Zany Brainy: Difference between revisions

Zany Brainy
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail
Founded	1991
Founder	David Schlessinger
Defunct	December 2003
Fate	Bankruptcy, dissolved by parent company
Successor	Five Below
Headquarters	King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States
Products	Toys
Parent	FAO Schwarz
Website	www.zanybrainy.com

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Zany Brainy was an American retail store chain subsidiary of FAO Schwarz. Its merchandise consisted of educational toys and multi-media products aimed at children ages 4–13, such as games and puzzles, infant development toys, books, audiocassettes, CDs, videos, arts and crafts, building toys and trains, computer software, electronic learning aids and musical instruments, science toys, plush toys and dolls, and sports-themed toys. The stores offered daily events such as workshops, concerts, and author appearances.

David Schlessinger, who had earlier started the now-defunct Encore Books chain of bookstores, founded Zany Brainy in 1991. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 15, 2001, having faced financial difficulties since acquiring rival company Noodle Kidoodle in 2000. At the time its assets were sold to Right Start later that year,^[1] Zany Brainy had 187 retail locations nationwide. It announced the shuttering of its remaining stores in December 2003.^[2]^[3]

David Schlessinger and former Zany Brainy CEO Thomas Vellios would later open a chain of discount stores named Five Below in October 2002.

Zany Brainy was revived as an online store in 2020, with a select line of products.

References

^ Per Zany Brainy, Inc. et al Plan of Liquidation filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Wilmington, DE (Case #01-1749)
^ "Zany Brainy stores to close". Columbus Business First. December 3, 2003. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
^ Weiskott, Maria (December 2, 2003). "Bankrupt FAO to liquidate Zany Brainy". Playthings. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2024.

This toy-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Per Zany Brainy, Inc. et al Plan of Liquidation filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Wilmington, DE (Case #01-1749)

[2] "Zany Brainy stores to close". Columbus Business First. December 3, 2003. Retrieved March 16, 2022.

[3] Weiskott, Maria (December 2, 2003). "Bankrupt FAO to liquidate Zany Brainy". Playthings. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2024.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American children's toy retailer}}
-{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}
+{{Multiple issues|
+{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
+{{notability|Companies|date=March 2021}}
+}}
 {{Infobox company
 | name = Zany Brainy
 | type = [[Subsidiary]]
 | fate = Bankruptcy, dissolved by parent company
-| foundation = circa 1991
+| foundation = 1991
+| founder = David Schlessinger
-| defunct = Late 2001
+| defunct = December 2003
 | logo = [[File:Zany Brainy (logo).gif|250px]]
 | location = [[King of Prussia, Pennsylvania|King of Prussia]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States]]
@@ Line 11: / Line 16: @@
 | products = Toys
 | parent = [[FAO Schwarz]]
+| website = {{website|https://www.zanybrainy.com/}}
-| successor = [[Five Below]]
+| successor = [[Five Below]]|
-| website = [http://www.zanybrainy.com/ Zany Brainy]
-|}}
+}}
+'''Zany Brainy''' was an American [[retail store]] chain subsidiary of [[FAO Schwarz]]. Its merchandise consisted of educational toys and multi-media products aimed at children ages 4–13, such as games and puzzles, infant development toys, books, [[Cassette tape|audiocassettes]], [[Compact disc|CDs]], videos, [[Handicraft|arts and crafts]], building toys and trains, computer software, electronic learning aids and musical instruments, science toys, plush toys and dolls, and sports-themed toys. The stores offered daily events such as workshops, concerts, and author appearances.
+[[David Schlessinger (businessman)|David Schlessinger]], who had earlier started the now-defunct [[Encore Books]] chain of bookstores, founded Zany Brainy in 1991. The company filed for [[Chapter 11]] [[bankruptcy]] protection on May 15, 2001, having faced financial difficulties since acquiring rival company [[Noodle Kidoodle]] in 2000. At the time its assets were sold to [[Right Start]] later that year,<ref>Per Zany Brainy, Inc. et al Plan of Liquidation filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Wilmington, DE (Case #01-1749)</ref> Zany Brainy had 187 retail locations nationwide. It announced the shuttering of its remaining stores in December 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2003/12/01/daily21.html |title=Zany Brainy stores to close |publisher=Columbus Business First |date=December 3, 2003 |accessdate=March 16, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Maria|last=Weiskott|url=http://www.playthings.com/article/CA339298/playthings|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031204061531/http://www.playthings.com:80/article/CA339298/playthings|title=Bankrupt FAO to liquidate Zany Brainy|magazine=[[Playthings (magazine)|Playthings]]|archivedate=December 4, 2003|date=December 2, 2003|accessdate=May 9, 2024}}</ref>
-'''Zany Brainy''' was a [[United States]] [[retail store]] chain owned by [[FAO Schwarz]] that sold educational toys and multi-media products aimed at children ages 4–13. Its merchandise included games and puzzles; infant development toys; books, audiocassettes, CDs, videos; arts and crafts; building toys and trains; computer software; electronic learning aids and musical instruments; science toys; plush toys and dolls; and sports-themed toys. The stores offered daily events such as workshops, concerts, and author appearances.
+David Schlessinger and former Zany Brainy [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] Thomas Vellios would later open a chain of discount stores named [[Five Below]] in October 2002.
-[[David Schlessinger]], who had earlier started the now-defunct [[Encore Books]] chain of bookstores, founded Zany Brainy in 1991. The company's CEO was Thomas Vellios. The company filed for [[Chapter 11]] [[bankruptcy]] protection on May 15, 2001, having faced financial difficulties since acquiring rival company [[Noodle Kidoodle]] in 2000. Later in 2001, Zany Brainy's assets were sold to [[Right Start]].<ref>Per Zany Brainy, Inc. et al Plan of Liquidation filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Wilmington, DE (Case #01-1749)</ref> At the time of the sale, Zany Brainy had 187 retail locations nationwide.
+Zany Brainy was revived as an online store in 2020, with a select line of products.
-David Schlessinger and Tom Vellios have founded another retail chain, [[Five Below]].
 == References ==
 {{reflist}}
-== External links ==
-{{Portal|1990s|2000s}}
-* [http://shirkodonovan.com/images/completed_projects/retail2.jpg Exterior of a Zany Brainy store]
-* [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30165810&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=65688065954&aid=-1&id=1633737293&oid=65688065954#!/photo.php?pid=30165810&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=65688065954&aid=-1&id=1633737293&oid=65688065954&fbid=1069969042813 Interior of a Zany Brainy store]
-[[Category:Retail companies of the United States]]
 [[Category:Retail companies established in 1991]]
-[[Category:Retail companies disestablished in 2001]]
+[[Category:Retail companies disestablished in 2003]]
+[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001]]
+[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003]]
+[[Category:Toy retailers of the United States]]
 [[Category:Educational toy retailers]]
 [[Category:1991 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
-[[Category:2001 disestablishments in Pennsylvania]]
+[[Category:2003 disestablishments in Pennsylvania]]
+[[Category:Defunct retail companies of the United States]]