Toys R Us is known worldwide as a go-to retailer for children and their families, offering an unmatched selection of toys, games and family entertainment. What many may not realize is that Toys R Us also had a brief foray into the trading card industry in the late 1980s and early 1990s through a partnership with Topps, the major baseball card manufacturer.
In 1987, Topps released its first set of “Toys R Us Baseball” cards as an exclusive insert set found in random 1987 Topps wax packs. The cards featured images of major league baseball players in unique vertical formatting. What made these cards truly unique was the fact that the fronts featured illustrations of popular toys from that era along with the players.
Some examples included Roger Clemens with a G.I. Joe figure, Ozzie Smith with Skate ‘n Score, Rickey Henderson with Lazer Tag and Wade Boggs with a Super Nintendo. The backs contained baseball stats and career highlights for each player alongside promotional copy for Toys R Us encouraging kids to visit their local store.
Sets of 50 cards each were inserted randomly in 1987 Topps packs. While not particularly scarce at the time given their mass distribution through Topps, these early Toys R Us cards would prove to have decent long term appeal among both baseball card and toy collectors. In Near Mint condition, a complete 50-card base set from 1987 typically sells for $75-$100 today.
Seeing the popularity of their inaugural baseball card line, Topps and Toys R Us expanded the partnership in 1988 with two additional insert sets – a 36-card Traded Set featuring players who were traded to new teams that year and a rare 13-card Artist’s Proof Retailer Award parallel issue with gold stamping on the fronts.
Now the cards began featuring more detailed toy renderings on the fronts alongside the players, making for very visually appealing and uniquely designed inserts compared to typical baseball cards of the time. While production numbers aren’t known, the Traded set in Near Mint can now fetch $150+ and Artist’s Proofs around $500+ due to their scarcity and coveted parallel status among collectors.
In 1989, Topps released the most ambitious Toys R Us Baseball card set yet with several different insert options across two series. Series One had a base 72-card Traded set plus rare parallel issues including a 24-card Gold Signature Retailer Award and 12-card Artist’s Proof Gold Stamp B&W parallel.
Series Two that same year had an even larger 126-card base set plus more elusive parallel subsets including a 36-card Gold Signature issue and 24-card Artist’s Proof Platinum issue. The1989 cards are widely considered the pinnacle of design for the Toys R Us line with incredibly detailed toy-player combinations on each card front, making them highly sought after by collectors today.
Near Mint examples of the 1989 Series One gold signatures have sold for upwards of $800-900 each recently given their extremely limited print runs. Even the common 72-card Series One base set in great condition can sell for $250-$300 or more today among enthusiastic collectors. Clearly Topps and Toys R Us had struck gold by 1989 with the incredibly popular baseball trading card programs.
Unfortunately, the early 1990s marked the beginning of the end for insert sets like these in hobby packs as overproduction and a sports card crash occurred. In 1990, Topps released one final large 144-card Toys R Us Baseball Series One base set as well as parallel subsets. Production numbers greatly increased and distribution was far wider through penny packs rather than wax packs.
While still fun retro collector’s items today showcasing all-time legends such as Barry Bonds, Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken Jr., the 1990 issues are readily available and go for around $30-$50 Near Mint on the secondary market. This final 1990 release is considered by many to have greatly diminished the premium appeal and collectibility of the earlier highly sought after Toys R Us card runs from 1987-89 during the line’s golden years.
Today, with Toys R Us having filed bankruptcy and closing many of its remaining stores across the United States and other nations, the retailer’s vintage baseball card partnership with Topps stands as a unique footnote in both baseball memorabilia and toy collecting history from the late 80s bubble era. The rarest parallel issues from 1987-89 in pristine condition continue to excite collectors searching for a tangible connection to that bygone time period when Toys R Us reigned atop the youth entertainment industry. While production quantities remain unknown, the scarcity and eye-catching design work have ensured these oddball baseball trading cards retain healthy market demand and value among specialists. For those seeking a vintage investment or collecting chase, high-grade examples of the earliest and most limited Toys R Us Cardinals remain some of the most coveted baseball cards money can buy from the late 1980s trading card boom.
Through its short-lived but impactful multi-year partnership with Topps in the late 80s, Toys R Us managed to leave an indelible mark on the baseball card collecting world despite its core focus being on retail toys. Cards featuring today’s legends paired with iconic childhood playthings created a synergistic novelty that still appeals strongly to collectors today. While the final 1990 run was a victim of overproduction, the earliest runs from 1987-89 are true oddballs with strong, enduring value for both enthusiasts of baseball memorabilia and devotees of vintage toys.
