Toys "R" Us

Busted Business Bureau

My friend who loves a shot and a beer, Karsten Runquist, joins me for this exploratory episode about the ins and outs of the United States' beloved decrepit children's toy retail store, Toys R Us! Let's get jiggy with some brankruptcy docey-do's, George HW Bush's infamous trip to Japan, giraffe sized coffins, and the lush world of private equity! This episode took much longer to research than is likely evident from the podcast because what on God's green earth is a motherfvcking "Leveraged Buyout?" Is mayonnaise a debt instrument? Anyways, huge thanks to Investopedia dot com for your articles that require 3 other articles to understand, like a Matryoshka doll of finance jargon.

Karsten and I hosted a Succession recap podcast called Succ Off: A Succession Podcast which is on, like, all streaming services I assume. You can also follow him on Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter at either @KarstenRunquist or @RunquistKarsten. Yay!

SOURCES:

1. Charles P. Lazarus, Toys R Us Founder, Dies at 94. Michael Corkery. New York Times. March 2018.
2. COMPANY NEWS; Toys 'R' Us Opens Doors in Japan. James Sterngold. New York Times. Dec 1991
3. Plunder. Brandon Ballou. May 2023
4. These are the Plunderers. Gretchen Morgensen and Joshua Rosner. April 2023.
5. The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for America's Youngest Consumers. Eric Clark. January 2007
6. Lessons Learned From the Downfall of Toys 'R' Us, Tara Lachapelle, Bloomberg, March 2018

NOTE: The Plunder-ey books I’ve linked to the website where I get them with tenuous legality. I currently have a free trial on this website and it has been 1000% worth it. Considering getting a subscription and canceling my Scribd subscription, which is becoming less and less useful.