GROWING UP SATIRE
I Was a Toys R Us Kid. I Grew Up, Now I’m Seeking Compensation
A landmark class-action case in Washington heats up
WASHINGTON D.C. — Sarah Leavly is clutching a satin ribbon that looks to have once been attached to a blanket. She works the edges like a rosary. Around and around but it isn’t the Hail Mary she mutters. She is methodically repeating the jingle made famous in 1980 by the toy conglomerate Toys R Us.
“I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid,” Ms. Leavly murmurs, rocking forward and back. She lets the tears stain her Wonder Woman pajamas as she sways to the tune. At full volume she continues, “I don’t want to grow up ‘cuz baby if I did, I couldn’t be a Toys R Us kid.” She wipes her nose on her sleeve and starts again.
Although it was tough getting a statement from Ms. Leavly between sobs and verses, this reporter did manage to ask her what brought her to sit outside this particular abandoned store.
“This is where I bought my first Cinderella slippers. Now I hear they are turning it into a Starbucks. BOO!” She stuck out her tongue before lying on her back to flail around in distress.
Ms. Leavly is not alone. Since her vigil started in July 2020, the crowd gathered with Ms. Leavly in protest of the…
