Pairing Learning With Innovation, Toys"R"Us® Reintroduces Imaginarium® to Customers Nationwide With New Look and Expanded Assortment

WAYNE, N.J., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toys"R"Us, Inc. today unveiled a brand redesign for Imaginarium® that will be translated throughout all its offerings, marking continued investment in the company's portfolio of exclusive brands. The new logo gives a fresh look to the specialty learning brand and encourages consumers to "Just Imagine," while the introduction of 50 new products promote childhood development by stimulating visual, auditory and manual senses. Shoppers can experience the Imaginarium redesign for the first time this fall as it comes alive in learning and arts and crafts shops throughout all Toys"R"Us® stores nationwide, and online at Toysrus.com/Imaginarium.  

The 2011 additions to the Imaginarium line bring the total assortment to more than 100 unique products that span five classic categories – Discovery, Pretend, Harmony, Express and Creativity.  They are presented in brand-new packaging with defined visual product imagery that showcases the brand's emphasis on specialty craftsmanship and creating memorable childhood experiences. The company is also supporting the Imaginarium redesign and product expansion with a fully integrated marketing program that includes print advertisements, as well as in-store and online boutiques.

"Since acquiring the brand more than 10 years ago, Imaginarium has become one of the most comprehensive segments in our differentiated product portfolio," said Mark Murphy, Senior Vice President, "R"Us Brands, Toys"R"Us, Inc.  "We are excited to expand the line this fall with a whole new assortment of great toys and updated packaging, while showcasing Imaginarium as an anchor for our learning environment in our stores. Imaginarium products have long promoted learning and discovery, and together with their quality design, have become a favorite among children and parents."

Building on Brand's Product Line in Time for the 2011 Christmas Season

A brand synonymous with learning, discovery, creativity and exploration, Imaginarium represents the largest segment in the Toys"R"Us exclusive brands portfolio. The expanded collection of educational toys has been designed to develop key play patterns for little ones from 12 months through eight-years-old. Tapping into a child's vast imagination, the quality assortment covers a variety of first discovery toys, themed playsets and coordinating role-play outfits, train and construction sets, dollhouses, games and arts and crafts items. Newly introduced product categories include musical instruments and additional role-play themes, as well as refreshed artist-commissioned wooden puzzles. Priced from $4.99 to $299.99, the entire collection of Imaginarium-branded merchandise is accessible for a wide range of budgets. To define the growing assortment of toys marketed under the trusted Imaginarium brand name, five distinctive categories best showcase the brand's exclusive offerings for customers as they explore the collection this holiday season.  

Imaginarium Express is the ultimate line of products for the train enthusiast! Enhanced with natural wood tones and detailed with brightly colored icons and patterns, Imaginarium Express includes trains, train tracks, train playmats, themed train sets and train tables.  Parents and gift-givers shopping for the aspiring locomotive operators in their lives will find the new 2011 City Central Train Table featuring more than 23 feet of wooden track that wraps though an interactive world filled with sights and sounds, including a fueling station, working crane, airport and mountain tunnels, bridges and a round house with five opening doors and turntable.

Imaginarium Pretend allows kids to transform into anything from a medieval knight to a doctor with a wide assortment of role-play items. Also included in Imaginarium Pretend are the classic wooden dollhouses built to last for generations, such as the new Modern Luxury Dollhouse, which accommodates any 12-inch fashion doll. Measuring over three feet high, the dollhouse includes four contemporary rooms that are fully furnished and decorated in trendy colors like jewel blues and pinks, as well as side windows and a functional elevator.

Imaginarium Harmony consists of wooden musical instruments, including marching drums, bongos, music sets, xylophones, tambourines and percussion accessories providing an early introduction to music appreciation and learning. Little ones can create a symphony of sound while sharpening motor skills with the new Wooden Musical Table, which includes a xylophone, cymbal, egg shaker, mallets, scratch noise-maker and drum.

Imaginarium Creativity introduces the world of arts and crafts at a young age and is designed to grow with children as artistic expression and talent is developed over the years. From finger paints, chunky paint brushes, crayons and small easels for the beginning artist to large easels, acrylic paints, fine brushes and more complex activity sets for the more advanced budding Picasso, kids can create and define their own masterpieces with Imaginarium Creativity. Any budding artist would love a creative space to work with the new Imaginarium Master Studio Easel, featuring a solid hardwood frame with two height settings, built-in paper roll holder and both a chalkboard side and a magnetic dry-erase side.

Imaginarium Discovery represents the entire collection of first discovery toys geared to enhance a child's development from a young age and beyond. The category spans the brand's classic wooden toys, sensory balls and building sets, as well as a new collection of artist-commissioned wooden puzzles that feature seven colorful and enchanting illustrations appealing to a wide-range of interests and abilities, and four distinctive puzzle formats – jigsaw, chunky, peg and jumbo peg.

Imaginarium Logo Redesign and In-Store Experience Invites Kids to "Just Imagine"

With contemporary, vivid shades of blue and green, the revitalized Imaginarium logo exclaims "Just Imagine," underscoring the brand's ability to instill curiosity and inspire imaginative learning and play. Customers will be inspired to "Just Imagine" when visiting the learning departments in Toys"R"Us stores this holiday season. With splashes of familiar hues of green and blue associated with the Imaginarium redesign, the learning areas have been refreshed with soft, natural signage that uses cloud and tree imagery. The redesigned Imaginarium logo appears throughout, highlighting the full array of Imaginarium signature items, including perennial favorites and new items being introduced this year.  

"Let Your Imagination Grow" Shop

Beginning October 4, customers nationwide can also find their favorite Imaginarium toys, as well as best-sellers from several other proprietary Toys"R"Us brands in a new in-store feature shop prominently located in the front of stores.  As the largest segment of the Toys"R"Us exclusive brands portfolio, Imaginarium products anchor the shop as the dominant assortment.  

Packaging Design Highlights

Imaginarium toys now come in packaging with a blue design that displays high-definition photography of the product, allowing customers to view product features and easily grasp the specialty attributes associated with each item. With the new Imaginarium logo prominently highlighted, as well as informative icons characterizing each individual toy's features, customers will appreciate the fresh approach to the packaging.  

Exploring Imaginarium at Home and Online

A dedicated online Imaginarium boutique at Toysrus.com/Imaginarium allows customers to shop the collection of more than 150 Imaginarium toys with the click of a mouse. In addition, the official Facebook fan page for Toys"R"Us, located at Facebook.com/Toysrus, will highlight the Imaginarium redesign and expansion beginning today and throughout the holiday season. Fans can experience the brand and learn about the new products with posts ranging from fun facts, product trivia and history of the brand.

Toys"R"Us direct mail and e-mail subscribers will also have a chance to explore Imaginarium and its expanded assortment first hand with a dedicated Imaginarium catalog arriving in homes during the first week of October. E-mail subscribers will be alerted to the Imaginarium catalog and the deals available in-store and online, offering gift-givers and parents a guide to selecting the perfect Imaginarium toys based on their child's interests.

History of Imaginarium at Toys"R"Us

Toys"R"Us, Inc. acquired Imaginarium and the brand's global equivalent, the Universe of Imagination®, in 1999, which at the time included 41 retail locations, intellectual property rights and a broad educational toy assortment. Almost immediately, Toys"R"Us began establishing a presence for Imaginarium throughout its stores as the anchor brand for its learning toy segment. By the beginning of 2004, Imaginarium stand-alone stores had been closed while the brand continued to experience significant growth within Toys"R"Us locations.  Since the acquisition, the company has leveraged the high-quality, specialty aspect of the brand and has grown the assortment by adding depth to each category with a continued focus on play value and craftsmanship.  From the acquisition in 1999 through 2010, Imaginarium has soared to new heights with robust growth and an expanded global presence under the Universe of Imagination brand name.

About Toys"R"Us, Inc.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 874 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, and in more than 520 international stores and over 200 licensed stores in 34 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the legendary FAO Schwarz brand and sells extraordinary toys in the brand's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com, eToys.com and FAO.com, it provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys"R"Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 associates annually worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need.

SOURCE Toys"R"Us