The Rise & Fall of KB Toy Stores
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- Опубликовано: 9 ноя 2022
- Today in a classic Jumpman video for 2018 we take a look at the rise and fall of Katie toy store toy store in the mall I’m sure we all want toys at this place from action figures toys from the 70s 80s and 90s on the Jack room to the pop culture to movies and television the music the toys who know you’ll find all here with the dog man in the Jack room
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I worked for KB toy's from 96 to 2000. It was my highschool and college job. The Christmas season was always crazy. I survived the launch of virtual pet's, frurbies, tickle me Elmo and the Nintendo 64. Parents would go nuts. From my experience the movie Jingle All the Way was very accurate.
I worked at Toys R Us from 93-96. I lived thru the Power Rangers introduction to the world. Jingle All The Way is a true-to-life account of things I saw at Christmas 93! Things I can never unsee. lol
I believe it as my mom worked at hills and always dreaded the Christmas season lol
This is so cool I love the 90s
Yall are legends
I remember having KayBee on my Star Wars figure search rounds back in the early 90s. I will never forget when they marked down their entire inventory to either a buck or two and dumped them into these massive bins next to the entrance. I think that was when my 'army-building' addiction started. Thanks for the great memories, Junkman! Especially that quick line about those barking back-flipping dogs. 😃
yeah there were crates of those Power of the Force figures
I wanted to build a Stormtrooper army!
Sage’s Customs, I loved the dogs.
Thanks for the KB Toys history lesson.
I have some criticisms of the shopping mall that are too large for this space but can be summarized as a business model for a world that no longer exists. Malls were an attempt to replicate the traditional open-air marketplace that used to be the center of social life from ancient times. These malls failed because of social changes, because of market saturation (can anybody say "bubble economy?"), excessive rents, strict customer regimentation, and the old real estate mantra of location, location, location. The strict customer regimentation drove out most customers--the high-rent business model required that the malls be packed with wealthy spend-thrifts who would drop at least $500 per person during their four-hour visit. I am only going to guess here because malls varied from a few thousand square feet to millions that featured an indoor theme park (Mall of America in Bloomington. MN), but for a mall with two anchors and 36 minor stores open 12 hours a day there would need to be and average at least 4500 customers daily. That is with an average four-hour mall stay. My figures may be too low because mall management usually is very creative with their accounting. Perhaps $2,250,000 daily gross revenues are inadequate to keep the place up and pay off the mortgages.
KB Toys was mall-based. Who was KB Toy's competition? While on a Disneyland official guided tour, the tour guide asked, "who is Disney's competition?" My answer was "everybody." Even taking a nap competed with Disneyland because I wasn't spending my money and time inside the park. Most people would think "Toys-R-Us" and maybe "FAO Schwartz." I'm old enough to remember when year-round toy sales were not a thing--supermarkets and drug stores usually featured a small toy aisle, but Christmas was toy season--and KB Toys, and Toys-R-Us (I didn't spend much time in FAO Schwartz territory). And, of course, Disneyland was a year-round toy store. But that's not all--even retail stores that didn't sell toys were competition. Toys-R-Us lasted longer than KB Toys because KB Toys set up shop among dozens of other retail shops and food courts and game stores and bookstores. Not only that--malls were the expensive places to spend time--and money. The ancient marketplace was only open on market days--not a sustainable business model today--and was more a social event than a retail event. Many executives bitterly complain that internet shopping killed the mall-based stores. Other executives blame big box retail chains and thrift shops and those cut-rate discount stores selling off excess inventory (toy liquidators) but that's only partially accurate. Sears invented the mail order business and died off about the same time as KB Toys, holding on by its fingernails. Big box K-Mart died off before the Pandemic.
One big factor is a switch from physical toys to virtual toys. Another factor is that the outdoor gym/playground sets quit selling. In current dollars, selling a young family a backyard playground for $10,000 would go a long way to pay the rent. Bikes, anybody? There's still some around, but how many families no longer own baby boomer tract housing with backyards large enough for a playground? Safety issues and liability (can you say, "you're sued?") discourage paying out the big bucks for backyard stuff that will only last a couple of years--and then require paying out more bucks when discarded at a dump or recycle center.
I have been a professional security guard for three decades, holding licenses in four US states and working security in two foreign nations. Mall management drove off anybody "loitering" whether customer or not in order to make the mall atmosphere more orderly than public schools, more tranquil than a church service--and they wound up with graveyards. This was accomplished by over policing. Mall rules usually prohibit three or more teenagers from congregating together--because of gang activity. Flash mobs were beyond mall security technology to counter--what do you do when you have a dozen mall cops (private citizens hired to wear uniforms and enforce management rules on customers) and several hundred screaming teenagers show up, smash a few windows, make off with several hundred thousand dollars in merchandise and scare off the paying customers? Right--you run off all children!
Malls are primarily entertainment--socialization with the rest of the city. That's gone now. Next, the malls provide services--babysitting is an unintended service that the malls can do without. Finally, the malls sell merchandise at a high mark-up, and that's not price gouging because mall overhead is excessive. If the shopping mall is thought of as a theme park with no admission fee, the required business model falls in line. All weather entertainment even during the hours of darkness with capacity crowds and only a limited number of mall shops per population center are not achievable in 21st Century America--look at all the failed theme parks!
Where does KB Toys come in? In the old days some toy vendors had a playroom where the kids could play with some of the toys. Stores went from full service where clerks would wait on each (rich) customer or counter service where the customer would order something, and a clerk would fetch it from the stockroom, then the customer would pay for it, and in many cases the store would then deliver the item. Sound like modern household appliance stores? The reason to expend merchandise by allowing the little brats to play with and break the toys was that then the screaming brats would pester their parents until bought off with new toys. A few dozen broken toys was merely part of the sales promotions--and broken toys could be gifted to orphans or the homeless for the purpose of promoting good will and building social credit. Now, if Junior touches too many toys, the family is ejected. Let Junior break a few--"you break it., you buy it!" The busy season for toys is still Christmas--I don't know how retail would survive without an annual shark feeding frenzy. A year-round store with a toy section that can be expanded seasonally is a more reliable business model--and if the retail store offers to order items for pickup or perhaps even delivers those items, that's even better. WalMart is having identity issues because its partially filling the public marketplace's social function--but even WalMart has an on-line presence and offers on-line shopping for store pickup or even home delivery. How would a modern KB Toys mall store handle that? Theme parks usually offer to ship purchases to your home and in pre-pandemic days would deliver your purchases to a package pickup at the exit gate and hold your stuff until you left.
Think back to your childhood. If you shopped at KB Toys, did you go there to buy as many toys as you could? Were you there to see what the latest toys were? Did the toy commercials masquerading as children's cartoon television shows fire you up to seek specific toys or did you want to go to the mall to marvel at train layouts, slot car racing, remote control aircraft arenas, model contests (yes, I'm dating myself) and perhaps a live puppet show? Think about how television killed off the mall.
No, I can't bring back KB Toys--or the mall. I'm a nobody. The business model is defective because mall management is focused on the wrong thing--retail sales followed by services. Malls are primarily socializing centers with entertainment being number two. Physical toys are declining in popularity because play is no fun solo--children are social animals and play means playing with other children. Toys only facilitate playing with others.
Thanks for the history lesson. It was entertaining--and gave me food for thought.
Wow that was the longest comment I've ever read, but somehow could not stop reading it. Great insights.
It was at a KB toy store in 1986 where I could still find GIJoe's from 4 years ago, it was later I noticed many lost forgotten toylines would find their way to KB stores at discount.
Canadian here, but plenty of memories at KB visiting family in the US. I remember a few having multiple aisles of action figures. What a time.
I can almost smell that store to this day. I used to pop in there to see if there were any new Star Wars or GI Joes. I seem to remember that section was in the back to the right. I wonder if it was the same all over. Strangely I miss malls. Amazon took a lot of business I guess. I think people wanted a more Main Street vibe with outdoor shops that never really materialized too.
I remeber Kay Bee toys in my local mall. Bought Godzilla and Transformers Animated figures back in the day.
I miss them days going to kay bee toys with my good friend Jeremy just looking around for all the good toys I remember going to kay bee toys with my dad and mom and sisters as well looking for the motu fingers
Speaking of stores in the malls, I miss The Original Cookie Company.
Man, I Remember shopping there back in the day, I Miss that store very much...
Im 19 and will always remember my very early childhood going to kay bee toys and toys r us. I would get Lego, wwe figures and hot wheels with my brother and it was just one of the best things as a kid going into a toy store full of everything you’ve ever wanted.
I feel sorry for the generations growing up without these stores.
I remember walking by Kay-Bee Toys in the mall, when I was in high school, and you always had to make sure that you weren’t seen walking into the store by the wrong group of kids from school or you were in for some harsh bullying the next day.
Before we had a Kay-Bee Toys, however, our mall had Honeybear Toys; but I never see anybody talk about that store at all these days.
As a “classic” subscriber, I remember the first run of this one. I love when you do this format. Always interesting to hear a little backstory on a cherished old store or whatever else. Good stuff!
I'm a KB kid for life. That's where I got all my Micro Machines back in the day.
Growing up, KayBee was my toy store because there were no Toys R Us close. So much cool stuff packed into those little stores. They always seemed to have the latest toys and video games before anyone else.
Me too -- I had a Toys R Us nearby (about 5 miles) but I could ride my bike to KayBee so I spent more time there.
There was a K&K in the big mall in my hometown that was bought by Kay Bee. It was a small store but had tons of fun stuff for all ages. I still have some Robotech toys from that store I bought when I was 18.
Also used to buy toys from Clark Tire. They did some automotive work, hence the Tire part of the name with whole store smelling like new rubber tires. They also sold appliances, but downstairs was a toy store equally as awesome as the Kay Bee in the mall.
Man dearly miss them days,KB TOYS ,TOYS R US ,MEDIA PLAY, great times for being a collector
Thanks for the info!
I was wondering what happened to KB.
I still miss the Hell outta that place. Such a great store
In 1982 I got my first He Man figure (Mer Man) at smithaven mall on long Island. Great memories!
I have the battery operated, back flipping, barking dog sound as my ring tone.
No, not really, but I'm sure I've given someone the idea to do so.
Man KB toy store is where my mom bought me my first Batman figure (from the 89 movie) and my POTF 2 rebel hoth soldier. good times man, good times. Sadly these kids today won't know what TRU, FAO Schwartz or KB toys is. what a shame.
I miss toy stores. I know it's silly, but even as an adult it was fun to just wander around them. I'm so glad my daughter got to enjoy them as a kid before outgrowing them. Now the only places that sell them are target and Walmart. Somehow, with their under stocked shelves and oddly lack of inventory by comparison to KB (which was probably smaller square foot wise than a modern target toy section), they're just not the same.
When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s growing up on Long Island, NY, we had Toys "R" Us and Play World. I think KB Toys opened by us sometime in the 80s in the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa.
We had both KB and Circus World back in the day where I lived. Those were the days!
In my area, the locations that became KayBee's were called Circus World at first. We also had a huge toy store that was competition to Toys R Us that was called Child World which was decked out like a big castle. I managed a KayBee during holiday season when I lived in Texas, fun place. I really miss their big discount bins.
If they had just hung on for a little bit longer they could have been saved by the emergence of Pops, the way Gamestop was.
Glad you put these older ones up from when your channel was a lot smaller. I've been here since before you had 5k subs. Getting this info and videos to all the newer subs is e great Idea and I enjoy the re-watch.
Thanks. Always worries be like, oh I see this, and feel cheated
I loved this store and I miss KB Toys!
I remember going to this toy store at the mall all the time.
I still have dreams where I'm back in KB Toys.. used to get Ninja Turtle figures there
I used to shop at that store when I was 4 years old, when I'm behaving good at school, my mom rewards me a credit toy.
i LOVED filling out my Marvel Universe there , from those "3- for $10 ' bins out front. KayBee exclusives galore!
I shopped a few times at my local Kay-Bee Toys store, but was unimpressed. Since it was in the mall, it was so crowded that I had difficulty driving my electric wheelchair inside. I’d often get frustrated and start to feel anxious. When the latter occurred, I left without the item.
Hopefully the rebirth of Toys R Us here in the states will continue. With maybe 4 rows at Wal-Mart or Target, it just doesn't offer the variety, and I hate paying shipping or getting price gouged due to buying online.
I got the 2003 Turtles and Tobey Maguire Spiderman figures from KB, phenomenal memories. 😆
0:05 i always shopped at crossgates and rotterdam mall i grew up in the area
I worked at local mall that had kaybee upstairs and circus world downstairs. I actually worked at circus world when I was like 19 that’s how I learned they were the same company
At the mall that was my regular during childhood it was KB upstairs and ToyBox downstairs.
The Aurora Mall, in Aurora, CO, had a Circus World upstairs at the north end and a K*B Toys downstairs at the south end.
I had the Circus World version og KB I guess....but also remember going to the KB outlet stores......80's-90's was such a better more simple time.Always will think about the barking back flip dog oor the sliding penguins..
My teenage mall is still limping along. I still have blistered figs with KB price tags. I think KB was gone in N Texas around 1999 or sooner.
Ollies is a cool place to look for retail toys
This was a great history lesson.😁
What ended KB where I live was when FAO Schwartz moved their stores into the same malls, and KB just couldn't compete. Then FAO Schwartz went under. It's a shame. It was at stores like KB where Takara first introduced their new Diakron toys that would later get re-introduced as Transformers.
Damn how they not be able to compete with the high in over prices less toy store. Crazy
@@ThatJunkman FAO Schwartz was new to town in Texas at that point, and it was that mythical store from the movie "Big" and world-renowned from New York, so crowds just instinctively went there. So people were willing to pay higher prices just to stop at that fabled store that just arrived in our city. I admit I too went shopping there just to go to an FAO Schwartz.
Who remembers the interactive Dinosaur interactive touch pad?!🤩
i do miss kb toys, i used to go drift netting there monthly looking for forgotten close out treasures... i think i got my 18 inch Mini-Me there for like 12 bucks on super double clearance. (currently sitting on my couch watching me.)
RIP Verne Jay Troyer (January 1, 1969 - April 21, 2018)
RIP kb toys
Hah! Hasbro inc. and Mattel inc. Should now be collectively referred to as "HASMAT" for all legal purposes!😂👍
@That Junkman Wow! I met my first (serious girlfriend) at ''KB Toys''. She was the Assistant Manager at one of the KB's in a Mall, close to were I lived at the time. I would go there every now and then to look for and buy (Super Nintendo games). And because I got to be a regular customer she would always recognize me. And she and I would always engage in conversation. Well... to make a long story short! One day I decided to take a chance and ask her out. And it paid off, because one year later we moved in together. But what's really ''ironic''. Is that about 10 years later. I met my wife at a ''Chick- Fil- A'' that she was managing at the time. (In that very same Mall). Sad thing is that it's now a ''Ghost Mall''.👻
Now that’s a sexy woman
@@ThatJunkman Yeah, but not as sexy as my wife though. Her ''Sexyness'' is certainly not the only reason why I married her...off course.
Anybody else collect the Lord of the Rings action figures from here? This was THE place to buy every single one.
Has it really been 13 years since they went under?! 😢
I miss Kay Bee 😢
60% of KB Toys clearance items are in Russ's house.
More true than you know
I didn't KB Toys was still open in early 2000's I thought KB Toys was close down in late 90's
Wasn't Bane capital responsible for the demise of Toys R us ???
Just ta shop thare for stuff
❤💔
I don't reckon they need to return...🚫
Merrillville Indiana had a kaybee store it was ok. Toys r us was better
Stupid Mitt Romney ruining KB with Bane Capital.
I miss it 😢
Circus World was the one I grew up with until KAY BEE took over. And I think I went to a Toy Liquidators in upstate NY while coming back home on vacation from Canada/Niagara Falls in '87...