Zany Brainy
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
.gif) | |
| 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 |
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
[edit]- ^ 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. |
- Retail companies established in 1991
- Retail companies disestablished in 2003
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003
- Toy retailers of the United States
- Educational toy retailers
- 1991 establishments in Pennsylvania
- 2003 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
- Defunct retail companies of the United States
- Toy stubs