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Friday, March 29, 2024

Toys for the Big Boys: Toy collecting, the pros, and [a few] cons

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The child in us never really goes away, and this comes out in the things that give us joy. 

“…when we kill the child in us, we are no longer.” – Paulo Freire

 

Adulting. The Urban Dictionary defines it as “to do grown up things and hold responsibilities… or anything else that makes one think of grown ups.”

But what is it really to be a grown up? Does it mean we stop doing things that gave us joy as children? We all know we can’t allow this to happen, since the only really joyful and carefree time we had in our lives, we had as kids. I’m sure I don’t just speak for myself when I say I would do everything to bring that feeling back.

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I am 36 years old, a single parent to a 14-year-old, and Barbie dolls give me joy. Each time I pass by a toy store, I feel a dire need to go inside and check out their Barbie display. I especially love the collectible ones: The recreation of vintage dolls, the tie-ups with brands (loved Herve Leger and Kate Spade), and their Dolls of the World line.

Seeing a toy store without going in – whether I come out with a purchase or not – kills me. It’s like seeing a bookstore without going in. The dolls to me are the same way stationery and journals are for me: Do I need them? No… not always. Do they make me happy? Absolutely and inexplicably! And when I have them, I just need to see them, and I am already happy.

“Ma’am, for your daughter?” the sales clerk would often ask me. “No, for me,” I would say. In the beginning, I would be shy to say so, thinking it made me look childish and weird. Then I realized that there’s nothing wrong with being weird, and that I actually belong to a cool tribe of dorks who are around my age and older, who love toys as much as I do, and who are the most fun to be around.

According to nationalpsychologist.com, in the 1700s and 1800s, aristocratic collectors who searched for artifacts would place their collections in a display cabinet. And this cabinet was actually a show of the collector’s power and wealth. In today’s lingo, we call this “bragging rights.” After all, thanks to them, museums have displays. (Until today, collectors still use display cabinets, too.)

According to the same website, people collect for the following reasons:

For investment, if they intend to sell their collections later in life

For their social life, since they get to meet people in the same circles

For preserving the past, for their love of history and sentimental value

For the quest, if they enjoy the search or the hunt

For filling the void, because the items they collect simply make them happy

I spoke with two men who are heavily into toy collecting. One is my younger brother, whose passion for toys takes him travelling; the other is a fellow journalist, who is a toughie in the industry but whom I often bump into in toy events and toy shopping venues.

They are, quite literally, toy soldiers.
 

Randy Magsanoc,  
Consumer and commercial insights manager,  31 years old

I started my main/biggest collection December of 2008. I found a really nice and cheap Transformers Animated Voyager Class Optimus Prime action figure on clearance sale in TriNoma. 

Before I knew it, I was literally hunting other lines of Transformers action figures, meeting up with collectors disposing their hard-to-find or cheap stuff, lining up at distribution events in malls, bidding on auctions on eBay, having stuff shipped via Amazon, spending whole weekends in Greenhills, and so on. 

Randy's Piccolo and Super Saiyan Goku from 'Dragonball Z'

While I consider myself 95 percent retired from collecting Transformers, I have quite a lot of Hasbro, Takara, and some Sonokong Transformers, covering stuff from the series which I loved most, Beast Wars to Beast Machines, to the most recent iterations of the modern Classics/Universe/Generations/Combiner Wars line.

Nowadays, I’m more into super-articulated 6-inch figures from several lines, most notably S.H. Figuarts, Ultra-Act, Figma, MAFEX, Marvel Legends, and recently DC Icons. I collect figures from different series and properties like Super Sentai, Dragonball, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Ultraman and a lot of other anime. I’m also a major Pokemon and Nintendo Amiibo junkie. 

I get some stuff from typical retail (Toy Kingdom, Toys R Us, department stores). Most I preorder or reserve from hobby shops in Greenhills or from other online sellers.

Randy's Wolverine, posed perfectly with his motorcycle

I appreciate the beauty and appeal of figures the same way I appreciate the coolness of some really good artwork or painting. In my case, it’s all art – it appeals to my aesthetic senses and inspires or motivates me the same way a good piece of art does. 

You look and hold the figure, experiment with its articulation and accessories, pose it (or transform it), and marvel at its beauty. You also marvel at how well a figure could physically represent this character you’ve watched in live action or in animation. You take pictures to capture beautiful moments of expression. 

The downside to toy collecting, besides the spending, is that it has always been looked down upon as a hobby or passion which is only acceptable if you are aged 10 and below or something. 

Besides that, space becomes a real problem. You will often find yourself thinking and struggling to find more physical space in your life which will accommodate your collection. This problem is especially true for people like me who like to open and touch, hold, and display their figures.

Randy's playful and pizza-loving Spiderman

My most precious purchase is one of my latest buys: a Soul of Chogokin x SHFiguarts Hulkbuster (from the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron) figure. It’s the most beautiful and maybe most expensive thing I have ever spent on that is not a phone or laptop or car.

Randy’s tips for aspiring toy collectors:

1. Respect yourself, your interests, as well as other collectors and their interests. This applies in general and when you happen to have dealings or transactions with like-minded folks.

2. Love your figures and be aware of and acknowledge the enjoyment and happiness they give you. You need to be aware of this positive energy that collecting feeds you, otherwise it will be nothing more than and not much different from just “buying stuff” or “wasting money.”

3. Live within your means.
 

Ferdie Aboga, 
Journalist, 46 years old

I started with toy collecting about four or five years ago. I saw an Alex Ross interpretation of Green Lantern. I bought it for P800. He got sad so I began looking for his Superfriends: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash.

I didn’t have these as a child. Now that I have the means, [buying toys] became my “vice.”

I collect mostly 6” to 7” scale models: Marvel Legends and DC Universe. I have a few strays: Kotobukiya ArtFX and Marvel Select. My toys are mostly DC, Avengers, and my favorite, X-Men.

Ferdie's Batman vs Superman action figures

Part of the thrill is the hunt. There are toy shops in Greenhills and Megamall. Some you have to hunt during toy cons (there’s a big one coming this June). There are also toy groups on Facebook where you can buy, sell, or swap.

There are several groups I’m in, like Pinoy Bargain Toys, Marvel Legends Philippines, Marvel Philippines Trading, Pinoy Articulated Figure Group and Pinoy BAF, DC Universe Philippines, among others.

Toy collecting allows me to relive my childhood. I get that out of my DC collections; taking pictures of my X-Men and Avengers teams based on my memory of how they were drawn and painted in comic books I borrowed from a friend in college.

Ferdie's X-Men action figures

Toy collecting is also an experience I share with my nine-year-old daughter, Andie. I bring her with me in toy cons. Of course, she buys other stuff but she knows the names of the superheroes I have in my collection.

The only downside I see in toy collecting are trades gone bad. Some fight, some get duped, although I have not experienced it for myself. My dilemma is always whether to buy a toy or not. It can be addicting.

The most precious part of my collections are the customs I got from Filipino artists Eddie Grayce, Myke dela Paz, and DWorx.

Ferdie's Green Lantern

Ferdie’s tips for aspiring toy collectors:

1. Patience is a virtue. Don’t buy on impulse. You may find something better and more affordable later on.

2. Research. There are knock offs that some sellers pass off as genuine. Go to toy groups. The community will give you the best advice and the admins will protect you from abusive sellers.

3. Make friends but do not be too trusting. Avoid agreeing to shipping when it comes to purchase. Ask the admins if they know the seller before making any deposit. Ask all the details, read their posts. If it says WYSIWYG, then what you see is what you get. 

4. Enjoy your collection. Protect them. Keep them clean. You can try talking to them. They might talk back.

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