Charles Lazarus, Founder of Toys R Us, Dies At 94

Charles Lazarus, who transformed his father’s Washington bicycle business into Toys R Us, a retail giant thatwas one of the world’s largest distributors of games, dolls, stuffed animals and other children’s goodies before it declared bankruptcy in September, died March 22. He was 94.

A Toys R Us spokeswoman confirmed the death but did not provide additional details.

Lazarus was 25 when he founded what became Toys R Us, his “supermarket for toys,” in 1948. Over six decades, the company grew into an international empire with a flagship store in New York’s Times Square, a giraffe mascot named Geoffrey and an earworm jingle: “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid.”

(c) 2018, The Washington Post · Harrison Smith, Ellie Silverman 

{Matzav.com}