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American Dream, the mega-mall that opened up right before the pandemic to much fanfare in New Jersey, will soon be home to a new giant Toys ‘R’ Us flagship store, officially set to debut mid-December.
Expect the 20,000-square-feet space to take over two levels of the mall and feature 10,000 toys, an ice cream parlor, a cafe and even a two-story slide. A dream-like playground indeed, right near the DreamWorks Water Park and the Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park on premise.
The news comes as a bit of a shock as the famous toy store chain filed for bankruptcy back in 2017 and closed all of its U.S. shops a year after that. A new parent company did try to revive the brand in 2019 by opening two pop-up stores, one in Houston and the other in Paramus, New Jersey, but, given shifting shopping habits related to the pandemic, those efforts fell short and shuttered in January of this year.
Now under yet another set of owners, WHP Global, Toys ‘R’ Us is also scheduled to launch over 400 shops-in-shops inside Macy's stores beginning 2022. Talk about a comeback.
"American Dream is a world-class destination with one-of-a-kind experiences and first-to-market entertainment/retail concepts, designed to delight a multi-generational audience," said Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream, in an official press release announcing the news. "Toys 'R' Us sparks the same feeling of joy across multiple age groups. This powerful brand is the perfect addition to American Dream's all-star lineup of entertainment properties and attractions."
As the only store in the U.S., the destination is clearly an important one that hedges its bets on the full-on return of in-person shopping and adds to American Dream's roster of experiential offerings.
And so, this holiday season, if you're looking for something a bit different from our very own FAO Schwarz, consider making the 30-minute car journey to American Dream and relive your childhood fantasies. Something tells us you won't regret your decision. Have fun!