Snapshot: Goodbye FAO Schwarz

Colorful dancing jelly beans greeted me in the display window, making it impossible not to notice the store. When I stepped in, colorful bursts of lights and shiny toys instantly lifted my mood and drew me further in. Then, I saw the Millennium Falcon hanging overhead, and it’s like I’m in paradise. That was how fondly I thought of the toy giant then.

I remember visiting my first FAO Schwarz in San Francisco. That was 13 years ago. I learnt two years later that it had shut its doors. My next visit to another FAO Schwarz was in 2012, in New York. I was excited to visit. Tom Hanks had played on the giant piano, and I wanna try it too.

Perhaps I made the mistake of visiting the ginormous Toys “R” Us at Times Square first. There was an imposing animatronic T-Rex, a 60-foot tall Ferris Wheel and floors and floors of toys, peppered with Lego figures like the Incredible Hulk, Statue of Liberty and more. I thought it would be all these and more at FAO Schwarz too.

Sadly, the visit to the fabled toy store was underwhelming. The selection of toys was less than impressive, and many looked dated. It made me wondered if it was an impressionable and under-exposed younger self that  was awed by the San Francisco store over a decade ago.

Still, I was glad to make it to the giant piano that was featured in the film, Big. I also visited the Muppet Whatnot Workshop, fighting temptation to create my very own Muppet.

I left the store pondering on how it fares against its massive counterpart over at Times Square. With the recent news of this iconic store on 5^th Avenue closing its doors, looks like it didn’t. While it may physically be gone soon, I’d like to think that FAO Schwarz brought joy to many kids and adults alike, just like how it made me feel alive the moment I walked through its doors in San Francisco all those years ago. And I look forward to visiting its new store when/if it opens again.

Read the rest of my New York escapade.