Image courtesy Toys R Us Website

They might not have bikes, trains and video games, but sometime next year, you could still go to a store and be a Toys R Us kid.

Toys R Us is joining forces with the owner of Toys R Us to bring an assortment of toys, games and other gadgets for kids to pop-up shops in more than 400 of the department store chain’s locations and online.

The Toys R Us ‘shop-in-shops’ in Macy’s will roll out next year, the companies announced Thursday. A larger assortment of Toys R Us merchandise is now available on Macy’s website.

“Our toy business grew exponentially for Macy’s in the past year,” said Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer. “Our partnership allows Macy’s to significantly expand our footprint in that category.”

“As a Toys R Us kid, I could not be more excited to bring this beloved brand that so many of our customers know and love into Macy’s online and to our stores across America,” the statement continued.

The hope, Dvir added, is that shoppers will visit Macy’s in search of toys and pick up a few other items such as apparel or makeup along the way. Macy’s could use the boost as it faces stiffer competition online and from big-box retailers like Walmart and Target.

The former toy retailing giant closed its doors permanently in 2018, but the brand name remained active online through retailers like Kroger and Target. Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy with $5 billion of debt on its books before shutting down its U.S. business entirely. It laid off more than 30,000 people and sold all of its inventory.

The leftover intellectual property from the iconic toy store, i.e. the names Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and Geoffrey the Giraffe, were all to be auctioned off, but at the last minute the company held on to them.

The partnership with Macy’s will marry the Toys R Us name with the brick and mortar locations and purchasing power of a major retailer.