Lazarus modeled his business after the self-service supermarkets that were becoming popular in the 1950s, stacking merchandise high to give shoppers the feeling it had an infinite number of toys. The stores created a magical feeling for children roaming aisles filled with Barbies, bikes and other toys laid out in front of them.
The chain has its roots in a baby furniture store that Lazarus opened in his hometown of Washington, D.C., after returning from World War II. He began selling toys after a couple of years when customers began asking for them, and he quickly concluded that, in the baby-boom years, toys were a more lucrative business than furniture.
He opened his first store dedicated to selling only toys in 1957, calling it Toys R Us with the “R” written backward to give the impression that a child wrote it. Shopping carts stood ready for customers to grab and fill up themselves, supermarket-style.
In 1965, Geoffrey the giraffe became the company’s mascot, appearing in his first TV commercial in 1973. By the 1980s and early ’90s, Toys R Us dominated the toy store business and its jingle, “I’m a Toys R Us Kid” became an anthem for children across the country.
Lazarus, who was born on Oct. 4, 1923, was inducted into the Toy Industry Association’s Hall of Fame in 1990.
Article Appeared @http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/ct-biz-charles-lazarus-toys-r-us-died-20180322-story.html