FAO Schwarz
164+ years and still operating (founded 1862)
About FAO Schwarz
Frederick August Otto Schwarz opened his first toy store in Baltimore in 1862 before settling in New York, where FAO Schwarz became the most famous toy store in the world. The flagship Fifth Avenue store — with its iconic giant floor piano — became a tourist destination. FAO Schwarz produced and sold exclusive and high-end toys.
Founding
Frederick August Otto Schwarz, a German immigrant who with his brothers opened a "Toy Bazaar" in Baltimore in 1862 before establishing the New York store that carried his initials.
History of FAO Schwarz
FAO Schwarz is a retailer rather than a manufacturer, and it belongs in a manufacturers' encyclopedia because of what it caused other people to make. Its buyers imported European toys that American shops otherwise never stocked, and it commissioned exclusives — dolls, train sets, stuffed animals, ride-on cars — from makers who built to a specification and a price point the mass market would not support.
The Fifth Avenue store became a destination in its own right, and the giant walk-on floor piano immortalised in the film Big is probably the most famous single object in American toy retailing. The company's annual catalogue functioned as a luxury-toy reference, and its buying decisions could make a European maker's American reputation.
The business struggled through the retail upheavals of the 1990s and 2000s, passing through bankruptcy and several owners, closing the Fifth Avenue flagship in 2015 and later reopening in Rockefeller Center under new ownership. The brand survives; the buying operation that mattered historically does not.
Timeline
- 1862The Schwarz brothers open a Toy Bazaar in Baltimore
- 1870The New York store is established under the FAO Schwarz name
- 1931The Fifth Avenue location cements the store's status as a destination
- 1988The giant walk-on floor piano appears in the film Big
- 2015The Fifth Avenue flagship closes
- 2018The brand reopens in Rockefeller Center under new ownership
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- FAO Schwarz giant floor piano
- FAO Schwarz exclusive stuffed animals
- FAO Schwarz limited edition dolls
- FAO Schwarz branded train sets
- FAO Schwarz premium board games
Identifying & Dating FAO Schwarz Toys
- Look for an "FAO Schwarz" or "F.A.O. Schwarz" retailer label, box sticker, or hang tag — usually applied to a product made by someone else.
- Exclusives commissioned from a manufacturer often carry both marks: the maker's name on the toy and the FAO Schwarz name on the box or tag.
- Store boxes, shopping bags and catalogues are themselves collected and are the most commonly encountered FAO Schwarz-marked items.
Collector's Notes
- The value normally sits in the toy, not the label — but an FAO Schwarz exclusive variant of a known maker's product can be worth substantially more than the standard issue, so identify the maker first and the exclusivity second.
- Catalogues are inexpensive and are genuinely useful research documents for dating and attributing high-end toys of their period.
- Be sceptical of "FAO Schwarz exclusive" claims on loose items with no tag or box; the designation is easy to assert and hard to prove after the fact.
Currently for Sale on eBay
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Categories
Frequently Asked Questions
When was FAO Schwarz founded?
FAO Schwarz was founded in 1862, based in New York, NY.
Is FAO Schwarz still in business?
Yes. FAO Schwarz is still operating today, 164+ years after it was founded.
What is FAO Schwarz best known for?
FAO Schwarz is best known for FAO Schwarz giant floor piano, FAO Schwarz exclusive stuffed animals, FAO Schwarz limited edition dolls, among other toys.
Where was FAO Schwarz located?
FAO Schwarz was based in New York, NY.
What kinds of toys did FAO Schwarz make?
FAO Schwarz is categorized under dolls, educational, novelty toys, games.
Who founded FAO Schwarz?
Frederick August Otto Schwarz, a German immigrant who with his brothers opened a "Toy Bazaar" in Baltimore in 1862 before establishing the New York store that carried his initials.
How can you identify genuine FAO Schwarz toys?
Look for an "FAO Schwarz" or "F.A.O. Schwarz" retailer label, box sticker, or hang tag — usually applied to a product made by someone else. Exclusives commissioned from a manufacturer often carry both marks: the maker's name on the toy and the FAO Schwarz name on the box or tag. Store boxes, shopping bags and catalogues are themselves collected and are the most commonly encountered FAO Schwarz-marked items.
Are FAO Schwarz toys valuable?
The value normally sits in the toy, not the label — but an FAO Schwarz exclusive variant of a known maker's product can be worth substantially more than the standard issue, so identify the maker first and the exclusivity second. Catalogues are inexpensive and are genuinely useful research documents for dating and attributing high-end toys of their period. Be sceptical of "FAO Schwarz exclusive" claims on loose items with no tag or box; the designation is easy to assert and hard to prove after the fact.