From: "GLEN BOURGEOIS" (egb3977@umoncton.ca)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 15:24:51 -0400 AST
Subject: I believe I can verify C. Coffman's account of Ripley's Believe
Hey there,
Now, I can't remember if this was Ripley's Believe It or Not, but I definitely remember seeing a TV show on the unbelievable where a paranormal spectre haunted a toy store. (I believe the show was called "That's Incredible!" although it just might've been "Ripley's Believe It or Not", since all other of my recollections of the first show were not of a paranormal nature, unless if you count the day-to-day video journal of a man eating all of a bicycle's parts in about a week paranormal.)
Coming back to the original story, the spectre's form was caught on film as a dark shadow. A camera had been set up (quite possibly by a non-believer), from which they showed a still photo of the ghost, but on the stairs, not toppling a rubber ball. However, keep in mind that I was six years old at the time, in first grade (I can vouch this because I remember the classmate to whom I spoke to the following day, which we only shared the same classroom in this grade) way back in 1982. Since the story was a two-parter, it could have been that my mother deliberately forbade me to see any further of this affair (since it did keep me scared through most of the week, if not the month, forget the night) and I would`ve missed the live surveyance camera account. This would leave me with the last vivid memory of that first part: a display of the photo, with one of the hosts saying, "Tune in next week, when we show what was caught..." or something to the effect.
This news may be old hat to you, but it's fun for a 21-year-old to reminisce on something for a change, :)
Glen Bourgeois
From: TJSGumby (TJSGumby@AOL.COM)
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 22:16:03 EDT
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: haunted Sunnyvale Toys R Us
I use to live in Sunnyvale for eight years. I believe that it is haunted. There is a presence in some of the back aisles. when you go back there, in the doll aisle,
it is always strangely quiet even though it isn;t quiet in the store. It is also a mess with boxes on the floor as if , no matter what, the employees can't keep that aisle clean. I have heard that ol' Johnny died while chopping wood, and yes, he is searching for his lost love. my dad believes he was hit my the ghost while he was cutting cartons, causing him to cut himself on his neck. He still has the scar. The rest of the store fine, but those back aisles, man are they scary!
From: Woobie2749@aol.com
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 23:14:18 EDT
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: Toys r us haunting
I work for an electric utility here in Ca. I was talking to a fellow employee on day and I don't recall how the consversation came up but somehow the discussion of the Toy's R us haunting came about. We also had both seen one of the shows that featured the stories on T.V. This show had shown a picture of the spirit as he was when he was alive.( Now to the story). This gentleman that I worked with told me that years ago he was dispatched to do some work on a meter panel that was on the property where the Toys r us is built. Apparently at one time it was a big farm or something. As he drove on the property behind the toy store he was looking for the panel to work on.After driving awhile with no luck finding the panel he came upon a gentleman who was sitting. He asked him if he could direct him to the panel. The gentleman just pointed and said nothing. After completing his work he drove back by where the gentleman was sittiing but no one was there. He said it was odd that the gentleman was gone but didn't think too much about it. Sometiime later he watched the program on T.V. and was stunned when the picture they ran of the spirit was the same gentleman who directed him towards the meter panel.
From: Adriana14@aol.com
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:00:06 EDT
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: haunted toys r us:sunnyvale, ca
I am a 15 year old boy from Maryland.A few years ago, I saw a program on T.V. about the Toys R Us in Sunnyvale, Ca. Well, recently I visited the store with my aunt and uncle who live in the San Francisco.I spoke to one of the employees outside the store before I entered. She told me of some occurances that have taken place inside. She said that the majority of the incedences have occured on the left side of the store. So I went down the hallway near the bathroom and nervoisly peeked my head in the door.After about 10 seconds, I slowly started to shut the door.Just before it was closed, I FELT A COOL BREEZE ON MY FACE AND I HEARED A MALE VOICE CALL " ELIZABETH ". I proceeded to run out of that hallway and into the main part of the store. Seeing tears in my eyes, my aunt asked me, "What's wrong"? After I caught my breath, I mumbled, "I heared it". My aunt went back into the mens bathroom later on but did not hear anything." She may not believe in ghosts but I know what I heared, and I'll never ever forget that day.
From: "Kitchele Montgomery" (Kitchele.Montgomery@worldnet.att.net)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: Toys 'R' Us
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 09:33:37 -0000
Hi! I just read the story on the haunting of the toy store in Ca. I = watched an unsolved mystries episode that had that story on it. The = show said that the man also named Yonny, was a farmhand at ranch that = was once on the sight. He was mentally challenged, and he fell in love = with the farmers daughter, Beth. Anyway, she didn't love him, and often = rejected him in a harsh way. One day Yonny was chopping wood, and he = cut himself and died. He roams the store now, bothering the lady = employees and reeking havok. That's the way I heard it!!!!
From: LisaVDG@aol.com
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 14:33:55 -0500 (EST)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: TOYS R US
The old Toys 'R Us story is purley propaganda.
I have heard that story since I was 8 and it always involves a "ghost named Johnny looking for his lost love"....I recall the Ripley's Believe It Or Not with the story about Johnny who had cut off his legs as well.....it seems odd to me that Toys 'R Us feels the need to create such "hoopla" around their businessess in order to attract more curious customers.
I believe that you can catagorize this one as "an old wives tale".
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 16:17:46 -0600
From: Paul Allen (cocoallen@sprintmail.com)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: Toys R Us Ghost
I just read the entry about the Toys R Us ghost on this site. I knew it sounded familiar and since I have a rather large collection of ghost story books, both true and fiction, I did a little checking. Sure enough I found it. The story can be found in "The Ghostly Register" Copyright 1986 by Arthur Myers published by Contemporary Books, Inc. The story is titled "The Haunted Toy Store" and includes two photos of the ghost on infrared film and one control photo on normal black and white film. According to the book, a combination of both versions from this site is what it would take to match the books version. Just thought you would like to know.
Tony Allen
From: "TdP WEB" (tdp98@softcom.net)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: Haunted Toys-R-Us
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 20:37:15 -0800
I was born and raised in Sunnyvale, California, and have lived here for = most of my life. When I was a child, I remember walking down the second = aisle from the far left of the store. There are legos and blocks down = that aisle. As I was walking down it (alone), I heard a crash from = behind me. I look behind me and found about 200 lego-blocks scattered = all over the floor. There was no one in the aisle next to me, on the = right. To the left of me was a locked glass case that contains = electronics. The ghost is the only explanation as to why this happened. = I have also been in the back stock room at night time, and have heard = strange noises, and have seen boxes topple over from the high shelves. = It is quite spooky.
From: Citsym13@aol.com
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 20:27:19 EST
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: TOYS R US -SUNNYVALE
LET ME TELL YOU I LIVE NEAR THIS STORE,AND I BELIEVE !!! I'VE HAD A COUPLE OF EXPERIENCES MYSELF. ONE TIME WHEN I WAS WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE RESTROOM (WHICH COINCIDENTALY IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE AREAS) WE WENT TO WASH OUR HANDS. WE TURNED OFF THE FAUCET ,I TURNED TO TALK TO MY DAUGHTER,AND YOU GUESSED IT THE FAUCET WAS BACK ON .WE TRIED TO TURN IT OFF AND IT WOULDN'T. I GOT A CHILL AND TURNED TO LEAVE, AS WE WALKED OUT THE DOOR I TURNED BACK AND THE WATER WAS OFF!!! ANOTHER TIME WAS A FEW CHRISTMAS'S AGO, A GROUP OF FRIENDS WENT CHRISTMAS SHOPPING,WE WERE ALL TALKING ABOUT "YONNY THE GHOST" .ONE FRIEND ,A REAL WISE GUY STARTS YELLING " IF YOU'RE REAL COME AND GET ME!!!!" JUST AS HE STARTED TO LAUGH OUT LOUD, A SCATE BOARD COMES CRASHING DOWN INCHES FROM HIM.COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. NEEDLESS TO SAY HE KEPT QUIET AFTER THAT AND NOW HE SAY'S HE'S A BELIEVER.
From: Brahndy (Brahndy@aol.com)
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 01:02:36 EST
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: Re: Your Web site
I was reading your website with regard to the Toys R Us in California being haunted and it triggered a very familiar memorie for me. I was about 9 yrs old, which would have been around 1983 or 1984 and I remember watching a news report about the store, In reading another letter you had from someone, they made reference to a video camera. In the news report that I had seen it showed live footage of the store after it was closed, and also some footage of it opening the next morning. I remember toys falling off the shelves and talking dolls and thing moving around in mid air. I don't know if it was trick photography, but if so, seems like they went to an awful lot of trouble. Anyway, I'm not sure if you knew that already, but If not you might write in there somewhere that video has been taken of this place. Or ask if someone else remembers this news broadcast.
From: "Michael Shu" (shufamily@email.msn.com)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: Toys "R" Us
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 16:07:25 -0800
Hello,
I used to live in Sunnyvale when I was a little girl, so you can imagine how often I went to the haunted Toys 'R Us, which was a five minute drive away. I was just there last week. I'm sixteen now and I live in Cupertino, a neighboring city. The supposedly haunted aisle is the aisle with all the boardgames and some random electronics. We went there to get our Gameboy. I never think of that store as a haunted place, just as the site of many childhood memories of my initiation into the world of consumership and capitalism. I have tons of stuff from that store, including our now fuzzy Gameboy. Well, it's nice to know that one's first favorite store has this interesting claim to fame. I've heard about it before, but I keep on forgetting. To me, it's not the board game aisle that is sad. It's the aisles on the right, with the legos, swing sets and primary toys. It's so neglected there. I don't know why.
Catherine
From: HUNNICUTTL (HUNNICUTTL@aol.com)
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 14:32:40 EDT
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: ghost at toysrus
Hi, I was just writing to tell you that I saw a story about that ghost on Unsolved Mysteries. It stuck in my head because the man died while chopping wood and hit his leg with the ax and bled to death. Also the name of that girl Elizabeth was on there, because he was in love with her or something. Anyways, on the show it said that he was haunting a toystore so, that also stuck in my mind.
From: "Barton, Tom" (tbarton@egginc.com)
To: "'obiwan@ghosts.org'" (obiwan@ghosts.org)
Subject: toys r us hauntings
Date: Mon, 2 Nov 1998 10:37:12 -0600
Dear Sir:
I truly am not a person who would ever believe anyone if they ever said they believed in ghosts. I'm a payroll secretary and a sound realist. So it seemed like a lot of folkstories when it comes to hauntings and ghosts and stuff. Till It happened to me...
Almost 8 years ago I had just moved to Sunnyvale Ca. from San Antonio Tx. I had never been to a toys r us in my life so I was excited when i learned we had one just down the street. So my husband and I and my 6month old decided to go. I remember it was late. After 9pm. I was amazed that they stayed open so late.
We were in the last aisle close to the end of the store, when my husband went on to look at something else in another aisle. I stayed behind. I was looking at something right in front of me and so intense was my concentration that I didn't notice this poor person standing right beside me obviously trying to get to something. Well I jumped back and excused myself and apologized outloud to the person. To my amazement there was no one there. I was in the middle of the aisle. So I looked up and down. There was no way he could have just disappeared? Well I felt really goosepimply all of a sudden and I just really wanted to get out of there and quick. I quickly caught up to my husband in a rush and when he said, "what was the matter"? My reply was.. oh nothing. I'm just scaring myself".
5 years later I was watching a documentary about the 10 most Haunted Places in the U.S. Imagine my surprise and shock when I found out that that theToys R Us in Sunnyvale was one of them. I still get goosebumps when I think about that ghost or whatever you wanna call it standing right next to me. Well thats my little story. I've never told anyone but a few family members and a few friends. But maybe you can add it to a listing of some sort for other disbelievers like myself.
Sincerely,
Angela A. Huerta
From: Sara Mullins (andrews_girl6969@hotmail.com)
To: obiwan@ghosts.org
Subject: ghost story
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 13:19:26 EDT
Hello! My name is Sara Mullins. I have a story regarding the Haunted Toys R Us in Sunnyvale,Ca. If you do decided to post my story,I would like to have my info posted along with it. Well,here's my story.
The Christmas I was 11 which was around 1990 or 1991,my mom and dad took me to that Toys R Us,which is not far away from where we was living at the time, and told me i could pick out what I wanted for Christmas. I went to the back aisle where the electronics,lego,stuff like that was and as I was walkin through the aisle i felt something cold brush past me. I thought it was just the air conditioner or something so I thought nothing about it. I hadn't heard about the ghost,but my cousin who had come along with us had and he told me about it and i didn't believe him. So as a joke i went "Well if there really is a ghost why don't he come and get me." I shouldn't have said that. As soon as I did,toys from the top shelf came flying down and they barely missed me. From then on I was a believer! Well, recently i went in there with my niece and nephew and my boyfriend and we went to that back aisle,cause Justin(my nephew) wanted to look at the legos. Andrew(my boyfriend)took him back there while i took Kalie(my neice) to look at the dolls. We had been looking at dolls for about 7 or 8 minutes when Andrew and Justin came flying down he aisle. Andrew was a pale color and poor justin could barley talk. When they finally calmed down to tell us what had happened we learned that Justin had to go to the bathroom and he didn't wanna go in there by his self so Andrew went with him. While they were in there Andrew was leaning against one of the stall doors when all of a sudden,the water turned on,all of the toilets flushed at the same time and the stall door next to Andrew flew open. He said when it flew open he felt a gush of cold air run by him and they by that time Justin had flew out of the stall and was standing behind Andrew. They heard a voice yell the name Beth,then it let out a little moan and everything stopped and the water turned off and it was gone. Andrew acts all tough but he really is afraid of his own shadow. Justin and Andrew wanted to leave the store but Kalie wanted to stay and look at the other dolls and that little girl gets what she wants to we stayed. Well later on,I had to go to the bathroom and so did Kalie so we went. We was just getting ready to open the door to leave when we heard a woman voice,it sounded like a woman crying in on of the stalls. Me and kalie are both blondes so we decided to look in the stalls to see if we could kind the lady to see what was wrong. We was at the next to the last stall when Kalie opened the door and a woman in a white old thyme like dress was setting on the toilet crying,she looked up and then she disappeared. Before she disappeared she mumbled something that sounded like I can't believe he's dead or I can't believe he's gone or something we really couldn't understand her. Needless to say after she disappeared me and Kalie took off running to find Andrew and Justin to tell them what had happened. My experience was in late May and i haven't been back to the store since. So i don't really know what has happened since then. But i talked to the store manager,which is one off my really good friends and he said that other people had seen or heard a woman crying in the lady's bathroom,some people believe it was Elizabeth the daughter of the farmer who had his farm on that location before it was turned into Toys R US. Others believe it is the farmer's wife and some people say it is Lila,a helper at the farm. People really never could find out who she was.
Well I shared my story. E-mail me back at andrews_girl6969@hotmail.com my story has been posted on other sites,thought i would let you know that.
Thank you,
Sara Mullins
If you have an account of a famous haunting you'd like to share, or more information to add to a haunting already listed, please feel free to email me.
Haunted Toys R Us Information Page
This page (http://www.ghosts.org/toycoms9799.html) last updated April 17, 2005.