KB Toys

[Duke Cameron]

I went there countless times as a kid. But I went to Toys R US and FAO Schwarz in NYC more. I miss being a kid.

[Gremlin]

KB Toys, where you could always count on the handwritten markdowns in red ink.

[Deleted]

Jan 29, 2017 2:48:23 GMT -5 andrew8798 said:

How many people remember this store from their childhood? I remember getting a lot of WWF Hasbro figures from them even if they was a little high and Genesis games real cheap. At the end before they shut down it was sad.

Same we would always drive 40 minutes to Terre Haute Indiana to go to KB Toys to look for Hasbros if we couldnt find any at our local Pamida...Joys of an only child I guess lol

[edgestar]

Jan 29, 2017 20:14:44 GMT -5 Gremlin said:

KB Toys, where you could always count on the handwritten markdowns in red ink.

That is one of the first things I associate with KB

[Deleted]

KB Toys was the big place for me when I was a kid, as it was right in the middle of the mall, next to a boring store my parents used to go to commonly, and was the place we always snuck to while mom and/or dad were in that other store (a clothing store IIRC). Prices were fine until late in its day when they became quite overinflated due to the rising Wal-Marts and Targets everywhere (I can only imagine what KB prices would look like nowadays).

TRU was a standalone store in its own plaza right next to the mall, so that wasn't always a certain destination when we went to the mall. Once I was old enough to drive, though, it sure as hell was, and KB (much like the rest of the mall) faded away. KB at least had the dignity to vanish, the mall is still there (while still doing ok enough, though they're about to lose Sears) and a sad shell of its former self.

Last time I was in a KB Toys was 2008 or so, right after I moved to southern NH for a few years. By then, the final clearance sale had wiped the store out of anything decent and I just had to avoid it as it withered away and died once & for all.


Also, I remember Toy Works - at least in New England, it was a KB-esque store. A ways from where I was, but a very nice alternative from what I recall. Then I think KB Toys bought them out and it lost most if not all unique luster they had.

[Crimson]

My local mall had one and it was the place my parents would always end up taking me for toys shopping. Used to get my old WCW action figures from there.

[edgestar]

Jan 30, 2017 10:38:13 GMT -5 @knapp said:

KB Toys was the big place for me when I was a kid, as it was right in the middle of the mall, next to a boring store my parents used to go to commonly, and was the place we always snuck to while mom and/or dad were in that other store (a clothing store IIRC). Prices were fine until late in its day when they became quite overinflated due to the rising Wal-Marts and Targets everywhere (I can only imagine what KB prices would look like nowadays).

TRU was a standalone store in its own plaza right next to the mall, so that wasn't always a certain destination when we went to the mall. Once I was old enough to drive, though, it sure as hell was, and KB (much like the rest of the mall) faded away. KB at least had the dignity to vanish, the mall is still there (while still doing ok enough, though they're about to lose Sears) and a sad shell of its former self.

Last time I was in a KB Toys was 2008 or so, right after I moved to southern NH for a few years. By then, the final clearance sale had wiped the store out of anything decent and I just had to avoid it as it withered away and died once & for all.


Also, I remember Toy Works - at least in New England, it was a KB-esque store. A ways from where I was, but a very nice alternative from what I recall. Then I think KB Toys bought them out and it lost most if not all unique luster they had.

Toy Works was also awesome I think the one here, became a Dollar Tree, so I still visit

[Deleted]

Jan 29, 2017 10:58:35 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

They're pretty much where all my Beast Wars and Silver Surfer action figures came from.

That's where I got most of my Beast Wars as well as Generation 2 stuff. It seemed like all Wal-Mart and Toys R Us ever had were the peg warmers.

[Ultimo Gallos]

Got piles of Toy Biz era Marvel action figures out of the 3 for 10 or 3 for 5 bins at KB. What I always found odd was for at least 3 years in the mall near me there was a KB Toys and right across the mall from it was Circus World,which was a toy store chain owned by KB.

[Main Eventer]

I remember getting a Booker T Harlem Heat attire action figure from KB Toys... In 2002.

[General Adam]

Loved KB Toys when I was a kid. The only thing that I didn't like was that they never had any Pokemon cards.

[Hassan bin Sober]

I remember for a while in the 90s we didn't have a proper KB Toys but one would open up just for the Christmas season. I remember they had a bunch of the original Marvel Superheroes line from Toy Biz years after they had come out. Also 12" G.I. Joe Hall of Fame figures I never remember seeing anywhere when they were new.

[lildude8218]

I liked KB and Child World. I can't remember which was which but one I used to go to had the Ninja Turtle section like right when you walked in the door so it was perfect.

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2017 18:43:18 GMT -5 lildude8218 said:

I liked KB and Child World. I can't remember which was which but one I used to go to had the Ninja Turtle section like right when you walked in the door so it was perfect.

If you seen the shots inside of Al's Toy Barn from Toy Story 2, that was almost exactly like the Child World on the west side of Calumet City, IL. I got all my M.U.S.C.L.E. guys there.

I quoted you because I believe it was CW.

[Deleted]

KB Toys was the only toy exclusive store I ever went in. They had one at the closest mall growing up, and it was the place to get all of the best wrestling toys.

The closest Toys R Us was like an hour away.

[Chainsaw]

I was never the biggest fan of KB, because it always seemed like their prices were pretty high for toys, but I always liked going in there as a teen/adult to see what you could find. I was a much bigger fan of a place called Lionel Kiddie City as a kid, it was an amazing place to go to in the 80's. Seemed like the place was PACKED with toys, like a Toys R Us.

[Deleted]

Used to go there to get random figures I couldn't find anywhere else like the original Sid wcw figure,The 1st HBK & Razor Ramon,Wmac Masters dragon star belt,etc.I got a lot of video games there when EB and GameStop were sold out.

[lovingway]

I remember working for a KB Toy Works for a few weeks and hated it. I had spent over a year at Toys R Us and went to KB and was surprised at how poorly ran they were. I wasn't surprised that they went out of business a few years later

[Alucard]

KB Toys was my life.