Beyblade ( ベイブレード , Beiburēdo , diminutive Bey , from the diminutive of beigoma ) is a line of spinning-top toys originally developed by Takara , first released in Japan in July 1999, along with a related manga series . Following Takara's merger with Tomy in 2006, Beyblades are now developed by Takara Tomy . Various toy companies around the world have licensed Beyblade toys for their own regions, such as Hasbro in most Western countries, Sonokong in South Korea , and Takara Tomy for most Eastern countries.
60-564: Both the toys and their names were inspired by the Beigoma , a traditional Japanese spinning top. The concept is similar to Battling Tops , a spinning top game developed in 1968, and to the traditional spinning top games of gasing pangkah and pambaram and the previous Japanese toy line of Spin Fighters (1993–1997). The toy line was introduced with an accompanying manga series of the same name in 1999. The manga ran from 1999 to 2004, while
120-458: A category killer , the rise of mass merchants and online retailers cost Toys "R" Us its share of the toy market. The company was further hampered by a significant debt load, the result of a leveraged buyout organized by private equity firms, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts , Bain Capital and real estate firm Vornado . The company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and 2018, closing all of its stores in
180-520: A $ 6.6 billion leveraged buyout of the company. Public stock closed for the last time on July 21, 2005, at $ 26.75—a 63% increase since when it first announced that the company was put up for sale. Toys "R" Us became a privately owned entity after the buyout. The company still files with the Securities and Exchange Commission , as required by its debt agreements. In December 2013, eight days before Christmas, Toys "R" Us announced their stores in
240-417: A brand which was recognizable to many children born in the 1960s and 1970s, and it shared in the success of the birth of popular culture successes of action figures ( Star Wars , G.I. Joe ), dolls ( Cabbage Patch Kids , Rainbow Brite ), video games ( Nintendo 's Super Mario series and other co-developed names, original Sega Genesis stations and titles), and ultimately the co-branded FAO series, as
300-419: A downsized chain). Toys "R" Us Inc. later announced that all U.S. locations would be closed. On March 15, 2018, Toys "R" Us received approval from the bankruptcy court to liquidate its stores. There were buyers interested in acquiring groups of stores to use as showrooms, as well as others interested in acquiring the chain's brand and associated intellectual property . The company indicated in filings that
360-832: A local company. In addition to its expansion in the United States, Toys "R" Us launched a worldwide presence in September 1984 when the company opened its first international wholly-owned store in Canada. As of its sale to Fairfax Financial on June 1, 2018, the chain comprises 82 stores that continue to operate under the Toys "R" Us name following the sale. In 2021, Doug Putman , through his company Putman Investments, announced that he would buy Toys "R" Us Canada from Fairfax Financial . The Australian wing of Toys "R" Us entered voluntary administration on May 22, 2018. On June 20, it
420-471: A number of locations it plans to open in the United States. WHP is backed by a $ 350 million equity commitment from funds that are managed by Oaktree Capital Management. Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. On August 19, 2021, WHP announced a new shift in branding by partnering with Macy's to sell toys on the retailer's website and open store-within-a-store locations at 400 department store locations. On December 16, 2021, Toys "R" Us opened
480-725: A store in every Macy's location in the United States by October 15, 2022, just in time for the holiday season. A second flagship store was opened inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in November 2023. On September 29, 2023, WHP announced their intention to open 24 new physical stores in the United States. These stores would be stand-alone locations and would begin to open in 2024. WHP also announced smaller stores that would be located in airports and cruise ships. The first of these smaller stores opened in November 2023, and
540-583: A two-story flagship store at a size of 20,000 square feet in the American Dream Meadowlands mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey . On August 7, 2022, Toys "R" Us opened new locations in nine states: California , Georgia , New Jersey , Illinois , Nevada , Louisiana , New York , Maryland , and Missouri . These stores are located inside Macy's stores and range from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet. The company plans to open
600-651: A wholesale store-within-a-store concept that the company planned to deploy in time for the holiday shopping season. The company planned to revive the Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us brands in the future. In November 2018, it was announced that grocery market chain Kroger would add toy displays under the Geoffrey's Toy Box brand to some of its locations, to sell selections of Toys "R" Us private-label products. The brand operates under Geoffrey LLC, an intellectual property holding company within Toys "R" Us. On January 20, 2019,
660-618: Is an accepted version of this page macys .com /toysrus (shopping) Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1948; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters located in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey , in the New York metropolitan area . While originally considered
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#1732780929228720-628: Is located in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport . In 2024, a new store opened at Harlem Irving Plaza in Norrige, IL. In July 2001, Toys "R" Us opened an international flagship store in New York's Times Square at a cost of $ 35 million. The 110,000 square-foot store included various themed zones such as Barbie (with a life-size dreamhouse), Jurassic Park (with an animatronic T-Rex ), Lego , and
780-479: Is strictly prohibited once a match commences. Players can select any of their three available Beyblades for each battle within a game. In Metal Fight Beyblade , a points system was introduced. In the Beyblade Burst line of toys, Hasbro releases its own rule set for its toy line. In general, the first player to 3 points will win a match. In the event of a draw (which results if both Beyblades either exit
840-694: The American Dream shopping and entertainment complex. A second flagship store was opened inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota , in November 2023. In April 1948, Charles P. Lazarus founded a baby-furniture retailer, Children's Bargain Town, in Washington, D.C. during the postwar baby boom ; the store's site at 2461 18th St NW later became Madam's Organ Blues Bar . The store
900-525: The British Association of Toy Retailers award for "Toy of the year" in 2002. They were the top-selling battling toys in the US in 2011. By 2003, more than 5 million Beyblade tops were sold in the United States. Beigoma The beigoma ( Japanese : ベーゴマ) is a traditional Japanese top that is approximately 3 cm in diameter and often decorated with kanji . When spun correctly,
960-718: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. During its most recent entry into a new market in November 2011, when it opened its first licensed store in Poland (Blue City), Toys "R" Us, International operated more than 600 international stores and over 140 licensed stores in 35 countries and jurisdictions outside the United States. At its peak, Toys "R" Us, International had presence in 40 countries. Many of these stores were corporate-owned, but stores in some countries were independently owned and operated with Toys "R" Us licensing its name to
1020-558: The Philippines , Singapore , Taiwan , and Thailand . The Asian unit was originally established in 1985 as a partnership between Toys "R" Us and Fung Retailing, the retail subsidiary of the Fung Group (a Hong Kong-based conglomerate that also owns Li & Fung , a major retail distributor), with the parent company owning a majority 85% stake while Fung Retailing owns the remainder of the shares. Following Toys "R" Us' sale of
1080-537: The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on toy safety in September 2007, said he supported new legislation strengthening toy-safety standards and outlined new initiatives the retailer had set forth to ensure that its customers receive timely information on recalls (including a new website). In 2008, the company introduced stricter product safety standards exceeding federal requirements. Among
1140-706: The Toys for Tots foundation to serve as a donation site for anyone donating unwrapped toys or monetary gifts. However, there is no evidence that the current parent, Tru Kids Inc., has continued Toys "R" Us's relationship with Toys for Tots and the Toys for Tots Foundation has not included any recent information on their website concerning Toys "R" Us since the Toys "R" Us Inc. bankruptcy filing in 2018. Toys "R" Us had reportedly implemented high safety standards in 2007 and had vowed to take an aggressive approach towards holding vendors accountable for meeting those standards. Former chairman and CEO Gerald L. Storch , testifying before
1200-464: The beigoma makes a humming sound. Players wrap their tops in thin, 60-cm long cords which they use to launch the tops onto the playing surface of a canvas fabric sheet partially stretched over a bucket or similar items. The winner is the player whose top spins the longest or successfully knocks the opponent's top out of the playing area. Players will modify their tops to accommodate different play-styles by methods such as filing away material to change
1260-442: The manga and anime adaptations, with open sections in the walls and openings on the sides to launch into. Hasbro produces stadiums with walls that are about 3.7 in (94 mm) tall and pockets that count as a ring-out instead. Common features of a Bey Stadium include a circular shallow impression, which allows Attack Beyblades to move around quickly without accidentally knocking themselves out. Other features may be specific to
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#17327809292281320-414: The " retail apocalypse " was a factor, some analysts cited that the rapid increase in debt occurred under its private equity ownership. The company was reported to have a total workforce of 64,000 in September 2017. It was initially stated that only the U.S. and Canadian operations would be affected, and that its brick-and-mortar stores and online sales sites would continue to operate. In January 2018,
1380-473: The 20th century, the toy were made of lead and later of cast metal . Their popularity peaked in the first half of the 20th century before falling out of favour as newer postwar toys became available. The advent of the modern line of battling tops called Beyblade (introduced in 1999) has caused a resurgence in interest in beigoma . However, as of 2001, there was only one factory still manufacturing traditional beigoma. Toys %22R%22 Us This
1440-612: The Asian unit in November 2018, Fung Retailing becomes the lead shareholder of the unit, holding an increased share of 21% while Toys "R" Us' remaining 79% is distributed among a consortium of Toys "R" Us' lenders. In 1991, Toys "R" Us opened their first stores in Japan as a joint venture with McDonald's Holdings Company (Japan), Ltd. [ jp ] . The joint venture was supposed to last until 2018, but Toys "R" Us withdrew in 2006; after suing for breach of contract, McDonald's Holdings
1500-635: The Beyblade in the middle, which allows them to knock the Stamina Beyblades that tend to stay in the middle. Due to its resemblance to a flower, the pattern is called the "flower pattern". A Bey Launcher is used to rapidly spin the Beyblade and eject it into the stadium. Select launchers have different levels of power depending on the gears inside of them paired with the user's own launch strength. Launchers differ in size and shape, with some of them using Ripcords (long sticks of plastic with grips on
1560-547: The Canadian operations were profitable, and desired to preserve the operations of the 82-store chain through a sale. MGA Entertainment had made an offer to acquire the Canadian operations. MGA Entertainment CEO Isaac Larian attempted to raise $ 200 million through investments and public crowdfunding to purchase at least 400 of the U.S. locations. Liquidation sales began on March 23, 2018. The chain's online store shut down on March 29, redirecting visitors to information on
1620-782: The Fishman retail group, while stores in Saudi Arabia are owned by Tasweeq Company. Stores in South Africa , Namibia , and Zambia are also independently owned and operated. Toys "R" Us has extensive presence in East Asian territories and Southeast Asia under the umbrella of Toys "R" Us Asia, a loose amalgamation of joint ventures with local companies. Toys "R" Us stores operate in Brunei , China (mainland, Hong Kong , and Macau ), India , Japan , South Korea , Malaysia ,
1680-494: The Hasbro version, this would be "3, 2, 1, Let it Rip!" These toys are designed so that the top may separate if it has sustained enough hits, which creates a "burst" due to an unlocking mechanism and a spring in the performance tip. The Burst System consists of 3 parts, the "Energy Layer", the "Forge Disc" that contains most of the weight, and the "Driver", which is the equivalent of the metal series "Performance Tip", that controls
1740-467: The HyperSphere system. The metal series stadiums also have a "secondary slope", which is a small area about two centimeters thick (that isn't a curve) that exists between the tornado ridge and the centre of the stadium and is right next to the tornado ridge. The secondary slope allows Attack Beyblades to perform a circular pattern that goes through the centre of the stadium as opposed to circling around
1800-520: The US, UK, and Australia, with the last US stores closing in 2021. Operations in other international markets such as Asia and Africa were less affected, but chains in Canada, parts of Europe and Asia were eventually sold to third parties. In August 2021, WHP Global announced that Toys "R" Us would be opening over 400 stores within Macy's starting in 2022. The flagship store is located in New Jersey at
1860-471: The United States would stay open for 87 hours straight. The flagship store of the retailer in Times Square was open for 24 hours a day from December 1 to 24, to cater to tourists. The announcement came after snow and rain caused a nearly 9 percent year-over-year decline in U.S. store foot traffic. This move also pushed the retailer to hire an additional 45,000 seasonal workers to cater to the demand of
Beyblade - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-505: The anime only ran in 2001 with 51 total episodes. In 2002, Hasbro sold Beyblade toys internationally (under license from Takara) along with a coordinated country-by-country release of localized versions of the Beyblade season 1 . On July 12, 2008, Takara Tomy released Metal Fight: Beyblade , the second iteration of the toy. The third iteration, titled Beyblade Burst , was released by Takara Tomy on July 18, 2015. The fourth iteration of
1980-616: The behavior of the Beyblade. Toys "R" Us started distributing this system in Canada in September 2016 and Hasbro started distributing the toys in the United States in January 2017. As the longest-running Beyblade series, Burst has had considerably more subsystems than its predecessors. These are: Beyblades were the "most sought-after toy for Christmas 2002" in the UK , and won
2040-510: The business behind the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brand names" with a focus on maintaining existing licensing agreements and establishing new retail opportunities. The company evaluated that selling its brand at auction "[was] not reasonably likely to yield a superior alternative." At the Toy Industry Association 's Fall Toy Preview, the company unveiled plans for a preliminary venture to be known as Geoffrey's Toy Box ,
2100-423: The company announced it would liquidate and close up to 182 of its stores in the U.S. as part of its restructuring, as well as convert up to 12 stores into co-branded Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores. On February 28, 2018, it was reported that the company was exploring retaining its stronger Canadian operations, and the divestiture of some of its corporate-owned stores to franchises (leaving approximately 200 in
2160-563: The company emerged from bankruptcy as Tru Kids . As of June 21, 2019, the company planned to open new stores in the US slated to be 10,000 square feet, roughly a third of the size of the big box brand that closed in 2018. On November 27, 2019, Toys "R" Us opened a retail store at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. On December 7, 2019, a second location was opened at The Galleria in Houston, Texas . On October 8, 2019,
2220-519: The company launched the first of a new concept store called the "Toy Lab" in Freehold, New Jersey. The new layout provided more space for interactive exhibits and areas to play with new toys before purchase. This concept has since been expanded to stores in California, Delaware, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania. On September 18, 2017, Toys "R" Us, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , stating
2280-474: The company relaunched the Toys "R" Us website, which would feature a focus on resources and videos highlighting popular toys. The site was established in partnership with Target, with users being redirected to Target.com to place their orders. In 2020, the agreement lapsed, and Amazon replaced Target as the site's fulfillment partner. In 2021, as a result of financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic ,
2340-544: The custom designs, especially in the metal series, this is not a hard rule. Balance types may be strong or weak to any of the others depending on specific parts. However, they generally don't exceed in any aspect. An arena called a Bey Stadium is sold by both Takara Tomy and Hasbro. It is shaped like an overturned spherical dome but may have other features dependent on the purpose of the particular stadium. Different stadiums were released in different markets. Takara Tomy and Sonokong produce Beystadiums similar to those featured in
2400-465: The end and teeth on the sides to strike the gears of the launcher when pulled) and others using Strings (long strings with grips on the end that are connected to a gear that has a retracting mechanism to strike the gears of the launcher with slightly more power). Launching is often accompanied by a catchphrase. In the Takara Tomy version, this would be "3, 2, 1, Go Shoot!" ( 3、2、1、ゴーシュート! ) . In
2460-494: The extended store hours. Since the toy business is highly seasonal, more than 40% of the company's sales come in during the last quarter of the year. In 2014, Toys "R" Us announced its "TRU Transformation" strategy, which concentrated on efforts to fix foundational issues affecting future growth, including making stores less cluttered, improving the customer experience, clearer pricing strategies and promotions, and tighter integration of its retail and online businesses. In 2015,
Beyblade - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-593: The higher-end FAO Schwarz stores folded. The board of directors installed John Eyler as CEO (formerly of FAO Schwarz ) in May 2000. Eyler launched a plan to remodel and re-launch the chain. Blaming market pressures (primarily competition from Walmart and Target ), Toys "R" Us considered splitting its toy and baby businesses. On March 17, 2005, a consortium of Bain Capital Partners LLC , Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Vornado Realty Trust announced
2580-614: The license to operate Toys "R" Us stores in the Philippines, with the first one to open in Robinsons Galleria . Buoyed by increasing demand for toys in the Asia Pacific region, the Asian and Japanese arms of Toys "R" Us are among the Toys "R" Us subsidiaries that have remained profitable into the 2000s and 2010s, registering "double-digit" revenue growth through the mid-to-late 2010s. In 2015, Toys "R" Us Asia posted
2640-460: The liquidation and closures. On April 24, 2018, it was announced that the Canadian division would be sold to Fairfax Financial for approximately $ 234 million, and would continue to operate the locations under the Toys "R" Us name. Fairfax stated that it was potentially interested in purchasing U.S. locations as an extension of these Canadian operations. On April 13, a bid was made by Isaac Larian to buy 356 Toys "R" Us stores for $ 890 million, but
2700-600: The move would give it flexibility to deal with $ 5 billion in long-term debt by borrowing $ 2 billion so it could pay suppliers for the upcoming holiday season and invest in improving current operations. The company has not had an annual profit since 2013. It reported a net loss of US$ 164 million in the quarter ending April 29, 2017. It lost US$ 126 million in the same period in the prior year. It had been paying US$ 400 million per year to service its debt, which prevented it from investing in improvements to in-store experiences to compete with Amazon and Walmart . Although
2760-474: The new standards was a requirement for materials inside toys to meet a standard of 250 parts per million of lead for all products manufactured exclusively for the retailer (compared with the federal standard of 600 ppm). Toys "R" Us also announced the requirement that baby products be produced without the addition of phthalates , which have raised concerns about infant safety. The company had adjusted its requirements to meet new federal standards enacted with
2820-438: The only two U.S. stores once again closed down. The Houston location closed on January 15, 2021, and the Paramus location closed on January 26, 2021. The company stated that they made a strategic decision to pivot their store strategy, so they can look for new stores and platforms that will offer better traffic and that they continue to invest in channels where customers will want to experience their brand. On March 15, 2021, it
2880-524: The retailer during the 2018 holiday season represented a US$ 4 billion chunk of toy sales from which other retailers could benefit. Party supply retailer Party City capitalized on the closures by establishing temporary pop-up stores under the branding Toy City, some of which filled vacancies left by Toys "R" Us locations. On October 1, 2018, the company issued a bankruptcy court filing which stated that it would no longer auction off its intellectual property, since its controlling lender planned to "[revive]
2940-440: The ring simultaneously, stop spinning simultaneously, or burst at the same time), no points are awarded to either player. The stadium's pockets and entrance are sometimes referred to as an "extended play area" as opposed to a "primary play area" since if a Beyblade gets into one of the pockets but is able to escape, it will not count as a knockout. For the stadium's entrance, if a Beyblade flies there, gets caught there and goes around
3000-561: The second floor of the flagship store. The store drew thousands of tourists for over a decade before the company decided to cancel its lease on the space in December 2015. In August 2017, Toys "R" Us announced a 35,000 square-foot temporary store near the original one that would be open around the Christmas shopping season. From 2004 until the company's end in 2018, Toys "R" Us Inc., the former owner of Toys "R" Us, had partnered with
3060-592: The series that the Beystadium is released in, like the rails from the Beyblade Burst Slingshock toy system, the large, almost bowl-like HyperSphere toy system, the noticeably taller Speedstorm toy system. The QuadDrive toy system features a Low mode and High mode similar to its Takara Tomy counterpart along with a detachable, separate Armor tip on the driver, while the similar QuadStrike toy system has armor tips and stadiums similar to drivers from
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#17327809292283120-481: The shape of the top, adding in material like wax or lead to change the distribution of weight, and fine tuning via sanding imperfections caused by the casting process. The koma may have come to Japan from China , popular in the Kamakura period . Well known by the 17th-century Edo period , the beigoma was originally made by filling spiral seashells (called "Bai") with sand and sealing them with molten wax . By
3180-423: The signature indoor Ferris wheel . The flagship store also served as a gaming destination, partnering with Microsoft to be the world's first location to launch the original Xbox console on November 15, 2001. In 2006, the store added a Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova arcade machine in its electronics department. The store later added a full amusement arcade , known as "R"Cade. In 2010, a Wonka shop opened on
3240-458: The stadium but doesn't fall out of the stadium, it will also not be counted as a knockout. There are four main types of Beyblades: the Attack, Defense, Stamina, and Balance types. The first three of those types have intransitive effectiveness, with Defense generally intended to be effective against Attack, Attack against Stamina, and Stamina against Defense. However, due to the high variability of
3300-416: The toy line, Beyblade X , was released on July 15, 2023. Aside from informal play, the game has a set of published specific rules. Such rules underwent occasional modifications based on the particular circumstances of the individuals participating. In the official competition, at least two players engage in the game. Each participant is permitted a maximum of three Beyblades, and swapping out Beyblade parts
3360-525: Was acquired in 1966 by Interstate Department Stores , Inc. The focus of the store changed in June 1957, and the first Toys "R" Us, dedicated exclusively to toys rather than furniture, was opened by Lazarus in Rockville, Maryland . Lazarus also designed and stylized the Toys "R" Us logo , which featured a backwards "R" to give the impression that a child wrote it. The store chain grew successfully and built
3420-752: Was announced that all of their Australian stores would be closing as well. The closure of all 44 stores was concluded on August 5, 2018. On June 5, 2019, Toys "R" Us returned in Australia when Tru Kids partnered with Hobby Warehouse to relaunch the website for the chain. Since 1995 the Al-Futtaim Group has operated stores in Bahrain , Egypt , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , and the United Arab Emirates . Stores in Israel are operated by
3480-633: Was announced that brand management company WHP Global acquired a controlling interest in Tru Kids, which is the parent company of the Toys R Us, Babies R Us and Geoffrey the Giraffe brands. Going forward WHP will be managing Tru Kids business, and help guiding its expansion. In North America WHP plans to open Toys R Us stores, again — ideally ahead of the holiday season and could come on various formats to include flagships, pop-ups, airport locations or mini stores inside other retailers' shops. WHP has not yet set
3540-555: Was awarded an ¥ 1.38 billion ($ 13.35 million) settlement in 2008. After their joint venture ended, Toys "R" Us increased their ownership from approximately 48% to about 61%, and integrated it into their overall Asian operation in 2017. Locations in South Korea and India are established through joint ventures formed in conjunction with Lotte Mart in 2007 and Lulu Hypermarket in 2017, respectively. For RRHI to compete with SM Retail 's Toy Kingdom , in 2006, RRHI obtained
3600-477: Was rejected on April 17 and was fully scrapped on April 23. On June 29, 2018, Toys "R" Us permanently closed all of its remaining U.S. locations, after 70 years of operations. In early July 2018, it was reported that unknown benefactors had bought all of the remaining stock of two locations in North Carolina so they could be donated to charity. In November 2018, Fortune noted that the absence of
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