For the First Time Ever, Augmented Reality Brings the Year’s Hottest Toys to Life Within Kids’ Beloved Holiday Catalog
WAYNE, NJ, 2015-10-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — Toys“R”Us® today announced that The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome,the company’s annual resource for the year’s hottest toys, will begin arriving in homes this week featuring an all-new, special interactive edition. This 96-page toy compendium is compatible with the company’s all-new app, The Geoffrey Shuffle, a game that allows kids to bring to life the season’s most coveted toys through an augmented reality experience. An abbreviated catalog, which features 48 pages of kid-favorite toys, is now available online at Toysrus.com and will be in local newspapers on Saturday, October 31. This year’s highly-anticipated gift guide from The World’s Greatest Toy Store™ also includes thousands of dollars worth of compelling deals and coupon offers, valid Sunday, November 1 through Saturday, November 21.
CLICK TO TWEET: Rejoice! The Great Big @Toysrus Book of Awesome is coming! #AwesomeMoment #Toys www.Toysrus.com/Christmas2015
To download The Geoffrey Shuffle video tutorial, The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome preview videos and images from The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome, CLICK HERE: https://toysrus.sharefile.com/d-saad2d4996fb4ffca
“The arrival of The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome marks the kickoff of the time-honored tradition of children eagerly studying pages upon pages of the year’s hottest toys, curating their must-have lists for Christmas morning,” said Richard Lennox, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Toys“R”Us, U.S. “Within the book, we created eight interactive lifestyle spreads that show the breadth of our assortment and make bold statements for some of the brands most beloved by kids. This catalog is the centerpiece of our holiday marketing efforts, and extends the theme of “AWWWESOME,” speaking not only to the excitement kids have when they turn the first page, but also the ways the company is helping gift-givers save with great deals and services, such as Price Match Guarantee and Free Shipping.”
Awesome Toys Brought to Life in 3D
Through this year’s augmented reality experience, kids are able to bring toys from the interactive edition of The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome to life within The Geoffrey Shuffle app game. In the palm of their hands, kids can examine favorite toys by zooming in to see intricate details, spinning or walking around pages of the book for different angles or capturing photos within the game. The app encourages players to find Geoffrey as he and other kid-favorite characters hide in shuffled gift boxes. When the player finds Geoffrey in eight scenes, parents qualify to enter Geoffrey’s Awesome Christmas Sweepstakes for a chance to win exciting prizes. Available now, the game can be downloaded from the App Store® or Google Play® onto any smartphone device or tablet.
Additionally, if kids want to play The Geoffrey Shuffle without an interactive edition of The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome¸ they can download the eight interactive scenes by visiting Toysrus.com/TheGeoffreyShuffle, or by playing the app in Virtual Reality mode. This alternate game play displays a pre-loaded seasonal backdrop for each of the eight rounds of the game and allows for pinch-to-zoom functionality to view toys in more detail.
Awesome Savings on the Season’s Most Popular Toys
Whether gift-givers are shopping for tiny tots or trendy tweens, The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome offers customers the reassurance that they can find precisely what they are looking for at a great value at Toys“R”Us. This year’s toy catalog features thousands of dollars in savings, including a FREE $10 Toys“R”Us Gift Card with a purchase of $75 or more*; FREE LEGO® Star Wars: The Force Awakens gift with ANY LEGO Star Wars purchase of $40 or more**; and SAVE $10 on any regular priced Barbie® doll or playset purchase of $49.99 or more**.
Social Media Preview: Holiday Gift Guide Receives ‘800 Bajillion Million Stars!’
Content from The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome is now featured on the company’s official social media channels. Customers who follow Toys“R”Us on Facebook (Facebook.com/Toysrus) and Twitter (@Toysrus) will have the opportunity to preview numerous pages from the highly anticipated catalog in a 30- second “trailer,” which includes “reviews” from kids commenting on their positive reactions to this year’s toy book. A full, four-minute story of how the book inspires wish lists through the voices of popular toys including Barbie®, Skylanders®, LEGO® Shopkins™,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thomas & Friends® and more, can be seen at Youtube.com/Toysrus. Both videos were created in partnership with BBDO Worldwide, an international, award-winning creative agency.
Additionally, the company’s official Instagram channel (@Toysrus) has been providing hints to The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome cover image, culminating with the final reveal.
Holiday Shopping Made Easy
To further help gift-givers shop and save, The Great Big Toys“R”Us Book of Awesome highlights a variety of compelling services from Toys“R”Us this holiday season, such as:
Price Match Guarantee – Toys“R”Us will match a competitor’s advertised price on identical items when customers present a local competitor’s print ad or website, showing the item available for less. Visit Toysrus.com/PriceMatch for details.
Free Store Pickup – Toys“R”Us offers a ‘Buy Online, Pick Up In Store’ option, which allows customers to shop online from wherever they are and pick up the ordered item at their local Toys“R”Us store in an hour or less. Visit Toysrus.com/Pickup for details.
Free Shipping – On Toysrus.com, the company offers free shipping on purchases of $19 or more every day, with details found at Toysrus.com/FreeShipping.
* Limit one Gift Card per customer with coupon. Exclusions apply. Offer available in-store only. Quantities limited; no rain checks. Gift Card valid 12/1 through 12/24/2015.
** Quantities limited; no rain checks.
About Toys“R”Us, Inc.
Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 863 Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, and in 740 international stores and 245 licensed stores in 38 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the legendary FAO Schwarz brand and sells extraordinary toys at FAO.com. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com and FAO.com, it provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. employs approximately 66,000 associates annually worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. Additional information about Toys“R”Us, Inc. can be found on Toysrusinc.com. Follow Toys“R”Us, Babies“R”Us and FAO Schwarz on Facebook at Facebook.com/Toysrus, Facebook.com/Babiesrus and Facebook.com/FAO and on Twitter at Twitter.com/Toysrus, Twitter.com/Babiesrus and Twitter.com/FAOSchwarz.
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Media Contacts:
Toys“R”Us, Inc.
Jessica Offerjost
973-617-4766
Jessica.Offerjost@toysrus.com
Kathleen Waugh
973-617-5888
Kathleen.Waugh@toysrus.com