KB Toys
American chain of toy stores / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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K·B Toys (also known as Kay Bee Toys)[1] was an American chain of mall-based retail toy stores. The company was founded in 1922 as Kaufman Brothers, a wholesale candy store. The company opened a wholesale toy store in 1946, and ended its candy wholesales two years later to emphasize its toy products. Retail sales began during the 1970s, using the name Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby.
 Company logo from 1997 to 2009 | |
| Formerly | Kaufman Brothers Inc. Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public (original) Subsidiary (current) |
| Industry | Toy store |
| Founded | April 1, 1922; 102 years ago (1922-04-01) (as Kaufman Brothers candy wholesaler) |
| Founders | Harry and Joseph Kaufman (original) Ellia Kassoff (planned revival) |
| Defunct | February 9, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-02-09) |
| Fate | Bankruptcy liquidation (original company) |
| Successor | Toys "R" Us |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 461 (2008) |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Children toys and games |
| Owner | Kaufman family (1922–1981) Melville Corporation (1981–1996) Consolidated Stores Corporation (1996–2000) Bain Capital (2000–2005) Prentice Capital Management (2005–2009) Toys "R" Us (2009–2016) Strategic Marks, LLC. (2016–present) |
Number of employees | 10,850 (2008) |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | Archive of kbtoys.com |
In 1999, the company operated 1,324 stores across the United States and was the second-largest toy retailer in the U.S., but it later declared bankruptcy in both 2004 and 2008 before going out of business on February 9, 2009. The company operated 461 stores at the time of its closure. International retailer Toys "R" Us acquired the remains of K·B Toys, consisting mainly of its website, trademarks, and intellectual property rights.[2] Strategic Marks, a company that buys and revives defunct brands, purchased the brand in 2016, and planned to open new stores using the name beginning in 2019; plans for this revival, however, were cancelled due to a lack of funding. As of 2020, all trademarks for K·B Toys have been abandoned by Strategic Marks and is currently not used by any company as of 2023.[3]