July 16, 2018
Geoffrey the Giraffe has said goodbye to Toys "R" Us and is moving on with this life – though he’s turning a bit into Principal Max Anderson, a/k/a "The Revolting Blob" from “Billy Madison” – and doing it the opposite way. Confused? Yes, well, that’s because while kids may be Geoffrey’s life, the venerable mascot of the now defunct Toy "R" Us has taken on his mid-life crisis with a bang and tried out wrestling over the weekend.
On Friday, Geoffrey took to the ring at Supercon’s FSCW Rumble in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Geoffrey enters the ring cocky and with pizazz. He’s met with cheers on either side and knocks out two wrestlers. Meanwhile, as Geoffrey walks around the ring proud and engaged with the crowd, Gangrel, a veteran wrestler, grabs a cardboard Amazon Prime box, turns to him and says, “Amazon Prime b••ch,” and hits Geoffrey so hard he flips out of the ring, thus eliminating him from the competition.
Despite his scrappy new role, he’s still an icon with kids. In fact, the 16-foot fiberglass statue that was in the lobby at the Toys "R" Us headquarters in Wayne, Pa. is being moved to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. It was donated by liquidation advisor to Toys "R" Us, Joe Malfitano. Malfitano reportedly bought the statue from the company and then spent another $10,000 of his own money moving the statue to the hospital. The hope is the statue will calm any anxieties the kids may have upon entering the hospital.
With Toys "R" Us closing in late June, many people have been particularly sad to see Geoffrey go, but it’s comforting to know he’s still kicking, quite literally, and his image is still a comfort to the future generation of kids.
