FAO Schwarz is known for its high-end toys, life-sized stuffed animals, interactive experiences, brand integrations, and games.
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15 Facts About FAO Schwarz
2.
FAO Schwarz is the oldest toy store in the United States, first opening its doors in 1862 in Baltimore before moving to New York City, where it has moved between several locations since 1870.
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3.
FAO Schwarz filed for bankruptcy twice in 2003 before temporarily shuttering the Fifth Avenue store in January 2004.
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4.
FAO Schwarz was founded in 1862 in Baltimore under the name "Toy Bazaar" by German immigrant Frederick August Otto Schwarz.
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5.
In 1896, FAO Schwarz proclaimed the store as the "Original Santa Claus Headquarters" in New York.
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The terms of the deal read that it would license the name FAO Schwarz and continue using it for a maximum of five years before dropping the name, while still paying the Schwarz family a royalty on sales.
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7.
Part of the price of keeping the name was to keep the royalty agreement, and the FAO Schwarz family set up a foundation to fund opportunities for young people to work in nonprofit with the income the royalties were making.
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8.
FAO Schwarz subsequently sold to W R Grace in 1970, and then to toy retailer Franz Carl Weber of Zurich, Switzerland, in 1974.
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9.
FAO Schwarz was sold to Netherlands-based NV Koninklijke Bijenkorf Beheer in 1990.
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10.
FAO Schwarz filed for bankruptcy a second time in December 2003.
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11.
All 13 remaining FAO Schwarz locations closed in January 2004 as a result of the bankruptcy, with the flagship Fifth Avenue store expected to reopen in July of that year but the others closing permanently.
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13.
FAO Schwarz brand is currently the property of the descendants of the founder through the FAO Schwarz Family Foundation but is exclusively operated by ThreeSixty Group.
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14.
FAO Schwarz is known for its large assortment of plush animals and the Piano Dance Mat, a smaller replica of The Walking Piano featured in the Tom Hanks film Big.
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15.
In 2017, FAO Schwarz hired design studio, Mattson Creative, to rebrand the FAO Schwarz logo and packaging.
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