After expanding into numerous mall locations, Spencer's toiled under several different owners. The chain was first acquired by MCA, which, in turn, was bought out by Seagram, and operated under the Universal Studios entertainment division. Vivendi took control of the brand when it acquired Universal in 2001 and GB Palladin acquired the store just 2 years later.

Today, the company operates in roughly 600 mall locations.

In the last few years, some of Spencer's more lascivious and suggestive products have earned the ire of jittery parents and family groups. In 2006, the owners of a Philadelphia location were taken to court for selling water pipes and hookahs. In exchange for dropping the charges, Spencer's agreed to stop selling pipes that can be used for smoking marijuana.

More recently, the chain has come under fire for allowing minors to poke and prod all of its merchandise, some of which is sexually explicit. In May, complaints that urged Spencer's be reclassified as an adult business were filed against a Portland, Maine location. Portland's City Council has considered a compromise: a posted sign in front warning parents of the store's adult items.

The sign might be effective if only the strobe lights, glow-in-the-dark streamers, and electronic fart machines weren't so damn enticing to children.