Iconic Toy Store FAO Schwarz to Open in Beijing, March 2019

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Kids and toy lovers of all ages are celebrating the news that iconic US toy store FAO Schwarz is coming to Beijing.

The store originally opened in Baltimore in 1862, but it’s most famous for its New York City location on Fifth Avenue. This is the home of a Walking Piano, on which Tom Hanks plays “Chopsticks” in the movie Big. The store also featured in films ranging from Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite to The Smurfs. However, rising rents and competition from online retailers led to the store suddenly closing in 2015.

Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia dance on the Walking Piano at FAO Schwarz, New York, in Big (1988)

Now it’s back, not only in New York but also in Shanghai and Beijing. The store is expected to open in China World Mall in March next year. This opening, following the arrival last year of London’s famous Hamley's toy store in Wangfujing, suggests that there’s still an appetite for high-end toys that you can get your hands on and try out, despite the recent bankruptcy of Toys’R’Us.

Photos: Kipp Whittaker, voices.clickhole.com

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