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SumoLEGO Bonusball Bonanza! (July 27, 2018)

SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,241
in Everything else LEGO
Hello everyone!  Sorry for the late posting, but in honor of the closing of Toys R Us... Geoffrey is the Prize du Jour.



My fondest memory of TRU is the aisle of video game flaps and hoping that someone hid a Super Mario Bros. 3 ticket in the Burgertime slot.



What is your fondest TRU memory?

(First 59 get a number for the lottery, etc., etc.,...)
BumblepantsShibGothamConstructionCobandit778FowlerBricksMr_CrossSeijiAmasawalegomattSprinkleOtterMAGNINOMINISUMBRAvwong19donutboysnowhitieLego_Starkiki180703ricecake
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Comments

  • eMJeeNLeMJeeNL Member Posts: 821
    Very little here, aside from one opening in Eindhoven when I was little, and being pissed at the one in Leidsche Rijn for not having the CMFs S17 after walking there in the burn8ng hot sun.
    SumoLegobandit778stlux
  • BumblepantsBumblepants Member Posts: 7,730
    They opened a store in Tyler Texas when I was young and my mom took my sister and I there shortly after. I remember being completely blown away by how big it was and how many toys there were. 
    SumoLegobandit778Mr_CrossstluxSeijiAmasawasnowhitieLego_Star
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,477
    I don’t know I’d call it fondest but the only TRU story if interest I have...

    During one of the traditional post-Xmas or post birthday trips (basically the only time I would have had any money as a child) I had been messing around with the display toys, finished browsing and went to pay for whatever amazing thing I’d picked out.

    Walking to the checkout I realised my wallet wasn’t in my pocket. My heart sank, I told my parents and my dad told me I’d best go look for it. I ran as quick as I could back to the last place I stopped (by the computers) where I had been leaning on a tabletop.

    right there, perfectly square on the table was my wallet...which was bright green with red trim. Incredibly obvious to anyone passing, and there were a lot of people were around. I grabbed it, and was massively relieved that all my money was still there.

    i was incredibly lucky that in the approx 20 minutes it’d taken me to finish browsing and notice my wallet wasn’t in my pocket that no one had taken it!




    just about any other story I have about TRU is from recent years and would be rather unflattering about the company and staff. 
    SumoLegobandit778stluxSeijiAmasawaMAGNINOMINISUMBRAsnowhitie
  • paul_mertonpaul_merton Member Posts: 2,967
    My fondest memory would be the one and only time I visited a store as a kid. My parents always told me it was expensive and I wasn't allowed to go there. Imagine being taunted by all those TV ads and not being able to check it out? But one birthday we went there to find the game I wanted that we couldn't find in any other shop.

    Torpedo Run!

    Not only was I really pleased about getting the game, but I particularly remember being awestruck by the mountainous shelving and just how much stuff they had.


    SumoLegobandit778stluxlegomattsnowhitieLego_Star
  • oldtodd33oldtodd33 Member Posts: 2,729
    My fondest memories of TRU would be when I would go in to buy any Lego set and seeing stacks of monorail track and sets just waiting for me to buy them. Wish I would have bought more. 
    SumoLegostluxsnowhitie
  • Gibbo1959Gibbo1959 Member Posts: 553
    Being rather old, TRU was never part of my childhood experience so I’ve only ever visited as an adult on a few occasions. Best memory I can offer is getting the Batman & CMF minifigure boxes last year as I’d missed all the previous annual exclusives. I predict Geoffrey is going to become a real collectible! 
    SumoLegostluxsnowhitie
  • jmeninnojmeninno Member Posts: 1,216
    Bringing my young son to the free Saturday morning Lego builds.
    SumoLego
  • bandit778bandit778 Member Posts: 2,398
    My favourite Toys R Us memory is during the hype for Revenge of the Sith, the Boss letting me purchase (and paying for some of them herself)  a virtually complete set of the standard 3 inch figures because in a conversation at some in the past I'd mentioned never managing to complete a set of Star Wars figures from my yoof.
    The remaining few that I was missing (including exclusives and variations)were picked up over the next couple of months from various sources to complete the set but walking out with a large stack of figures made the 8 year old me ecstatic (just unfortunate i was considerably older than that when this happened.

    SumoLegostluxsnowhitie
  • Matt89190Matt89190 Member Posts: 307
    There weren't any near where I lived, but after a trip somewhere as a kid, we stopped off at a Tesco next to a TRU and popped in next door. I got a Mandalorian Warrior action figure. TCW was awesome.

    (very excited for S7!!!!)
    SumoLego
  • Russell844Russell844 Member Posts: 2,482
    Looking up and seeing the G.I. Joe USS Flagg Aircraft Carrier on display.
    SumoLegodavetheoxygenmanMAGNINOMINISUMBRA
  • benbacardibenbacardi Member Posts: 712
    edited July 2018
    Giraffes are my favourite animal, and I've wanted this set since I saw it - but I have to say I've never really been in a TRU - aside from in New York when on holiday with my wife! Times Square was pretty special

    Thanks for hosting @SumoLego!
    SumoLegosnowhitie
  • kezkez Member Posts: 831
    Driving around in the little electric cars :-D
    SumoLegolegomatt
  • starwars4everstarwars4ever Member Posts: 489
    Discovering that TRU had these "exclusive" Lego sets that I'd never seen before. Crazy times before the internet!
    SumoLego
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,485
    For whatever reason, I have a very vivid memory of staying at my Grandparents house one summer when I was probably 8 or 9 years old. I saw a Toys-R-Us commercial (I didn't have cable, unlike my grandparents, and lived in a very small town that was pretty far from the nearest location a Toys-R-Us would be). Probably within 10 minutes of seeing the commercial, my Grandpa told me he wanted to take me somewhere. I jumped in the car and off we were. 

    I so clearly remember the facade of the building as we drove into the parking lot to park. 

    Funny that my memory is more about the commercial and building. I honestly don't remember anything from inside the store. Just the time with my Grandpa.
    stluxSumoLegolegomattBumblepants
  • monkeyhangermonkeyhanger Member Posts: 3,170
    edited July 2018
    As a 1st year Uni student 24 years ago, I went into TRU to get my youngest sister a birthday present (a My Little Pony - contain yourself Pitfall!), and right there I was mesmerised by a PS1 running a near arcade perfect "Ridge Racer" game - I used to pump the arcade machine at the Student Union full of pound coins, so as I saw it, it would pay for itself in no time! I blew a large chunk of my grant on getting one there and then.

    I was the only person at Uni I knew that had one, which made me and my PS1 very popular! Tekken and MK tournaments accompanied the drinking.

    That and getting a Menasor Transformers combiner set when I was about 12, always wanted Constructicons/Devastator, but wasn't available in the UK.
    stluxSumoLegoBaby_YodaMAGNINOMINISUMBRAGothamConstructionCo
  • alldarkeralldarker Member Posts: 224
    I loved visiting TRU about once a week to see if they had the newest Lego sets (and / or Transformers). The deals were pretty good back in the day. I still regret not buying a deeply discounted train shed... :(
    SumoLegoMAGNINOMINISUMBRALego_Star
  • FodderFodder Member Posts: 360
    Browsing he LOTR LEGO section after coming out of my dark ages..
    SumoLegosnowhitie
  • hoodaddyhoodaddy Member Posts: 315
    I can vividly remember going in and running to the action figures to pick out a new Star Wars figure. Favorites were Bossk, Greedo and Hammerhead. I just remember there being action figures from floor to ceiling, as far as the eye could see!
    SumoLegolegomattMAGNINOMINISUMBRALego_Star
  • FowlerBricksFowlerBricks Member Posts: 1,731
    Finding the Speed Champions Ford Fiesta for almost half off and later finding a Bandai Gipsy Avenger for $10.
    SumoLego
  • historymanhistoryman Member Posts: 377
    I remember getting my first bike from TRU. Getting chance to test it by riding it down the aisle was so exciting! 
    FowlerBricksSumoLegolegomattsnowhitie
  • LegoboyLegoboy Member Posts: 8,827
    edited July 2018
    My fondest memory of TRU is growing up and seeing the old advert at Christmas time and dreaming about a TRU that I had never seen nor new where one existed.  So magical.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qpEVl-Q-Ks&feature=youtu.be
    Mr_CrossstluxSumoLegolegomattGothamConstructionCo
  • janscjansc Member Posts: 60
    3 for 2 on exclusives.
    SumoLego
  • Mr_CrossMr_Cross Member Posts: 1,713
    I've invented a time machine, so my favourite memory is from yesterday when I went back in time to 1987, and ransacked the shelves of TRU in Woking (my childhood store), and paid a pittance for some choice Classic Space sets! Most notably #6990.
    Because this was the 80s they still had a healthy quantity of the previous few years' sets, so I stocked up on #6952 and then jumped forward a year for some awesome Blacktron baby!
    I nipped forward by just over a decade then to clean up on the newly released Star Wars sets. I then skipped forward a couple of years at a time to pick up the best of each wave of sets, paying special attention to the Pirates and Castle sets I'd missed in real-time.
    I now have in my possession hundreds and hundreds of lovely sealed examples of some of my favourite ever sets! I got them all on discount too!
    I might pop back tomorrow for some Mtron and other sets I forgot...
    Oh hang on, I've been dreaming again. Balls!

    I don't especially have a single memory, although I did get #6783 from there as a reward when I had four teeth out for orthodontic reasons. Light and Sound!

    Thanks for hosting @SumoLego
    SumoLegoSeijiAmasawalegomattMAGNINOMINISUMBRAsnowhitieLego_Star
  • cmrt1014cmrt1014 Member Posts: 396
    The Saturday kids builds - that were sometimes advertised, but not held; or sometimes not advertised, but held.  Some cood builds...

    Thanks for hosting @SumoLego
    SumoLegoSeijiAmasawasnowhitie
  • BillyBricks84BillyBricks84 Member Posts: 355
    Along the lines of @SumoLego : After saving enough money over the course of a couple years, I remember walking into the local Toys R Us and being so excited to pull tags for Mario Kart 64 and Ocarina of Time, as well as getting the employee to unlock the glass case and pull an N64 out for me. 
    SumoLegoSeijiAmasawa
  • Muftak1Muftak1 Member Posts: 554
    As we don't have any TRU stores in the republic, my first experience was when we went to Florida in the US in 89 and got to visit the one by the Florida Mall.

    I just remember being wowed at the size of it. Don't think I bought anything on that visit, but on the next trip in 91 I bought the Sega Game Gear and Castle of Illusion
    SumoLego
  • TheLegoMaster35TheLegoMaster35 Member Posts: 254
    Never really liked TRU except for their exclusive LEGO and Nerf deals. Everything was overpriced so none of my family ever bought from there. Always did like looking around and hoping for some sort of deal. 
    SumoLego
  • TheFewTheFew Member Posts: 1,781
    Never really used TRU as non were local to me. The exclusive minifigure collections were OK I guess...
    SumoLego
  • MugenPowerMugenPower Member Posts: 638
    Grabbing a slip from the videogame section and bringing it to a checkout counter to buy the actual game.  That was decades ago.  I read that some stores were still doing that up until the very end.
    SumoLegoSeijiAmasawa
  • GoodCoffeeJoeyGoodCoffeeJoey Member Posts: 82
    When Bohrok line of Bionicle first came out, there was an event where you could play the official Bionicle card game and get a free Krana mask. That store hasn't gone anywhere by the way.
    SumoLego
  • khopewosinkhopewosin Member Posts: 101
    edited July 2018
    The ads on TV and that jingle.

    More games, more toys, Oh BOY!
    I wanna be a Toys R Us kid!
    SumoLegosnowhitie
  • terfstenterfsten Member Posts: 303
    Around Christmas 2009 when I was 12 I went with my parents to buy toys for other kids on Christmas. I had only just noticed lego (I know right when most kids jump out) for really the first time since my duplo bob the builder days. I only got sporadic small allowances when my parents could afford it and so I only had two power miners sets (stone chopper and mine mech). I remember seeing the new Atlantis 2010 first wave on the shelf there and couldn't stop looking at all the lego toys r us had that I had never seen before. (Didn't really have internet so I only saw what was available at my local walmart). It blew me away and was really the catalyst for me to really get back into lego. I bought the two smallest Atlantis sets for the other kid. (Even though I was jealous they weren't for me just a little lol). After that I got my mom to let me on her computer more to look up the new sets all the time and I haven't really stopped since. :) ironically I think I only ever bought one or two sets from toys r us.
    SumoLegoFowlerBrickssnowhitie
  • FodderFodder Member Posts: 360
    Browsing he LOTR LEGO section after coming out of my dark ages..
    SumoLego
  • BrickByBrickBrickByBrick Member Posts: 748
    Probably the Emmet's car in store build, one of the best freebie builds ever imo
    SumoLegoFowlerBricksSeijiAmasawadannyrwwsnowhitie
  • dannyrwwdannyrww Member Posts: 1,394
    Waiting in line at the Star Wars Midnight release for Clone Wars toys......because this was the first (and only time) I did the midnight release with one of my kids. She was 2 at the time and we had a great time.
    SumoLegolegomattvwong19snowhitie
  • SeijiAmasawaSeijiAmasawa Member Posts: 267
    Lego train displays from maybe late 80s to early 90s.

    Saturday build and takes with my nephew.

    Snatching a handful of CMFs from the middle of the unfelt pile while three high schoolers were feeling up the bags.

    Will the winner build this awesomeness?


    SumoLegojmeninnolegomattSprinkleOttersnowhitieFowlerBricksstluxLego_StarGothamConstructionCo
  • Bricklover18Bricklover18 Member Posts: 722
    I remember buying an old castle set there about 10 years ago, it was 30% off
    SumoLego
  • M_BossM_Boss Member Posts: 258
    The times the TRU right near me handed out the Star Wars Minifgure with stand R3-M2 and DJ for free just by walking in the store.
    SumoLegostluxSeijiAmasawa
  • legomattlegomatt Member Posts: 2,548
    I echo paul_merton's post. From my one and only visit, it's the sheer AMOUNT of stuff that I remember.

    When I was a kid we didn't shop at TRU due to it being viewed as too far out of our way (at a retail park outside the town centre) and for its reputation for being a bit of a mess with unruly kids running wild (I couldn't say, having not been there), but we did visit once and I remember being impressed by the warehouse type scale of the shelving crammed floor to ceiling of every game and toy imaginable.

    (And yes there was also a bit of a mess in some areas and a few wild kids hurtling about on the bikes, climbing shelves, chewing their feet or whatever else entered their unsupervised excitable minds).


    SumoLegoBumblepantsstluxSeijiAmasawaLego_Star
  • mak0137mak0137 Member Posts: 288
    Not ever finding a $0.03 set.
    SumoLegoSprinkleOtterSeijiAmasawa
  • gmonkey76gmonkey76 Member Posts: 1,833
    Finding four #4483 AT-AT for $40 to bring my total up to five. They were going to be for a Battle of Hoth MOC that I never built.(along with many other MOCs)
    SumoLegostlux
  • legomattlegomatt Member Posts: 2,548
    (2nd post to thread: ignore this for the number allocation)
    kez said:
    Driving around in the little electric cars :-D
    historyman said:
    I remember getting my first bike from TRU. Getting chance to test it by riding it down the aisle was so exciting! 
    *sidelong glance*

    Either of you happen to ever chew your feet at the time?

    ^^^ ;0D
    SprinkleOtterSumoLegoTheOriginalSimonBBaby_YodasnowhitiestluxLego_StarSeijiAmasawa
  • carnage717carnage717 Member Posts: 166
    Going to toys r it s to buy my original gold plated legend of zelda game of Nintendo
    SumoLegostluxLego_StarSeijiAmasawa
  • SprinkleOtterSprinkleOtter Member Posts: 2,780
    Me, my brother, and mother spending about an hour crunching hard calculations and making a dozen or so orders to get all the 2007-8 Bionicle and Exo-Force sets they had at buy-one get-one half price...

    I miss BOGO sales...
    SumoLegogmonkey76MAGNINOMINISUMBRAstluxSeijiAmasawa
  • nychromastonenychromastone Member Posts: 163
    memorable night at the 2008 Midnight Madness event in Times Square with my son and nephew. They were both 5. damn, time flies.

    SumoLegoMAGNINOMINISUMBRAsnowhitiestlux
  • MAGNINOMINISUMBRAMAGNINOMINISUMBRA Member Posts: 993
    Only thing I can come up with was visiting ToysRUs in Westfield Miranda (Sydney Australia) while On an interstate holiday in 2001. I saw a few sets I never saw before in real life.  I remember being amazed at how ridiculously overpriced TRU LEGO was!
    Takecffom that memory what you will...
    Thanks for hosting @SumoLego
    SumoLego
  • Pitfall69Pitfall69 Member Posts: 11,454
    edited July 2018
    Way before I came out of my "Dark Ages"; I used to collect Hasbro "The Power of the Force" action figures. I still have all of the ones I collected until 2000...ya know...when the world was going to end and everyone was filling their bathtubs full of water. Anyway, I used to go to my local TRU right before they opened to be one of the first ones to grab all the new Star Wars action figures and sets. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one. I remember saying to one guy "Don't you have a job?" and then he replied "Don't you?" Touche my friend...touche.

    BTW, I thought the world was going to end tonight. My bad
    SprinkleOtternychromastoneSumoLego
  • DB361DB361 Member Posts: 299
    Fondest memory? Easily that advert from when I was a kid. Even that opening scene of going down a dark road and reaching a Toys R Us store resonated with me so much as that's basically exactly how I saw us going down the A19 from Thirsk to York in the dark at Christmas time and visiting TRU at Clifton Moor.
    SumoLego
  • vwong19vwong19 Member Posts: 1,191
    So many fond memories at TRU. When I was little I loved visiting to see GI Joes and Transformers. All I remember were seeing shelves and aisles lined with so much want. My memory is foggy now, but I imagine it like Woody visiting Al’s Toy Barn in Toys Story. The mid 80s were the best. Years later visiting TRU in the early 2000s, they had reissues of G1 Transformers and that brought me back to my youth.

    Also midnight Stars Wars Clone Wars was another TRU highlight. I was just coming out of my Dark Ages and saw that they had the Hoth Rebel Base (7666) after it was out of stock or sold out at Lego. I was so happy to buy it at retail! They had a few UCS Millennium Falcons that I skipped right by.

    Other fond memories are just buying my first Collectible Minifigures (series 1) and thinking I should only buy a few packs so as not to get duplicates. I should have bought the box at $1.99/pack. Visiting TRU on road trips for bathroom breaks, but still walking the aisles to stretch my legs. Black Friday Sales. Toy hunting!
    MAGNINOMINISUMBRAnychromastoneSumoLegostluxSeijiAmasawa
  • TheOriginalSimonBTheOriginalSimonB Member Posts: 1,795
    Thanks for hosting @SumoLego

    My only childhood memory of TRU is not being allowed in... My brother and I were staying with our grandparents and they took us into Wood Green on a Saturday morning. As we had never been in one before TRU was a big attraction (I guess I was 11or 12 making the brother 9 or 10) and we really wanted a look around. Grandparents said yes, sending us off with a few quid and “meet us back here in half an hour”. So down the road we trotted only for an officious security guard to refuse us entry as we had no adult with us. And then not being able to find our grandparents again so having to hang around the rendezvous point.

    Grandma did come in with us 30 minutes later but we then only had a few minutes to look around rather than the time we had wanted.

    Didn’t go back in one for nearly 30 years...
    MAGNINOMINISUMBRAsnowhitieSumoLegostlux
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