The unkillable Toys ‘R’ Us

Never mind the Walking Dead. Count Toys “R” Us as a brand that refuses to die.

The once-ubiquitous toy store — which went bankrupt and closed all outlets in 2018 — is poised for a big comeback.

Toys “R” Us will spring to life in every Macy’s department store over the next few months.

The stores-within-stores will range in size from 1,000 square feet in smaller locations to sprawling 10,000 square feet in larger Macy’s, including in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Macy’s recognized an opportunity in revitalizing Toys “R” Us when it agreed last year to sell goodies under the Toys “R” Us brand on its website.

Macy’s then started opening stores-within-stores in about 400 locations to gauge customer reaction.

The response was apparently warm enough that Macy’s is now going all-in on the toy brand.

Toys “R” Us is owned by WHP Global, which acquired the brand from Tru Kids Inc., which snapped up the Toys “R” Us name in a liquidation sale.

Tru Kids opened Toys “R” Us stores in New Jersey and Texas, but then closed them last year because of the pandemic.

Macy’s says Toys “R” Us “will come to life in-store with playful colored fixtures as well as hands-on demonstration tables for customers to interact with various toy assortments.”

“Macy’s cannot wait to bring the Toys ‘R’ Us experience to life in our stores,” Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer, said in a statement.

“We hope Toys ‘R’ Us kids of all ages discover the joy of exploration and play within our shops and families create special memories together.”

Like many parents, I always enjoyed cruising Toys “R” Us aisles with my kid, checking out his interests and appreciating the hands-on aspect of the experience.

Macy’s clearly is seeking to be more to more people at a time when the retail industry is struggling to return to pre-pandemic strength and to compete with online rivals such as Amazon.

The new Toys “R” Us stores will start opening this month, with the rollout scheduled for completion by mid-October — which just so happens to be about the time holiday shopping kicks into gear.