Time Travel to 1988: Rediscovering My Childhood in a Toys R Us Flyer

John Summers • Contributor

Mar 13, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

You know that classic "We have McDonald's at home" meme? Well, in my house, it was the same thing, but with gaming consoles. All of my friends proudly rocked an NES, spending hours conquering Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. Desperate to join the club, I begged my parents to get me one too. So one day, my dad decided to surprise me with a visit to the local video game store to pick up an NES. But there, the store clerk convinced him to buy "something even better"—a Sega Master System.

Don't get me wrong, the Master System was actually pretty great (after all, Sega does what Nintendon't). It had some genuinely fantastic games, but at the time, none of that mattered because I had my heart set on an NES. My disappointment was immeasurable, but I was mature enough, or scared enough, to pretend it was exactly what I had hoped for.

Flipping through this nostalgic Toys R Us flyer from 1988 and spotting the Sega Master System ad immediately brought back those memories. This console was genuinely awesome! Titles like After Burner, Choplifter, Shinobi, Outrun, and my personal favorite, Psycho Fox, were absolute classics. Plus, my dad saved $50—so that's a win too, right?