Geoffrey the Giraffe is the mascot of the American toy store Toys "R" Us, introduced in 1965. Serving as a "spokesanimal" for the brand, he is an anthropomorphic giraffe. For many years, Geoffrey went through several design changes, originally having been 2D animated before being redesigned into a computer-generated mascot in 2001. In 2007, he was reverted back to 2D with the company's rebrand.
| Geoffrey the Giraffe | |
|---|---|
| Toys "R" Us character | |
![](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:1973_Toys_"R"_Us_advertisement_(cropped).png) Geoffrey the Giraffe as seen in a 1973 advertisement | |
| First appearance | October 17, 1965 |
| Created by | Charles Lazarus |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Giraffe |
| Gender | Male |
The parent company of Toys "R" Us used to be named Geoffrey LLC.,[1] named after the titular character of the franchise for many years until the company's bankruptcy in 2018.
History
editIn the 1950s, Children's Bargain Town (the original iteration of the company) had a mascot, Dr. G. Raffe, who appeared in advertisements for the store.[2][3]
Geoffrey was introduced as the company's mascot in 1965, finally taking on his current name. He started appearing in TV commercials and advertisements for the store starting in 1973.[4] From the 1970s up until the late 1990s, Geoffrey had a family of many other members, including Gigi, his wife, Geoffrey Junior, and Baby Gee.[5]
In 2001, Geoffrey was redesigned using a realistic giraffe, appearing in commercials, with Jim Hanks (Tom Hanks' brother) voicing him[6], and usually, an animatronic was used for the commercials and for advertising.[7]
_(cropped).jpg)
In 2007, Geoffrey was once again redesigned to his current design, being 2D again and having stars on him rather than circles.[8]
In May 2018, during the company's bankruptcy and closing of all stores in the United States and the United Kingdom, the company announced that their mascot, Geoffrey would be auctioned off.[9] However, in October of the same year, the auction was cancelled and the company decided to retain Geoffrey as their brand IP and trademark.[10][11]
References
edit- ↑ Geoffery, LLC. "Geoffrey, LLC's Assets to Be Acquired by Its Secured Lenders". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ "Geoffrey the Giraffe, the Toys"R"Us Icon, is Heading on a World Tour! – Advertising Week". 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ Makin, Cheryl. "Toys R Us mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe welcomed to new home in New Brunswick". Courier News. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ "Top 10 Christmas commercials of all time". www.businessreviewusa.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ↑ "10 Parents, Kids and Spouses of Popular Advertising Characters". Mental Floss. 2016-02-21. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ "Everything to Know About the Career of Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks' Brother". NBC. 2025-03-10. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ "Toys "R" Us 2001 Annual Report". media.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ "What happened to the Toys"R"Us giraffe?". That's it Magazine | Bloggers around the world. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
- ↑ Jacobo, Julia (May 16, 2018). "Toys 'R' Us to auction iconic mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe". abcnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ Cao, Sissi (2018-10-03). "Toys 'R' Us Isn't Selling Geoffrey the Giraffe, Plans Comeback in November". Observer. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ↑ "Toys 'R' Us cancels bankruptcy auction; plans brand revival". ABC7 San Francisco. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2025-12-22.