12/7/05: Joys 'R' Us! If it wasn't for Toys 'R' Us, there would be no X-Entertainment Advent Calendar. If it wasn't for Toys 'R' Us, there would be no X-Entertainment. As I've grown older and somehow curbed what seemed like it was going to be a lifelong obsession with collecting stupid toys, I've never stopped going to TRU stores. I still pick stuff up sometimes, but more often than not, I'm in and out of there without any stop-offs at the register. I just like being there, especially around Christmastime. I never really minded the insanity that is a Toys 'R' Us store in December -- to me, it all feels so very festive and alive, with parents scrambling and kids crying and lights shining and various sensor-driven talking dolls yapping at me whenever I duck into an empty aisle to rub my crotch with Care Bears. I loved going there during the Christmas season as a kid, of course, but I enjoy it just as much now. On paper, I'm either there to pick up presents or to find stuff to write about. The reality is, I go to Toys 'R' Us for the same reason all those wacky Egyptians sit in chaise lounges under the beating sun. It's my recharge. This funky old animated ad sells nothing but the store itself, featuring Geoffrey and his giraffe family parading around a cartoon Toys 'R' Us store as only a family of giraffes can. It's dated, but it really makes me wish TRU instituted its "Open Til Midnight!" holiday season hours earlier in the month, because I'm writing this at 11 PM, and it's already closed, and I so need to be inside there looking for kickballs and Play-Doh right now. The ad also includes a rare look at the giraffe family's home life, which isn't that much different from any other family's home life, other than the fact that they're giraffes. And not very smart giraffes either, because they get bundled up for the toy store drive for about 45 minutes only to reveal that they drive a topless convertible even during snowstorms. Long-necked idiots. Click here to download this commercial! (.WMV, 5 MB) ....close this window!