{"id":26032,"date":"2018-03-14T21:37:13","date_gmt":"2018-03-15T01:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/?p=26032"},"modified":"2018-03-23T17:45:09","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T21:45:09","slug":"an-elegy-for-toys-r-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/2018\/03\/an-elegy-for-toys-r-us\/","title":{"rendered":"An elegy for Toys R Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the news that Toys &#1071; Us will soon be closing, Matt of X-Entertainment\/<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dinosaurdracula.com\" target=dd>Dinosaur Dracula<\/a> fame waxed poetic on his history with the store. Since entertainment journalism these days is just copying people's Tweets, we'll do that.<\/p>\n<p>Here's what he had to say:<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So, Toys &quot;R&quot; Us is closing its doors, probably. Here&#39;s a annoyingly long thread about MY Toys &quot;R&quot; Us, which I just got home from. (For the last time? No idea. Wasn&#39;t taking any chances.) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YlB7LMGiZw\">pic.twitter.com\/YlB7LMGiZw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974066098495787008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-cards=\"hidden\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is the store. Staten Island, NY. I&#39;ve been going here all my life. Literally all my life. I remember how it looked in the early &#39;80s, and I remember how it looked six months ago. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JhSNfBvzZi\">pic.twitter.com\/JhSNfBvzZi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974066281321320448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Some of you have been following my geeky exploits for 18 years. TRU -- meaning this *specific* TRU -- is the root of it all. It&#39;s no exaggeration to say that without this store, I&#39;d be a completely different person. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0MvqI4KTyr\">pic.twitter.com\/0MvqI4KTyr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974066458761326592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There are memories from early childhood, obviously. Lots of them. Tons. But there are also so many memories from beyond those years. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f3ACOi0R6l\">pic.twitter.com\/f3ACOi0R6l<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974066611320770562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-cards=\"hidden\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Memories from my preteens and early teens, when I became something closer to a collector. This TRU was one of the only places where I was free to be me. *Encouraged* to be me. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qNj0OgHLqN\">pic.twitter.com\/qNj0OgHLqN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974066764526047232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Memories from my later teens and early 20s, when it was a respite from a life that -- like all lives -- grew ever more complicated. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aaI1KoKzmW\">pic.twitter.com\/aaI1KoKzmW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974066965416501248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-cards=\"hidden\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In recent years, it became less a place to buy things and more a place to *feel* things. Going there was a natural pick-me-up. Most of the visits lasted 5 minutes or less. It was all I needed, really. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ewi60HsXOY\">pic.twitter.com\/ewi60HsXOY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974067154151669760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sometimes I&#39;d stare at that rusty ceiling -- virtually the only part of the store left unchanged through the years -- and feel connected to every version of me. Four-year-old Matt met Darth Vader here, and stared at that same rust. It&#39;s weird to think about. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HDbXDLR33w\">pic.twitter.com\/HDbXDLR33w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974067312155414533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I hate losing the chain, but I *really* hate losing this specific store. It&#39;s been one of the few constants of my life. This ridiculous place, where I can buy a &quot;fake wound&quot; for two dollars. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0H72efHOsH\">pic.twitter.com\/0H72efHOsH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974067474021912576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It shaped me in so many ways and it never let me down. I&#39;ll miss it. Thanks for letting me buy so much wonderful garbage from you, TRU. You made me forever obsessed with wonderful garbage. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8HR4P2hPWo\">pic.twitter.com\/8HR4P2hPWo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974067603336556544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oh, I bought Charmander and a french fry monster. And slime. And maybe candy.<\/p>\n<p>See ya, Geoffrey. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qwSIqbN1ms\">pic.twitter.com\/qwSIqbN1ms<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DinosaurDracula\/status\/974067959403548673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the news that Toys &#1071; Us will soon be closing, Matt of X-Entertainment\/Dinosaur Dracula fame waxed poetic on his history with the store. Since entertainment journalism these days is just copying people's Tweets, we'll do that. Here's what he &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/2018\/03\/an-elegy-for-toys-r-us\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-tru"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26032"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26035,"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032\/revisions\/26035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.oafe.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}