You may have heard that "TG&Y" stood for "Turtles, Girdles & Yo-yos." Seriously, the chain's name was an amalgamation of the surnames of its three founders. Left-to-right, they were Rawdon Tomlinson (1885-1948), Enoch Gosselin (1901-1977) and Raymond Young (1904-2002). BTW, the order of the initials coincided with the ages of three founders, with Tomlinson being the oldest.
Photos 1 & 2 from https://www.findagrave.com
Photo 3 from https://oklahomahof.com / Oklahoma Hall of Fame
A vintage newspaper ad from 1936 announces the grand opening of the very first TG&Y dime store, which was located in Norman, Oklahoma.
Advert from The TG&Y Stores Company
TG&Y opened -in Midwest City, Oklahoma's ATKINSON PLAZA- in July 1943. This complex was one of the first suburban shopping centers in the American heartland.
Photo from White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center
Graphic from the T G & Y Stores Company
Graphic from the T G & Y Stores Company
This logo was in use in 1945.
Graphic from the T G & Y Stores Company
Graphic from the T G & Y Stores Company
There would be many artistic variations on the basic 1949 trademark. This design was in use in 1968 and continued to be seen in print ads through the mid-1980s.
Graphic from the T G & Y Stores Company
Graphic from the McCrory Corporation