Tom Hanks

FAO Schwarz Flagship Is Reopening in Manhattan — and Seeking Dancers for Its Iconic Piano

FAO Schwarz also plans to launch in China in Fall 2018

What to Know

  • FAO Schwarz is reopening at Rockefeller Center in November, after closing its Fifth Avenue store in 2015
  • As part of the relaunch, the store plans to hire magicians, toy soldiers and performers to dance on its iconic giant piano
  • FAO Schwarz will start auditioning people for the roles in September

FAO Schwarz is reopening in Manhattan this fall — and you could land a job dancing on its iconic piano.

The fabled toy store, which closed its flagship store on Fifth Avenue in 2015, plans to reopen at Rockefeller Center in November, the Wall Street Journal reported.

As part of the relaunch, the store plans to hire “product demonstrators, magicians… men and women playing various costumed roles, including toy soldiers,” and performers to dance on the giant piano Tom Hanks danced on in “Big,” according to the outlet.

“We’re looking for people who can deliver that sense of theater,” the chief executive of ThreeSixty Brands, which bought the FAO Schwarz brand from Toys "R" Us in 2016, told the outlet.

FAO Schwarz will start auditioning people for the roles on Sept. 8, he said.

ThreeSixty Brands also plans to open an FAO Schwarz store in China in 2018 and at LaGuardia Airport this fall, according to the Journal.

Contact Us