Ghost of Toys R Us still haunts toy makers

NEW YORK (AP) — This year, children will have a hard time finding Uncle Milton’s glow-in-the-dark ant farm, or the gel and ant village version. Basic Fun, the parent company behind the brand, has stopped producing them and now makes just three versions — basic, giant and retro.

Who’s to blame? Toys R Us.

A year after Toys R Us imploded, toy makers are still readjusting to the big loss of shelf space. That means slashing the number of styles they carry and changing their packaging to squeeze into smaller retail spaces. It’s a jolt for toy companies, who had already been trying to reinvent themselves amid an onslaught of changes. And it’s happening even as a slew of retailers rushed to expand their toy aisles to capitalize on Toys R Us’s demise.