Who Killed Geoffrey the Giraffe? the Last Days of Toys `R’ Us

You want a trip to Toys “R” Us, head office of Geoffrey the Giraffe, to feel like a visit to a sugarplum Toyland.

But the mood is black these days inside One Geoffrey Way in Wayne, New Jersey, spiritual home of the cartoon mascot who’s been beckoning to kids for generations.

An employee packs merchandise into boxes inside a Toys “R” Us store in New York.

Photographer: Christopher Lee/Bloomberg

Shortly after 3 p.m. on March 14, Dave Brandon, chief executive officer of the iconic toy chain, delivered the news that his more than 30,000 U.S. workers had been dreading: We’re finished. After 70 years, Toys “R” Us would close shop -- a casualty of Amazon-era retailing and ...