I worked at two Warner Bros. Studio Stores from 1996-2000 as part of a 22 year career in retail. Those years will forever hold a special place in my heart and the memories continue to bring me joy. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.
I was an assistant manager at the San Francisco Store for 1 year 1998/1999. I had a blast working there. The atmosphere was amazing and the merchandise was awesome. I spent a lot of my paychecks on collectibles. I was present at an in-store gallery event hosting Joe Barbera as he signed autographs and I got to meet him. The novelty of the store was the main attraction. I felt that once they started to incorporate all the additional brands to the retail space made the stores too cluttered and confusing. I immediately missed working there after I left. There was always good vibes and I had a lot of fun watching, listening and singing along to whatever was on the promotional music videos and movie/show snippets that were playing on the giant video wall. Gone are those days. Thanks for making the video and bringing me back to so many fond memories of my time at the WBSS.
Another cool thing to know is that most of the statues at the Warner Bros store inside The World Trade Center actually survived the destruction of September 11th, they looked almost untouched apparently.
I'm from Cleveland ohio and we had one in our mall tower city. I have such found memories of this place. I would make my dad stay for hours. Being an artist it was magical looking at the original Looney tunes artwork. The place felt like another world. Gremlins hanging from the wall looking down on you, beautiful detailed staues of all types of characters...i could go on and on. Thank you for this amazing video. Kids today have no idea what they missed out on.
Yep, this was one of my favorite places to go in the mall as a kid. We had one in St. Louis that I always loved going into. This just really was fun to watch.
I think it’s interesting that Warner Bros was so dedicated to the WB Stores that they even invited Looney Tunes alumni like Friz Freleng at the ribbon cutting and interviewing Chuck Jones at the NY store. Great job on this one! Your channel is super underrated
Yeah, that's super classy. Even today, Warners is IMO the least corporatized of the major Hollywood studios. Can you imagine Disney or Universal doing something like that now?
I was so sad when the Studio Stores closed. I miss them more than I should. I used to LIVE to visit the Art gallery Area, and I still have several animation cells.
The big legacy of these retail stores has to be the frustrated Mad Magazine editor who made an entire article taking a giant dump on the WB stores with the most vulgar artwork imaginable.
Ah thank you for making this, I was surprised that no other UA-camr had done a video on this line of stores yet. Loved the Marvin machine thing in the back of the store as a kid, very fond memories of the store as a kid. You found a ton of good footage. As a Pokemon archivist, the WB store has crossed over into my research quite a bit, but there is just so little online, its so sad
Great job on this video! I used to visit 2 NYC locations. Marvin's Rocket was always the highlight. I still have a Velma beanie baby rip off from that print ad on display in my apartment
Thank you so much for making this! I seriously think about the location I grew up going to ALL THE TIME, and have been so shocked at the relative lack of info and media about them online. The gremlin statues up in the rafters/around the ceiling? Terrifying, but iconic. Thanks for warming this ~90s kid’s~ heart.
delightful video. I definitely share that nostalgia for warner bros stores and am also guilty of searching for stuff from them on ebay every so often. always awesome to see old footage of the various locations and learn more about the chain's history. also did not expect the bugs from the Mall at the World Trade Center to pop up. wild.
I fondly remember going to the Warner Brothers Studio store in White Plains, NY's Westchester Mall and the one in Downtown DC near Metro Center (and I went to the one in Times Square, NY more than once. Much as I like the Disney classics, I have always preferred the anything-for-a-gag mentality of the old Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts of yore. Not to mention the old Hanna Barbera cartoons I grew up watching (which, likely, saved animation when studios were finding it difficult to lure audiences away from their TV sets and into the theaters). Thank you for spotlighting this store and bringing back memories.
My dad told me about the Warner store that was in our mall way before I was born. He said that when Mel Blanc passed the store had a handful of custom cels of the looney tunes characters surrounding a microphone, he says he regrets not getting it. Another secondhand story I have is when my mentor took a trip to New York in the mid to late 90’s he went up in an elevator and when the doors opened a massive statue of Doomsday stared at him and almost scaring him to death. As for me I haven’t been to any myself, I wasn’t born yet however I do have my parents two looney tunes keychains they had when they were dating, my dad was in the navy at the time so he had his fish engraved on his and it’s still on there.
Woah! I live in colorado, and one of the malls I went to randomly had a looney toons playset in the middle (my favorite thing when I would go there when I was little) seeing that they used statues and had a store in colorado, it makes sense now, so thank you for making this!
I remember when I was young, there was one in Manchester. Was pretty neat place, but expensive. Outside had an Elmer Fudd statue, Batmobile seen from a window. Inside I remember a rocket I think and an art gallery. Also hidden gremlings on the ceiling.
Just visited the Disney store on its last day in the the Montclair mall; it’s the same mall I had fond memories of the WB store. Thanks for the video!!! Excellent job!!!
Man, I was wondering when someone would finally cover this. I went there all the time with my parents too when I was only 4 or 5. To this day I also buy Batman stuff from the WB store on ebay in hopes that it brings back some memories of a much better time and sometimes, it does. Thanks for making this, you did a great job and you got yourself a new subscriber!
This video is so nostalgic for me ! I would visit my local mall with this store being my absolute favorite. I couldn't agree more, what led me to this video was me going down memory lane on ebay trying to find memorabilia. I would love to aquire a statue from the store or even the warner brothers shield. I appreciate everything you did to make this video, keep up the great work!
I was born in 1990 so in the mid 90s the WB store I would go to would be the one in the Staten Island Mall that’s the one with the big Bugs Bunny dressed as the Statue of Liberty in front of the store 🐰🗽 lol I used to have a lot of fun in that store as a kid climbing around in that spaceship with Marvin the Martian on TV and there were Gremlins statues on the ceiling of the store 😅☯️
I wish I got to visit the store since it’s kind hard to find looney tunes and Hannah Barbara merch (excluding clothes) plus the fact that you could buy animation cells is really cool!!! Unfortunately I was born right as stores were beginning to shut down
I visited the 5th ave store in New York in 97. As a Norwegian kid I had never seen anything like it, the coolest store I had ever been to. Marvin the Martian in 3D in the top cinema was a great experience. I thought it was much better than the Disney store. Still have those Tasmanian devil slippers 😊.
One of my earliest memories is sitting in that Marvin the Martian rocket in the WB store in the mall. I used to think about that a lot and wonder if I made it up. This was a great video about the store. I also fondly remember coming home from the mall with a Powerpuff girls scooter. I’m not sure if it was also from the WB store but maybe it was since they owned the rights. Also another Hannah Barbara factoid is that the Kings Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati ohio used to have their kids area fully themed with Hanna Barbara characters. There was a scooby doo haunted house ride that was particularly fun. King’s island was bought by another company and then cedar fair and then the kids area was eventually changed to Nickelodeon characters, and then to snoopy.
There were only two Warner Bros. shops in my home city of Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪. There was the one at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and there was the one at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Sadly they both closed down in 2004. Also there were many Warner Bros. shops across the UK 🇬🇧 including the most areas of the city of London and Scotland 🏴. They were all closed in 2004. They probably went bankrupt. Unfortunately I never bought anything from the Warner Bros. Studio Store before they closed. I was only looking around, that's all. It was a shame, wasn't it?
Nice detailed video. I totally agree with you about the merchandise I’d have purchased if I was older, and wish the stores were still there to buy lots of that stuff now
I read that they didn’t close their stores and cancel shows because of poor popularity but because they struck a deal with free tv programming that was more in their favor.
Great video! It really was something special! I'm about to release a video where I'll cover the store as well ❤️ Wish it was still around, I have a few beloved pieces from it myself 😎
They need to bring this back would rather visit a store full of scooby looney tunes tiny toons and animaniacs stuff Just imagine how rare most of those collectibles are skyrocketing in terms of their value and Collectability I'm hoping that these warner Brothers studio stores show up again they seemed like such a novelty store housing various different items and collectibles appealing to collectors and fans alike
the only Warner Bros store I remember is the one in Orlando, Florida Mall, visiting a few times while on holiday there from UK, any idea when that store actually opened and closed?
@@SnellbyKay this video was well made; here in San Diego there was a Warner Bros. Studio Store in Horton Plaza, being born in 2002 meant I only know about it through video footage. Horton Plaza is gone now, so if the chain survived, the location would still be shut down.
I had some early childhood memories of being at the WB store, when I was three and four years old. I remember there being a marven the Martian spaceship. And inside of it, they had looney tunes cartoons playing inside of it. With colorful buttons that would make sound effects I believe, from what I remember. I think my dad still has that WB jacket. and I think I got a WB tent and a bunch of baby looney tunes and pokemon merch from there. Also kinda ironic, disney still has stores in malls here in my state still.
I worked at two Warner Bros. Studio Stores from 1996-2000 as part of a 22 year career in retail. Those years will forever hold a special place in my heart and the memories continue to bring me joy. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.
I was an assistant manager at the San Francisco Store for 1 year 1998/1999. I had a blast working there. The atmosphere was amazing and the merchandise was awesome. I spent a lot of my paychecks on collectibles. I was present at an in-store gallery event hosting Joe Barbera as he signed autographs and I got to meet him. The novelty of the store was the main attraction. I felt that once they started to incorporate all the additional brands to the retail space made the stores too cluttered and confusing. I immediately missed working there after I left. There was always good vibes and I had a lot of fun watching, listening and singing along to whatever was on the promotional music videos and movie/show snippets that were playing on the giant video wall. Gone are those days. Thanks for making the video and bringing me back to so many fond memories of my time at the WBSS.
Another cool thing to know is that most of the statues at the Warner Bros store inside The World Trade Center actually survived the destruction of September 11th, they looked almost untouched apparently.
I'm from Cleveland ohio and we had one in our mall tower city. I have such found memories of this place. I would make my dad stay for hours. Being an artist it was magical looking at the original Looney tunes artwork. The place felt like another world. Gremlins hanging from the wall looking down on you, beautiful detailed staues of all types of characters...i could go on and on. Thank you for this amazing video. Kids today have no idea what they missed out on.
I still find it funny that space jam's a thing just because some ads performed well
I used to go to the WB store when I was little and bought some Powerpuff girls cups since I love this show. It was a sweet time.
Watching this not only made me nostalgic for the late 90’s and early 2000’s Warner Bros fare, but makes me wish I went to one of those Warner stores.
Yep, this was one of my favorite places to go in the mall as a kid. We had one in St. Louis that I always loved going into. This just really was fun to watch.
I think it’s interesting that Warner Bros was so dedicated to the WB Stores that they even invited Looney Tunes alumni like Friz Freleng at the ribbon cutting and interviewing Chuck Jones at the NY store. Great job on this one! Your channel is super underrated
Yeah, that's super classy. Even today, Warners is IMO the least corporatized of the major Hollywood studios. Can you imagine Disney or Universal doing something like that now?
I was so sad when the Studio Stores closed. I miss them more than I should. I used to LIVE to visit the Art gallery Area, and I still have several animation cells.
Same here.
Thank you for the trip down memory lane. I loved going into the WB store at Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara California.
That elevator with Superman underneath is so awesome!
The big legacy of these retail stores has to be the frustrated Mad Magazine editor who made an entire article taking a giant dump on the WB stores with the most vulgar artwork imaginable.
Ah thank you for making this, I was surprised that no other UA-camr had done a video on this line of stores yet. Loved the Marvin machine thing in the back of the store as a kid, very fond memories of the store as a kid. You found a ton of good footage.
As a Pokemon archivist, the WB store has crossed over into my research quite a bit, but there is just so little online, its so sad
Great job on this video! I used to visit 2 NYC locations. Marvin's Rocket was always the highlight. I still have a Velma beanie baby rip off from that print ad on display in my apartment
Thank you so much for making this! I seriously think about the location I grew up going to ALL THE TIME, and have been so shocked at the relative lack of info and media about them online. The gremlin statues up in the rafters/around the ceiling? Terrifying, but iconic. Thanks for warming this ~90s kid’s~ heart.
delightful video. I definitely share that nostalgia for warner bros stores and am also guilty of searching for stuff from them on ebay every so often. always awesome to see old footage of the various locations and learn more about the chain's history. also did not expect the bugs from the Mall at the World Trade Center to pop up. wild.
I fondly remember going to the Warner Brothers Studio store in White Plains, NY's Westchester Mall and the one in Downtown DC near Metro Center (and I went to the one in Times Square, NY more than once. Much as I like the Disney classics, I have always preferred the anything-for-a-gag mentality of the old Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts of yore. Not to mention the old Hanna Barbera cartoons I grew up watching (which, likely, saved animation when studios were finding it difficult to lure audiences away from their TV sets and into the theaters). Thank you for spotlighting this store and bringing back memories.
I recall visiting the Warner Bros. Studio Store in Oak Brook, Illinois a few times back in the 90's when I was a kid.
My dad told me about the Warner store that was in our mall way before I was born. He said that when Mel Blanc passed the store had a handful of custom cels of the looney tunes characters surrounding a microphone, he says he regrets not getting it. Another secondhand story I have is when my mentor took a trip to New York in the mid to late 90’s he went up in an elevator and when the doors opened a massive statue of Doomsday stared at him and almost scaring him to death. As for me I haven’t been to any myself, I wasn’t born yet however I do have my parents two looney tunes keychains they had when they were dating, my dad was in the navy at the time so he had his fish engraved on his and it’s still on there.
It still feels weird to watch Batman 89 without that WB catalogue commercial in front of it.
Woah! I live in colorado, and one of the malls I went to randomly had a looney toons playset in the middle (my favorite thing when I would go there when I was little) seeing that they used statues and had a store in colorado, it makes sense now, so thank you for making this!
I love the topics that you cover. Keep up the good work.
I remember when I was young, there was one in Manchester. Was pretty neat place, but expensive. Outside had an Elmer Fudd statue, Batmobile seen from a window. Inside I remember a rocket I think and an art gallery. Also hidden gremlings on the ceiling.
I loved this store beyond belief as a child. Just went to the one in Burbank and it really hit home.
They were both beautiful 🤣😭😭🤣😭🤣😭 ... I miss them
Just visited the Disney store on its last day in the the Montclair mall; it’s the same mall I had fond memories of the WB store. Thanks for the video!!! Excellent job!!!
I’ve been trying to find images of the Annapolis mall location for eons now with absolutely no leads or luck. I miss my childhood
Man, I was wondering when someone would finally cover this. I went there all the time with my parents too when I was only 4 or 5. To this day I also buy Batman stuff from the WB store on ebay in hopes that it brings back some memories of a much better time and sometimes, it does. Thanks for making this, you did a great job and you got yourself a new subscriber!
This video is so nostalgic for me ! I would visit my local mall with this store being my absolute favorite. I couldn't agree more, what led me to this video was me going down memory lane on ebay trying to find memorabilia. I would love to aquire a statue from the store or even the warner brothers shield. I appreciate everything you did to make this video, keep up the great work!
I remember the one in Del Amo mall that had a Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck statue along with a plane with Taz in it hanging in the air.
Wow you’re making great content! I was feeling nostalgic and looked up “WB stores” and this was one of the top results and I’m glad it was.
I was born in 1990 so in the mid 90s the WB store I would go to would be the one in the Staten Island Mall that’s the one with the big Bugs Bunny dressed as the Statue of Liberty in front of the store 🐰🗽 lol I used to have a lot of fun in that store as a kid climbing around in that spaceship with Marvin the Martian on TV and there were Gremlins statues on the ceiling of the store 😅☯️
Oh my gosh, this video reminded me of going to the one in the Fairfield Mall when I was probably 4 or 5! Loved it
I wish I got to visit the store since it’s kind hard to find looney tunes and Hannah Barbara merch (excluding clothes) plus the fact that you could buy animation cells is really cool!!! Unfortunately I was born right as stores were beginning to shut down
I visited the 5th ave store in New York in 97. As a Norwegian kid I had never seen anything like it, the coolest store I had ever been to. Marvin the Martian in 3D in the top cinema was a great experience. I thought it was much better than the Disney store. Still have those Tasmanian devil slippers 😊.
a time capsule yes. awesome video thanks ! I was 16 again for 15 min !
I don’t know, I could see a big WB store show back up in NYC, like the M&M store.
There was one in San Antonio’s North Star Mall that was right across from The Disney Store
One of my earliest memories is sitting in that Marvin the Martian rocket in the WB store in the mall. I used to think about that a lot and wonder if I made it up. This was a great video about the store. I also fondly remember coming home from the mall with a Powerpuff girls scooter. I’m not sure if it was also from the WB store but maybe it was since they owned the rights.
Also another Hannah Barbara factoid is that the Kings Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati ohio used to have their kids area fully themed with Hanna Barbara characters. There was a scooby doo haunted house ride that was particularly fun. King’s island was bought by another company and then cedar fair and then the kids area was eventually changed to Nickelodeon characters, and then to snoopy.
There were only two Warner Bros. shops in my home city of Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪. There was the one at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and there was the one at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Sadly they both closed down in 2004.
Also there were many Warner Bros. shops across the UK 🇬🇧 including the most areas of the city of London and Scotland 🏴. They were all closed in 2004.
They probably went bankrupt.
Unfortunately I never bought anything from the Warner Bros. Studio Store before they closed. I was only looking around, that's all.
It was a shame, wasn't it?
Hey, that's fantastic! Weve been to the Warner bros. Stores in chester, Birmingham and manchester!
“...DONKEY” 😂😂😂😂
This is excellent! 👍🏼 Love your calming tone too 😌
This is some great quality content! I wish nothing but growth for this channel
I love your videos so much. They're so professionally made and you deserve so many more subscribers.
The footage you used and storytelling were great! I hope to see more from you. Much luck
Oh man, great video! I suddenly remember visiting the one at Caesar's palace as a kid, they had a giant Charmander plush.
This channel is sick wit it mayne! New subscriber!
I’m pretty sure that I live (or once lived) within walking distance of the future location of the Harry Potter store.
Oh god please no
These are interesting documentaries you made and I have to say they all have a really relaxed tone to them so keep it up
Nice detailed video. I totally agree with you about the merchandise I’d have purchased if I was older, and wish the stores were still there to buy lots of that stuff now
i honestly had no idea this was a thing
Been binging these, great series
Everything you talk about is very cool and interesting. Can’t wait to see what you cover next!
I used to go to the one in Albany New York all the time. God I miss that store. It was like a mini theme park
Imagine how much they could have made if they waited for Harry Potter to come out.
I am obsessed with this channel
I still hope it will make a comeback the wb stores
Love your videos and the topics you choose to cover. Keep 'em coming!
Didn't know this even existed as I was born in 1997. Surprised there wasn't one in the tampa bay area
Love this! Worked for Disney Store for 5 years and it’s not looking good for them. I fear they’ll end up just like warner bros
The Disney store at my location is really popular and gets a lot of business so I guess it depends on the location of the store
I read that they didn’t close their stores and cancel shows because of poor popularity but because they struck a deal with free tv programming that was more in their favor.
I miss this store so much... If I could go back in time and visit one defunct shop, this would be it.
Same! I miss it so much. I get so excited when I’m thrifting and I see anything in those distinct black boxes.
Wow! That’s an amazing video !!! I felt this .
i went to that two times may of 2001 and july of 2001
I love this channel so much I will watch every video twice if that's what it takes to make the algorithm pay attention
Great video! It really was something special! I'm about to release a video where I'll cover the store as well ❤️ Wish it was still around, I have a few beloved pieces from it myself 😎
Loved the tone and pacing. :)
I love your videos I cant wait for the next one!
This video deserves more views
Well I must say these stores used to be in the Atlantic City casinos like the Trump Taj Mahal, and the Trump Plaza.
amazing video
I also heard about the Sesame Street General Store.
They need to bring this back would rather visit a store full of scooby looney tunes tiny toons and animaniacs stuff
Just imagine how rare most of those collectibles are skyrocketing in terms of their value and Collectability
I'm hoping that these warner Brothers studio stores show up again they seemed like such a novelty store housing various different items and collectibles appealing to collectors and fans alike
I want to know what this music is
the only Warner Bros store I remember is the one in Orlando, Florida Mall, visiting a few times while on holiday there from UK, any idea when that store actually opened and closed?
Bro I have some stuff from the studio store that I got second hand, like pins, those things are some of my favorite merch from the Warner company.
Kids WB was not a basic cable channel and Warner Bros. did not own licensing right to the anime, 4Kids did
Kids WB was a programming block on the WB. basic cable channel. In the United States, WB could be picked up with free antenna connections.
@@SnellbyKay this video was well made; here in San Diego there was a Warner Bros. Studio Store in Horton Plaza, being born in 2002 meant I only know about it through video footage. Horton Plaza is gone now, so if the chain survived, the location would still be shut down.
Pokemon: The First Movie?
Hey do you think you can do a video about the short lived Pokémon theme park?
It’s definitely on my mind for the future!
Warner Brothers should focus on tv and video games since they've been doing better at them than Disney.
Pepe le Pew shirts are pricey on eBay. :P
I had some early childhood memories of being at the WB store, when I was three and four years old.
I remember there being a marven the Martian spaceship. And inside of it, they had looney tunes cartoons playing inside of it. With colorful buttons that would make sound effects I believe, from what I remember.
I think my dad still has that WB jacket. and I think I got a WB tent and a bunch of baby looney tunes and pokemon merch from there.
Also kinda ironic, disney still has stores in malls here in my state still.
12:35 shadow demon :]
Are they about to mess up nikki again after making her good again?
Warner store manchester was great then it became poor quality
The narration is bad! This is why we need professional presenters.
Do you think this is a big paid production, and not literally something I put together in my basement all by myself and for no money?
I was looking forward to listening to this interesting documentary but once I heard the unprofessionalism in the narrator I stopped and disliked.
I am but a simple fellow recording in my basement doin this for free.