Toys R Us, Inc. - Geoffrey the Giraffe Vignette - Charles Philip Lazarus Printed Signature - 1996 dated Specimen Stock Certificate
Inv# SE3825 Specimen Stock
Geoffrey the Giraffe in the Vignette with Blindfold acting as Justice. Charles Philip Lazarus printed signature. Specimen Stock printed by Security-Columbian United States Banknote Corporation. Incorporated in 1993.
Toys "R" Us is a retailer based in the United States that specializes in toys, clothing, and baby products, currently owned by Tru Kids (operating as Tru Kids Brands) and other stakeholders. Established in 1957, the company's inaugural store was launched in April 1948, with its headquarters situated in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. Initially regarded as a dominant player in the market, Toys "R" Us faced significant challenges due to the emergence of mass merchants and online retailers, which eroded its market share. Additionally, the company struggled under a heavy debt burden resulting from a leveraged buyout by private equity firms. In 2017 and 2018, Toys "R" Us filed for bankruptcy, leading to the closure of all its stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, with the final US locations shutting down in 2021. While operations in certain international markets, including Asia and Africa, were less impacted, stores in Canada and parts of Europe and Asia were ultimately sold to third parties. In August 2021, WHP Global announced plans for Toys "R" Us to open over 400 locations within Macy's, starting in 2022. The flagship store is located in New Jersey at the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex, with a second flagship store inaugurated in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in November 2023.
In April 1948, Charles P. Lazarus established a baby-furniture retail business named Children's Bargain Town in Washington, D.C., amidst the post-war baby boom. This business was acquired by Interstate Department Stores, Inc. in 1966. In June 1957, the store's focus shifted, leading to the opening of the first Toys 'R' Us, which was exclusively dedicated to toys rather than furniture, in Rockville, Maryland. Lazarus also created and designed the Toys 'R' Us logo, which featured a backward 'R' to evoke the impression of a child's handwriting. The store chain experienced significant growth and developed a brand that became well-known among children born in the 1960s and 1970s, capitalizing on the rise of popular culture phenomena such as action figures (Star Wars, GI Joe), dolls (Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbow Brite), video games (including Nintendo's Super Mario series and other co-developed titles, as well as original SEGA Genesis systems and games), and ultimately the co-branded FAO series, following the decline of the higher-end FAO Schwarz stores.
Stock and Bond Specimens are made and usually retained by a printer as a record of the contract with a client, generally with manuscript contract notes such as the quantity printed. Specimens are sometimes produced for use by the printing company's sales team as examples of the firm’s products. These are usually marked "Specimen" and have no serial numbers.
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