Posted on 03/22/2018 3:21:47 PM PDT by Morgana
Charles Lazarus, who founded Toys "R" Us 70 years ago, died Thursday, a week after the company announced it will be forced to shut down its U.S. operations.
Lazarus, 94, no longer held a stake in the chain. He started the company in 1948 when he was 25, anticipating that the post-war baby boom would create demand for baby supplies and toys. He remained CEO until 1994.
"He was the father of the toy business," said Michael Goldstein, who succeed him as CEO. "He knew the toys and loved the toys and loved the kids who would shop in the stores. His face lit up when he watched kids playing with toys."
His death was confirmed by the company.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Sorry. I couldn’t resist...
Related to #2: Complete misunderstanding of online sales in the internet era. Their website was crap and borderline unusable for years and years; customers wanting to order a toy often gave up in disgust and went elsewhere. As their competition went increasingly online, TRU thought that opening more and more brick and mortar stores was the answer. Continuing to publish a printed catalog until IIRC just last year and devoting resources to it instead of moving it all online and devoting support there was another screw-up.
I LOL!
That took me a few minutes.
Reminds me of this:
On February 13, 2000, the day following Schulz’s death, the last-ever new Peanuts strip ran in papers. The strip, which was three panels in length, began with Charlie Brown answering the phone with someone on the end presumably asking for Snoopy. Charlie Brown responded with “No, I think he’s writing.” The panel next to shows Snoopy sitting at his typewriter with the opening to a letter, addressed as “Dear Friends”. The final panel features a large blue sky background over which several drawings from past strips are placed. Underneath those drawings is a colorized version of Schulz’s January 3 strip, with almost the same note he wrote to the fans which reads as follows:
Dear Friends,
I have been fortunate to draw Charlie Brown and his friends for almost fifty years. It has been the fulfillment of my childhood ambition.
Unfortunately, I am no longer able to maintain the schedule demanded by a daily comic strip. My family does not wish “Peanuts” to be continued by anyone else, therefore I am announcing my retirement.
I have been grateful over the years for the loyalty of our editors and the wonderful support and love expressed to me by fans of the comic strip.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy... how can I ever forget them...
— Charles M. Schulz
Your points applies to many formerly huge retailers. Like Sears for instance.
A hundred years ago Sears catalogs ruled the nation.
If only Sears could have used that same forward thinking technology as the internet age developed. They would not be on life support as they are now.
Continuing to publish a printed catalog
= = =
I Think I still have the last Sears Christmas catalog they sent out.
As a kid, that thing got really worked over every year by me and my siblings.
The Sears kids’ Christmas Catalogue was called The Wish Book,I think-———my kids looooved it.
.
Fred Lazarus Jr. (1884–1973)[edit]
I can’t connect the two families.
Lazarus plaque
Fred Lazarus Jr. served as president of Federated Department Stores, Inc. from its founding until 1947, and thereafter served as board chairman until his death. He was succeeded by his son Ralph Lazarus (1914–1988), who led Federated through the 1980s. Various Lazarus family members also held key positions on Federated’s board and within its various divisions, namely, Foley’s, Filene’s, Lazarus and Shillito’s. Robert Lazarus Jr. (1927–2013) was the last family member with an official role at Federated, in 2002 serving as assistant to Ron Klein, then chairman and CEO of the Rich’s/Lazarus/Goldsmith’s operating unit of Federated, now a portion of Macy’s.
American entrepreneur who founded the children’s toy store Toys “R” Us. In 1990, he was inducted into the Toy Industry Association’s Hall of Fame for revolutionizing the toy manufacturing industry.
Before Fame
He grew up working in the bicycle shop owned by his father. At age twenty-five, he opened the baby furniture store Children’s Bargain Town in Washington, D.C.
Trivia
He stepped down as Chairman and CEO of Toys “R” Us in 1994 but remained with the company as Chairman Emeritus.
Family Life
He was married to renowned sex therapist Helen Singer for sixteen years until her death in 1995. Later that same year, he married Joan Regenbogen.
Associated With
His company Toys “R” Us is known for its giraffe mascot Geoffrey, who has been voiced by actor Jim Hanks.
Thanks for the complete report. I suppose a lot of info is readily available online if one asks the right questions.
Everything but his family tree. : )
I have always assumed the Lazarus family from Cbus was the same as the TRU Lazarus. I guess I was wrong. I loved taking my children to the downtown Lazarus Christmas windows when we moved to Columbus in the late 80s. They were so nostalgic, and I loved the sense of traditional Christmas that my kids got from visiting there in their early years! Thanks for asking the questions and doing the research. I might have gone on with my assumptions for many years more.
We may never know for certain if the two families were related. If they were distantly connected, it would not surprise me. For a brief period of time in the 70’s I worked for the advertising department in downtown Columbus. Oh.
Learning how to make and submit a quarter page layout was an exacting thing back then. Now, computers most likely do all the sizing and color separation.
My hobby is to follow up on comments
My father: December 27th.
I was just about to fly to visit him in hospital.
The Time’s Square Toys’R’Us with the animatronic T-Rex and the Ferris Wheel closed either last year or the year before. Would take the family there on our yearly trip to the city to check out the absurd prices. Never did go on the Ferris Wheel though.
A worthy hobby if there ever was one! I follow through on some, but not every one I come across. Thank goodness for FReepers like you!
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