The toy departments, which will be open roughly from October 15 to January 15 next year, will be in Macy's stores in key U.S. markets including California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.

This pop-up toy shop concept could be expanded in the future, the companies said on Wednesday.

The stakes are high for Toys R Us as it has yet to return to being a public company after filing for an initial public offering in May 2010. Traditionally, retailers earn more than a third of their annual sales in the holiday season.

The Toys R Us toy departments in Macy's will operate on a leased basis and will be about 1,500 square feet in size on average. They will feature products including some playthings on the 2012 Toys R Us "Holiday Hot Toy" list and perennial favorites such as dolls, action figures and puzzles.

(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

By Dhanya Skariachan