A spokeswoman for Tru Kids said the company wasn't ready to publicly share details on its US strategy.

During the chain's bankruptcy, lenders led by Solus Alternative Asset Management and Angelo Gordon took control of the company's assets. After results didn't improve, they opted to shutter operations in the US Units in Australia and other regions also closed, with divisions in Asia and Canada acquired by new owners.

This group tried to sell the intellectual property, but opted to keep it to garner a better return. As owners of the intellectual property, they have been collecting licensing and other fees from the units still operating and selling them private-label goods. The lenders then formed Tru Kids with the goal of reviving the brand in the US and other regions it exited. It has since hired several industry veterans and signed a deal to bring Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us back to Australia through a partner. Its Australian website relaunched earlier this month.

It remains to be seen how much of a boost the retailer's comeback will provide the toy industry, including giants such as Hasbro and Mattel. The original Toys "R" Us, the only national toy chain, left a huge hole when it went under. It had been generating about $US7 billion ($10.1 billion) in sales a year in the US through more than 700 locations, including the Babies "R" Us brand.

Walmart, Target and Amazon.com have swooped in to fill the void. They have all expanded toy assortments and marketing, including a printed toy catalog from Amazon. Other non-traditional chains jumped into the category, including grocery stores and Party City Holdco Inc.

There is also a question of how many toymakers will do business with the new Toys "R" Us after many lost money when the former company announced liquidation in March 2018, just months after filing for bankruptcy.

MGA Entertainment, one of the best-performing toymakers in the world, is already on board to sell at the re-imagined Toys "R" Us shops, said Chief Executive Officer Isaac Larian, who said he has been pitched the plan. His company's properties include Little Tikes, L.O.L. Surprise! and Bratz dolls.

"This market needs a self-standing toy store, that's for sure," Larian said in an interview. "We will sell them inventory."

Bloomberg