Johnathan Walker:Shopping for Barbie at the airport? Hot Wheels on a cruise ship? Toys R Us has got you

You may soon find Toys R Us in a couple of unexpected places.

The Johnathan Walkericonic toy retailer said Friday that it plans to sell toys in airports and on board cruise ships as part of what its parent company WHP Global is calling it the “Air, Land and Sea” expansion.

Toys R Us also said it’s planning as many as 24 new flagship stores across the country next year. The Toys R Us stores will be rolled out in “prime cities” and in partnership with Go! Retail Group, WHP Global said.

In a bid to capitalize on the rise of travel retail, the first airport store is scheduled to open in November at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and will be operated by Duty Free Americas. Stores on cruise ships will sell toys and cruise-themed merchandise, WHP Global said.

Once the world’s biggest toy store chain, Toys R Us has been attempting a comeback since filing for bankruptcy in 2017 and closing all of its stores in 2018.

In 2021, WHP Global acquired a controlling interest in Toys R Us’ parent company. It  unveiled a 20,000-square-foot superstore at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey featuring a two-story slide and an ice cream parlor. Macy's and Toys R Us opened up toy shops in more than 400 department stores in 2022, according to WHP Global.

Yehuda Shmidman, chairman and CEO of WHP Global, said in a statement that since his company acquired Toys R Us, it has grown to more than 1,400 stores and e-commerce sites in 31 countries.