The Rise and Fall of the Warner Brothers Studio Store

Written, Presented & Compiled by Joe Ramoni
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[@lerm2866]

Closing in 2001, they just missed out on selling the Harry Potter and LOTR merch

[@bmorgan9119]

Actually, one of last big merchandise pushes in the stores was Harry Potter, but I believe it was more based on the books than the movies. I remember we sold clothing items (t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc), plush toys of the white owl, and copies of the books.

[@bmorgan9119]

As a former Warner Bros. Studio Store employee, I thank you for this incredible trip back in time. I loved working there and still own some merchandise purchased during my time there from 1996-2000.

[@Clay3613]

It seems like a lot of that exclusive merchandise is still worth a bit of money.

[@jeenkzk5919]

Those years were definitely a great time in my life as I was aged 17 to 23. You still had the chance to hope for bigger and better things. The 90s were a good decade.

[@BixRibene]

@@Clay3613 I remember they did a Bruce Timm set of Justice League mini statues, a couple of years before the Justice League cartoon and Green Lantern was Kyle Rayner... I bet that's worth a fortune, now.

[@douchecicle2013]

If you ever wanna share some pictures of what you have I would love to see! What an amazing place to work at

[@kevinmiller6380]

B Morgan-Were you a clerk?

[@DwayneThe5th]

years ago when our local WB studio store was going out of business and 'liquidating' i happened to walk in when the store owner was in house, and on a whim i offered to buy one of the enormous 'Gremlins' statues that used to be apart of the store decorations but were not for sale normally, we came to an arrangement for 500$ although the man said i couldnt take possession of the item until after the store officially closed and the store was being dismantled...2 months later i got my 'Stripe the Gremlin' statue. To this day i have had people offer me thousands for it its just so cool that i probably will never sell it as it is the first thing people see when they walk into the front door and enter my foyer.

[@sophiehanssel2017]

I wish I could time travel to those kinds of stores. The 90s were a great period for shopping and TV.

[@larrykramer2761]

Man, I really miss going to the mall back in the 80's and 90's. I bought a watch from the WB studio store in the summer of 1994 and yes I still have it.

[@rosebyanyname]

Thank God, this wasn’t just something I hallucinated buying loads of Wizard of Oz merch at!

[@Silenced23]

What? How could you hallucinate Warner Brothers while buying Wizard of OZ merchandise at a Warner Brothers store? I have a feeling you never tried shrooms, Acid, or LSD....

[@rosebyanyname]

@@Silenced23 It’s a joke, bud. I was 3 or 4 and the memory is wildly blurry.

[@TheRealJims]

Oh man, these stores were my jam when I was little. Had to go to the Warner Bros store whenever visiting the mall. I remember always walking through the animated cels section and marvelling at all the cartoon art. Really cool stuff. (The Disney stores were okay but it never had the "random curiosities" kinda feel of wandering through the WB store)

[@gruntingskunk2237]

Ello

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

Agreed

[@LJK193]

They were your jam? More like your SPACE JAM!

[@arnold20139]

The malls I went to, the Warner Brothers Store was always straight across from the Disney Store. It was great

[@GalacticWrestlingFederation]

I never knew how badly I needed a Bull from Night Court puppet until today.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

The WB store in the Natick Mall, used to have replica Gremlins hanging out above the store in the rafters and vents. It was also the place to get everything Batman Related. Also in the back was a Interactive spaceship that would show episodes of Looney tunes featuring Marvin the Martian. Good times, Better Memories.

[@Tadicuslegion78]

I 'member! Please tell me I didn't hallucinate as a small kid there use to be this Giant Looney Tunes Fishing Boat thing hanging in the Mall that had several characters all hanging off this boat.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

@@Tadicuslegion78 in Natick Massachusetts? Now that you mentioned it I believe it was there

[@Tadicuslegion78]

@@TheNaturalPatHarris Yes, I swear it was near an old train shop that had a train that would run along the top of the store including a loop outside over the doorway.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

@@Tadicuslegion78 the great train store by the elevator, near the food court

[@Tadicuslegion78]

@@TheNaturalPatHarris YES!

[@NicoAnimation]

This video gives me so many good memories. The WB Studio Store was my first stop any time my family and I went to the mall. So much great Looney Tunes, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Gremlins and Batman the Animated Series stuff. And yes, the highlight was always crawling into Marvin Martian's spaceship where you could mash SFX buttons, play digital puzzles or coloring games on a touch-screen, and watch Marvin, Bugs and Daffy cartoons playing on another monitor. Thank you for creating this mini-doc, doc!

[@susanhillwig5784]

8:50 - The Bull Shannon hand puppet might seem a bit random, but it's based on a ventriloquist dummy that actually appeared in a couple of Night Court episodes years before the Warner Bros. Studio Stores existed (so it wasn't some weird "use this in the show so we can sell merch" thing).

[@antonmasters8626]

Dang! This seemed like an ideal store that'd still be in business. Like the stars were aligned and Warner owned a bunch of different properties but I guess mismanagement still thrives in Warner brothers today This store should make a comeback

[@Martyn2021]

We had one of these stores in a shopping centre/mall called the Arndale in Manchester England. I loved looking at all cartoon cells they had for sale. As kid I could never afford them and by the time I had the money the store shut. But the best part was they had one wall on the outside of shop carved out to be the bat cave from the Michael Keaton Batman film there the bat computer and a mannequin dressed in the suit.

[@bensneb360]

I almost had forgotten about going to the Warner Brothers store when I was a kid, since I was so young at the time, but then this video just flashed so much nostalgia memories back. Thank you for that, amazing video

[@Jared_Wignall]

I never went to one of these stores, but I remember hearing about them and seeing some ads for them. Those always looked cool to go to. Thanks for the video Joe, keep up the great work!

[@KingValor]

I guess I should consider myself lucky that our mall in Fresno still has a Disney Store. Heck even the animatronics are still active. I didn't realize that most were gone.

[@bradythepokemaniac3675]

Imagine if these stores were still around today. We could’ve had a giant Harry Potter themed section of merchandise in the stores. As well as store exclusive collectibles like funko pops

[@beniverson3777]

I loved these stores as a kid. They had a sense of class that the Disney stores didn't have. And they had this line of t-shirts depicting Looney Tunes characters in hip hop attire that I wore obsessively as a kid, and haven't been able to find as an adult on the internet.

[@tonymata8070]

Ok… I’m absolutely livid that my local mall never had a WB Store, this would’ve been paradise for little ‘ol me cause I was CRAZY for Looney Tunes thanks to my late mother showing me the theatrical shorts when I was a infant, loved Batman and Superman thanks to their kickass cartoon series and because they had stuff for Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and yes including Space Jam which I loved as a kid. With Disney Store officially closing all their locations last year, it broke my heart… maybe one day WB can resurrect The Warner Bros. Store cause all those children are now adults and movie buffs, and I bet they would love to own merchandise from Looney Tunes and if they sold horror memorabilia from their New Line Cinema library and such they would make a lot of money I tell you that.

[@DrEvilMustacheGuyDoom]

The memories I have of visiting my local Warner Brothers Studio Store never left me. I have such nostalgia for this place and it's become a sort of mythical thing amongst some of my friends as none of them seem to remember that treasure trove but God I wish it'd come back in all it's glory.

[@davidkahnt2632]

I was just in a WB store the other day... they didn't have any Batgirl merchandise in stock

[@mafeuk]

So no mention of the Warner Store that was located at the World Trade Center that was destroyed when 9/11 happened? The pictures of the aftermath of that store are a thing of nightmares.

[@Halbared]

“Controversial?” Maybe, but fiscally and morally sound.

[@AllG98]

Thank you for covering this. I recently re-visited Warner Brothers Movie World in Gold Coast, Australia and was getting really nostalgic for these stores. Still have a couple Christmas ornaments from my local WB store!

[@BruceBuchananIII]

This store was a core memory for my childhood. I loved every minute I spent there.

[@billyshepard5514]

In the 1990s at the Glendale Galleria had a Three Stooges store which was modeled after the Warners and Disney mall stores. This was owned by Comedy 3.

[@ToonamiT0M]

I remember loving going to the WB store. The few times we would go downtown every year always included a stop at the store. So much unique merch. There was only so much my saved allowance would afford me to buy. Why is it that now I'm an adult with a job all the cool specialty stores are gone?

[@donaldmetzger7145]

One of my local shopping malls had both a Disney Store and a WB Studio Store long ago. I loved both but WB was my favorite.

[@markoutwithmark]

This was so great! I have vivid memories of these stores. It was the first place I ever saw an animation cel. I started collecting them not long after.

[@michaelsamerdyke108]

Thanks for putting this together. It was always fun to go to the Warners store in "On the Avenue" in Cleveland. I used to have a bunch of classic Warners cartoon mugs. They have all broken over time. That was a wonderful era.

[@jtszabo1691]

I have memories of going to the one in Chicago as a kid in 1994 with my aunt and uncle. I remember getting a stuffed Wacko Warner as a Christmas present from my uncle

[@andrewlarsensfilmreviewchannel]

This was the HBO Max of 90s mall stores

[@jonathanlee9051]

This didn’t have any extra content just to pad for time. The intro was all informative and to the point. You have a great overview of the store without getting lost in the weeds. Fun personal anecdotes but not going off on a tangent. Wish ALL of these types of videos were more like this one! Awesome job , subscribed and excited for more

[@NinjaMatt2201]

I once walked into a Disney store and asked if they had a Marvin the Martian shirt. God, I felt dumb. Lol.

[@pikapal91746]

I used to go there and buy Friends shirts in the mid 90s. I have fond memories going to the store around Christmas time. It was all decorated. They were playing Christmas clips. The first one I saw was the Christmas tree scene from the Christmas Vacation movie, and then Jingle Boo. I start singing it very loudly. Some kid I didn't know started dancing. My mom was so embarrassed. When Kids WB started airing Pokémon in 99 there was a lot of Pokémon merch in there. I got 2 or 3 Pokémon shirts there.

[@C-Mack33]

I have these vague memories of visiting my grandparents as a kid, going to the mall, going to a store, and crawling around inside some tube thing that had buttons and videos screens. For 20+ years I always wondered that the hell kind of store that was, and whether or not I imagined it. This video just unlocked old memories. It was the Warner Bros Studio Store! Mystery solved!

[@Grover1234]

I never got to experience it. I got to go into one of the stores at Universal Studios but I know they aren't any where of the same. Yes they did sell some Warner Bros. stuff like clothes, dish wears, collectibles and other odd things. I did see some neat items at the Universal Studios store. I really wanted a Scooby Doo cap but it was just way to much! I have been to several of the Disney Store which I thought those were sooooo cool at the time. I haven't been back in a while but not to say I think it would be neat to find a Warner Bros. Store just while walking around one of the older Outlet Malls. As always I enjoy your videos and you always have some of the neatest ways of putting them together. Peace Out!

[@Herald_of_galactus]

this video brought back so many memories for me. I live in the UK, and I remember we had one in our local shopping centre and I was always really scared to go inside it as they had life-size models of gremlins all around the store that I was afraid were going to eat me or something lmao

[@otaking3582]

I just thought I dreamt up this place! It was one of my favorite stores as a kid!

[@buffielucas8253]

I worked here for a moment from 1996-1998. I have nothing but FUN memories of being a part-timer here. It was an unusual experience that I loved. It was a great shopping experience. I wished these stores were still around. It would be epic.

[@Tomalak]

What a nostalgia blast! I’d forgotten all about these - great to see the Chester shop in the video, I must have spent hours in Marvin’s rocket ship!

[@adamthornton2590]

Lol me too!

[@TheRealAmericanMan]

Because Cartoon Network played Dragon Ball Z the WB Studio Store at Trump Plaza (where my mother worked as a server) was the only place in South Jersey I could ever buy Dragon Ball Z merch and I remember every purchase fondly

[@LaDracul]

I'm still mad at AOL for killing it. And they claimed it was they didn't have IP. ARE THEY INSANE? The only thing close now is the Wizarding World shop in NY...and I'm stuck in IL. BTW, do you not know how bad Walter Hamada is?

[@fromthehaven94]

I don't like the guy from Discovery- plastered over Jack Nicholson's Joker in this video. Based on decisions already made with HBO Max, I fear what will happen with the only streaming service I've paid for from the beginning.

[@LaDracul]

@@fromthehaven94 Believe me, there's some moves Zaslav has made I don't agree with, but Hamada is sending a bunch of reporters in his pocket to write hit pieces to salvage his job. And he is NOT doing a good job.

[@dirbrody]

I remember visiting the store as a 13 yr old at the NorthPark mall in Dallas back in 1999. They were playing clips of “Wild Wild West” & had all kinds of Merch. It was fun, good times…

[@OwenYoung-yv1vc]

I hope someday eventually we see Warner Bros. bring back the Studio Stores. I wasn’t alive when the stores were around, and I think it would be great for a new generation to experience the WB Studio Stores.

[@Jaiden1028]

My dad was just telling me about the Warner brother store

[@MichaelMartin-qe5ye]

The Warner Brothers catalogs were some of the only mail I got when I was a little kid. There was some amazing, and, in retrospect, mostly tacky items in it. However, what I remember most is that 95% of it was super expensive. I don't mean I had 10 dollars to my name expensive, I mean hundreds of dollars for themed jackets expensive.

[@80085word69]

The one by me on Long Island NY had the Marvin The Martian rocket. Remember buying a ton of Space Jam march there. Another even shorter lived tv/movie themed shop were the nickelodeon ones.

[@treymon3135]

Perfect time to put this up with the Discovery merge happening right now.

[@thegameshowgame9107]

The rise and fall of” rise and fall” videos.

[@shechshire]

They had a store in Miami at a mall affectionately referred to as “Wasteland Mall”. The outside of the store that faces the parking lot had the characters on the wall. That same wall is now an iHop.

[@amwfan88]

I remember my local WB Store. I still remember exactly where it was (it turned into a J. Jill for awhile, and now I think it's a shoe store). That space ship and the buttons were definitely one of my favorite parts. I think I bought a Pokemon VHS tape there once. I want to say they closed in 2001, around the time as the toy store in the mall (I was 12 at the time, so kind of outgrowing toys, but I loved to browse). I think that was one of the signs that my childhood was ending, since I really never visited the mall after that point except to visit Barnes & Noble and see the occasional movie.

[@PD-mi3qj]

As I sit her sipping coffee from my Marvin the Martian mug I bought at the Warner store back in the 90's across my desk from the coordinating Duck Dodgers plush.

[@mikeymizor2934]

BROOKLYN NY, i remember going Shopping at Kings Plaza Mall, The Warner Bros Store was Great 👍👍👍👍

[@mmmlinux]

that coloring book touch screen is something i haven't seen or thought about for 20 years, But I immediately remembered it.

[@Leanin2daSide]

In DC around 98- 2001 we wore WB clothes from the WB store like Nike. Especially the embroided tees with the latest shoes. Fresh as hell slim.

[@Sarah3984]

Back when malls were fun. 😭 I still have a Marvin the Martian mug from 1996.

[@adamthornton2590]

Have many fond memories of playing in the Marvin the Martian Rocket in the Chester shop as a kid, thanks for posting this video.

[@BlazePiffington]

So bizarre, my mom showed me her dress that she had bought WAY back just the fay before yesterday. True quality. Just a mere shadow of what the store had in…store for you. I still recall the life-size looney tune characters that would await in front of said store front. WB store and the Disney store were the romping grounds of the halcyon days of my childhood.

[@ryanahr2267]

Man I miss this store. I'm from Buffalo, NY. The Galleria Mall up there had one for a time. I only got to go once, because I'm pretty sure that that store wasn't added to the mall until after we moved down to the factory of misery that is the south eastern United States. That particular store had an incredible winged gremlin on one wall in a pose not unlike of that of the statue of Superman and Batman, though not as big. I always seem to remember it as being a winged version of Stripe, though I'm not at all sure of that part. At any rate, it hypnotized me while we were in the store. I still wish I could find it. I'd love to have it mounted in the nerd den that I'm building.

[@jamessneed8789]

I do miss the Warner Brothers store.

[@popculturedad8128]

Technically, Disney Store locations are dying too, with a lot of stores being closed and embedded in the toy departments in Target

[@MONET8iAM]

The Marvin the Martian’s rocket is definitely a highlight if my childhood, the thing I remember the most. I have pictures of or in front of the Atlantic City store from my family reunion.

[@Jeff98177]

I still have a few of the shopping bags and several catalogs. I can't believe it's been 20 years now!

[@Moonbeam143]

I would love a puppet of Richard Moll as Bull.

[@The3ninjakids]

I was too young to have even heard of the WB Studio Store, and I barely caught glimpses of Suncoast and the old Disney store.

[@chavesa5]

I can say it in one sentence-- "way too expensive for what you got." They're one of those stores like Rainforest Cafe, Planet Hollywood, and Sharper Image that typify the excesses of the well-off in the 90s. At no other time could such concepts gain traction.

[@KairuHakubi]

That's the thing, I think a lot of this stuff failed because you had people trying to use their money to show off, rather than really enjoy it.. and they weren't used to being allowed to enjoy things, so they just sort of spent it on whatever they knew. some desperate attempt to seem like they're doing well. now people actually know what they like, but too late, economy didn't line up with that and bad habits are too entrenched.

[@ThemeParkStop]

Vert timely video topic! Wow, I have missed ours at the Florida Mall. It was right down the center of the mall and I had such fond memories of exploring it and the Disney Store, (which finally closed itself not too long ago).

[@nucleargore8926]

Would go to the one at the Glendale mall when I was a kid, I miss it so much. Bring it back

[@patfer1189]

the WB Stores were fantastic and had some terrific products. Always thought it was much, much better than equivalent stores. And the clothing was of great quality, both in term of design and construction. I still have a bunch of clothing from those stores that have outlasted more recent similar products.

[@matthewcole4753]

3:31 was the WBSS in Staten Island, New York. A Disney Store replaced it, but that closed and I believe there's an it's sugar candy store there now. I wonder how long this will last too.

[@matthewcole4753]

In the Staten Island Mall.

[@OcpCommunications]

One of my earliest childhood memories is visiting this store at Washington Square Mall in OR, and playing around in the kid's section. Specifically a Marvin The Martian rocketship that you could climb inside of and play a little game on a video screen and press all kinds of buttons. I don't even remember my parents getting me anything from the store. I just remember that rocketship. Just seeing the footage of that thing just took me back to when I was a kid.

[@MightyJabbasCollection]

Honestly I don't think I even knew these stores existed, but I was a bit old for them at the time and also spent a lot of time living outside the US. I really want one of those Bull puppets from Night Court though!

[@amyfry8498]

I always loved the stores. I really miss them. 😢

[@JJ_Animation86]

I still have my Scooby-Doo bobble head and plush from that store that was once apart of my shopping mall.

[@MsDboyy]

When I was a kid in the 90s I went to the one in the Staten Island Mall that’s the one with Bugs Bunny as the Statue of Liberty in front 🐰🗽 I really miss going there as a kid was real fun 😎

[@UKGareth316]

One of favourite gifts i ever got my dad was brought here and still hangs on his wall.. an large picture cel of while e Coyote and road runner.. i gave never seen anything like it ever again

[@toplaycool21]

I miss this store so much.

[@grigioguy9717]

Man, I LOVED this store!!!

[@brad_hensil]

There was a store located in the World Trade Center Mall which (unfortunately) went down with the tower during 9/11

[@rocknroll20024]

So many memories I have with the store they had one in Lake Tahoe

[@SaturnTubes]

Growing up with the Disney store, the Warner bros studio store, and the Discovery store all in the same downtown shopping center was pretty neat. But literally all of that stopped existing by the time I was 12. Discovery was oddly the last to go

[@lanceturley7745]

Joker Zaslav - "This company merger needs an enema!" 🥳🥳

[@NathanSpies]

I remember there was a location at the Oxmoor Mall in Louisville Kentucky. It had statues of Bugs & Daffy as jockeys riding horses. Sadly I never got to see it and there’s no photos of it.

[@Qualimar]

There was one of these in the mall beneath the original World Trade Center. I've seen very haunting photos of it immediately after September 2001, abandoned and covered with dust and debris but otherwise intact. Eerie stuff and probably my main memory of the brand (I'm old enough to remember the 90s as a teen but we didn't have these in Ireland.)

[@bmorgan9119]

I may be mistaken, but I think some of character displays from the World Trade Center WB store were saved and either are stored somewhere or are in the 9/11 museum.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

@@bmorgan9119 That stores "That's All Folks" neon sign is on displayed at the 9/11 Museum, i didn't see the chararter statues on display, it might be in store

[@KhakiCube]

These stores liquidating everything would certainly explain why I had so much Warner Bros. merchandise as a kid.

[@MichaelSar12IsBack]

How come malls don't have cool themed stores like this anymore?

[@donnie2832]

I wish they were still around. I miss the stores in Seattle and Bellevue Washington.

[@GrubStLodger]

The UK still has a Paddington shop, a Moomin one and a positive rash of Harry Potter.

[@PurpleandGold615]

Man, I used to love going to these stores as a kid.

[@MsDisneylandlover]

I wish they still had stuff like this.

[@Brad_Bane]

I loved the one in Barton Creek Mall in Austin, TX. As a DC Comics kid, it was my Mecca. Still have my Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast trade paperback from there.

[@cartoonistaaronhazouri]

Anybody else catch a glimpse of the great Friz Freleng in one of the store opening clips? Man what an amazing time.

[@walterkoziol3822]

This is where I started collecting my animation cells. Managed to get my hands on 25 pieces. More than half are the original, two were creative pieces, and the rest were series pieces. One creative piece was was from the Batman episode (the first GOOD dark Batman one) where Harley and Poison Ivy are together in a sporty looking convertible raising hell. In the background you see Gotham on fire. The other is a tribute piece where you see all the original looney-toons characters standing around a mic on a stand as heads lowered with a mournful look as they pay homage to the death of Mel Blanc. But where I lived the closest WB store wax a 2hr drive one way. I had a Disney store within a 15m drive one way. They were about to finally put one a lot closer. That's when the merger took place. Right there I said there goes my WB store.

[@bungoboy5718]

Osmosis Jones came out in August of 2001, and by December all of the Warner Bros Stores had been liquidated. Coincidence? Perhaps not...

[@robloxpwnr7604]

I totally forgot about the Marvin the martin rocket! Wow I never imagined that memory would be awakened again, my mother would have to pull me out of it because Id never want to stop messing with the buttons.

[@arturogranados1133]

Thank you so much for making this video. I loved going to the store in Indianapolis when I was a kid! I loved all the WB merchandise and the giant statues of the characters. I was sad when they closed it, whenever that was. Appreciate you covering this!

[@Omegajunior2658]

Hi, thanks for uploading your video. There were two Warner Bros. shops in my home city of Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪. There was the one at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and there was another one at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Sadly they both closed in 2004. Just like all the UK Warner Bros. shops closed in the same year. Back in 2000, I visited the Warner Bros. Studio Store for the first time at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre when I was ten years old and I was only looking around in that merchandise shop. It looked really nice and interesting. In September 2004, I hadn't even realised that Warner Bros. Studio Store already closed at the same shopping centre. That was a shame, wasn't it? Unfortunately I never bought anything from the Warner Bros. Studio Store before they closed.

[@FernandoGastelo]

Oh man my son loves Looney Tunes, he would have had a blast there

[@mattjindrak]

I went to the one in Atlantic City a lot since my dad worked at Trump Plaza. Got a lot of cool Batman and Superman figures there. There was a also a lounge behind the Bugs and Daffy statues that they called The Duckbutt Lounge.