I toured one of the new Toys 'R' Us revival stores at Macy's. It's a kid's paradise full of giant Lego displays and Nerf games — see inside

The Toy's 'R' Us sign. — Ann Matica/Insider

Macy's is on track to launch more than 400 Toys 'R' Us locations in its US department stores.
The partnership is the revival the toy retailer has desperately needed since going bankrupt in 2017.
The store was the perfect mix of nostalgic and up-to-date, and it made me want to be a kid again.

This holiday season, Macy's launched over 400 in-store Toys 'R' Us shops in select locations across the country in an effort to expand the toy portion of its business.

Source: Insider

For Toys ‘R’ Us, the newly formed partnership is a second chance at a comeback. After failing to refinance its mounting debt in 2017, the company was forced to shutter its over 700 locations for good.

Source: Insider

I decided to check out the revival store to see if the collaboration has what it takes for Toys 'R' Us to be able to reclaim its toy-store throne.

To get the full experience, I went to the Herald Square Macy's flagship store in New York City, which is the site of the largest Toys 'R' Us shop, spanning 14,000 square feet.

The Macy's building. — Ann Matica/Insider

Source: Forbes

Once I entered the building, it wasn't hard to find signs pointing me in the right direction.

The Toy's 'R' Us giraffe. — Ann Matica/Insider

I took the elevators embossed with the Toys 'R' Us logo up to the seventh floor.

The Toy's 'R' Us elevator doors inside Macy's. — Ann Matica/Insider

The entrance, which was in the women's-clothing section, was hard to miss.

Ann Matica in front of the Toy's 'R' Us entrance. — Ann Matica/Insider

The store layout is cleverly designed so that shoppers have to walk through Macy's children's clothing section before reaching the toy store.

Children's sports section. — Ann Matica/Insider

Children's outfits ranging from sports jerseys to winter coats were on display.

I also passed an in-store Carvel ice cream shop…

A Carvel location inside Macy's. — Ann Matica/Insider

…and an Auntie Anne's pretzel shop.

A Auntie Anne's location inside Macy's. — Ann Matica/Insider

After walking through the clothing section, I finally came across more signs reassuring me that I was headed in the right direction.

Toys 'R' Us direction signs. — Ann Matica/Insider

A brightly lit Toys 'R' Us sign glowed overhead.

The Toys 'R' Us glowing sign. — Ann Matica/Insider

I recognized a statue of the Toys 'R' Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. I hadn't seen an image of Geoffrey since my childhood.

From my first steps into the toy section, I could already tell it was designed to be a kid's paradise.

There were shelves stacked high with Spiderman and Thor figurines from the Marvel franchise.

The Marvel section. — Ann Matica/Insider

Also available for purchase were wands and stuffed-animal owls from the 'Harry Potter' series.

The Harry Potter section. — Ann Matica/Insider

The 'Star Wars' area featured Boba Fett helmets and lightsabers.

The Star Wars section. — Ann Matica/Insider

I thought the Baby Yoda dolls were particularly cute to look at.

The store had a large collection of Legos, including a human-sized Statue of Liberty...

The Statue of Liberty made out of Legos. — Ann Matica/Insider

…and a replica of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade…

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade made out of Legos. — Ann Matica/Insider

…complete with the turkey float.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade turkey float made out of Legos. — Ann Matica/Insider

While the displays were off limits, there were Lego play stations close by for kids to enjoy.

Big lego blocks play station. — Ann Matica/Insider

There was also no shortage of stuffed animals on the premises.

The stuffed animal section. — Ann Matica/Insider

I came across a giant tiger, a llama, and a brown bear enjoying each other's company.

Giant stuffed animal llama and brown bear. — Ann Matica

Some large statues of popular children's TV show characters, like this one of Thomas the Tank Engine, offered parents the perfect place for a quick photoshoot with their kids.

Thomas the Tank Engine and a friend. — Ann Matica/Insider

There was also a 'Paw Patrol' display that was a perfect prop for a photo opp.

Like the original Toys 'R' Us stores I grew up going to, this one had toys for a wide range of age groups...

The Peppa pig section. — Ann Matica/Insider

... although many of the toys for sale didn't exist when I was a kid, such as these LOL Surprise! Dolls.

The surprise toy section. — Ann Matica/Insider

There's also a large play structure for kids inside the Toys 'R' Us store.

The Toy's 'R' Us play area. — Ann Matica/Insider

The area is called 'Geoffrey's Playground' and was complete with a bright yellow taxicab with Geoffrey himself sitting in the passenger's seat.

A yellow play taxi cab. — Ann Matica/Insider

A traffic light and a sign warned shoppers that there were 'kids at play' in the area.

A "kids at play" sign. — Ann Matica/Insider

There were also large craft tables for children and parents to play with toys like Play-Doh or Mr. Potato Head.

An orange play table. — Ann Matica/Insider

A kinetic sand station was set up close by, too.

The kinetic sand station. — Ann Matica/Insider

Older children can stop by the Nerf tent and participate in an aiming game.

The outdoor-play area had all the usual recreational toys, like skateboards and Razor scooters.

The outdoor toy section. — Ann Matica/Insider

I was taken off-guard by the hoverboard section close by, which made me realize how much children's toys have changed since I was a kid.

The hover bored section. — Ann Matica/Insider

Even the Barbie Dreamhouse I remember longing for as a child has been upgraded.

Barbie dream house display. — Ann Matica/Insider

The house now features a water slide and an outdoor pool.

The Barbie dream house. — Ann Matica/Insider

As children ran around the store enthusiastically, some parents took a moment to relax.

A bench with a giraffe statue sitting n it. — Ann Matica/Insider

The checkout line was relatively fast, even though just one employee was ringing customers up while I was there.

On my way out of the store, I saw a sign that perfectly summed up my experience at the revival store. It was the iconic jingle: 'I don't want to grow up. I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid!'

A sign that says, "I don't wan't to grow up. I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid." — Ann Matica/Insider

The Macy's collaboration nailed its mission to appeal to a new young customer base by offering a vast selection of toys and large play areas to keep them entertained. It also satisfied the nostalgic feeling for adults of walking into a Toys 'R' Us that I hadn't even realized I'd been missing.