The head of MGA Entertainment, the maker of Bratz dolls and Little Tikes toy vehicles, has po🌳oled his own money with that of other anonymous investors to put $200 million toward a bid to save Toys R Us, aiming to buy the toy chain’s assets as a part of an effort to save the brand through a crowd-funding campaign. 

Sixty-four-year-old toy mogul Isaac Larian has created a GoFundMe campaign as part of his long-shot effort to keep hundreds of the chain's stores up and running. The executive is seeking $1 billion by May 28 in hopes of saving over half of the 737 Toys R Us stores set to go dark in bankruptcy proceedings. 

Wayne, New Jersey-baseꦐd Toys R Us an💯nounced plans to liquidate after failing to restructure in bankruptcy, dragged down my mounting debt that it took on in a private-equity leveraged buyout in 2005. 

Nostalgia to the Rescue?

The first known plan to keep the Toys R Us brand alive would need to receive approval from a bankruptcy judge, assuming it succeeds in the difficult task of finding other willing investors. Larian has a personal interest in keeping the brand alive, given that nearly 20% of MGA's sales are made at Toys R Us stores. Last week, social media saw a wave of nostalgia for the 60-year-old retailer, causing a #SaveToysRUs hashtag to trend on platforms such as Twitter Inc. (TWTR). 

On Tuesday, CNBC reported that a handful of Toys R Us stores are scheduled to be auctioned off later in the week, according to court documents filed Tuesday. Fifty-eight "qualified bids" are lined up from companies including Target Corp. (TGT) and German grocery giant Aldi. Earlier this month, news broke that Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) has weighed the option of buying up some of the bankrupt retailer's locations as it doubles down on its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:brick-and-mortar strategy after its $13.7 billion Whole Foods Market acquisition. (See also: Why Amazon Could Buy Some Toys R Us Stores.)