8 ‘Toys R Us’ Locations In Minnesota Get Final Closing Date

TWIN CITIES, MN — Stick a fork in your childhood — Toys R Us is closing its 200 remaining stores, including five in Minnesota, for good, on Friday.

The remaining Toys R Us locations in Minnesota are in Blaine, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Burnsville, and Rochester. The Babies R Us stores in Maplewood, Woodbury, and Blaine will close as well.

The toy giant had filed for bankruptcy in September, a last ditch attempt to save the iconic toy chain. But slow sales during the Christmas season didn’t help. It announced in March that it would close or sell all of its 735 U.S. stores.

Isaac Larian, the billionaire CEO of MGA Entertainment, the company behind the Bratz dolls, last month ceased his efforts to save Toys R Us when he was reportedly unable to come to an agreement with lenders. Toys R Us, based in Wayne, New Jersey, rejected Larian's bid to save 274 U.S. stores

CNN reported that the company will continue operating in other countries, including Canada.

Stores that have managed to stay open this long will offer steep discounts on remaining items, but many are mostly empty at this point, CNN reported.

Toys R Us’ bankruptcy filing came amid slumping sales and mounting debt, which grew to about $5 billion. The chain has faced increasing competition from Amazon, Walmart and Target.

Photo credit: Autumn Johnson/Patch