary card packs, stuffing their baskets with as many as they could physically carry. If a kid wanted one? Well, tough luck. You'd have to somehow fend off a rabble of adults and scalpers.
Not all adult collectors spend their spare time exploiting limited supply and driving up eBay prices, however. That 55% does represent a large number of rational, level-headed buyers. The kind who enjoy building Lego sets and decorating their houses with memorabilia from their favorite pop culture franchises. However, with Toys R Us now specifically catering to that audience as well as kids, it will need to take into account scalpers. The kind who barge into a store like the world’s ending.
Some Toys R Us stores are already taking precautions. During the recent Pokémon TCG 30th Anniversary launch in Singapore, customers were limited to one of each product per person, while queue tickets couldn't be transferred or collected on someone else's behalf. The US retailer's terms also allow it to impose quantity limits per person, household, account, payment card, or address. Whether those measures will be enough when 120 new US stores open remains to be seen.
Whatever ends up happening, it’s exciting to see physical memorabilia endure, and to cater to a new generation of buyers, Toys R Us will also open cafés, candy shops, and “Creator Studios” where influencers and toy brands can host product launches.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.thegamer.com/toys-r-us-tcg-collectibles-comeback/
