How & Why I Started Collecting Action Figures
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- Опубликовано: 23 май 2021
- I have been asked this question so many times that I finally made a video about it. To be honest, some of my answers surprised even me!
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Empire Strikes Back (1980), 20th Century Fox
Ghostbusters (1986), Filmation
G.I. Joe (1983) Claster Television
HeMan (1983), Filmation
Return of the Jedi (1983), 20th Century Fox
Rocky I (1976), Metro Golden Pictures
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), 20th Century Fox
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The Nerdzoic Toy Store is (obviously) owned and operated by my family. We profit off of all purchases made from the store. We often review or link to products we like and think you might as well. Wherever possible we use affiliate links, which allows us to earn a small referral commission if you click one of them and make a purchase at no cost to you. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in the Entertainment Earth affiliate program, the eBay affiliate program, and many others. 
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Why do YOU Collect?
Also, don't forget to tag your favorite Toyfella (Toy RUclipsr) in the comments to encourage them to tell their reason for collecting! (Go to the community tab or they won't see it)
I needed something to do during the pandemic, in my city a lot of stuff was closed but big box was still open and toy hunts gave me something to do. I started collecting star wars black series, marvel legends, Pokémon cards, and a little bit of Funko and your videos helped me get started. (You're my favorite toy RUclipsr so mission accomplished for reasons why they got into toys)
I like action figures and I like toys thats why, also because I love marvel lol
I don’t really know what sparked me to collect toys and figures, I think what got me into marvel legends was I was at meijer and I just got a birthday card with money and I looked at the toys and saw a black panther and kilmonger figure just hanging on the shelf and something just clicked in my 9 year old brain and I just started collecting, and not just marvel legends. I collected transformers, neca, diamond select, Star Wars black series, and other random toys and figures that I fell in love with.
I collect to escape reality. It's a way for me to travel into the Star Wars or Marvel universe and have fun.
Hey Matt, I just found your channel this past weekend. Love your content and I just joined as a new member. Your channel has really helped with my collecting of Marvel Legends and DC multiverse (plus they provide great laughs at times lol). To answer your question, I’m 28 so I’m older, but I love collecting because similar to what you said it brings me back to simpler times and it started with my love for superheroes. I grew up watching the animated series of Batman, Superman, X-men, Spider-man, and Justice League. And I always remember the fun memories of going to Toys R Us and KB toys when my parents bought me new toys. I love collecting because it brings back my nostalgia and it is fun for me to pose, play or look at my collection to de-stress. I recently became a father to my one month old son so I look forward to showing him the TV shows I watched and playing toys with my son. Love the channel brother and happy to join your community. Look forward to more of your videos such as the top ten lists, they provide great insight. Keep up the great work and look forward to speaking to you more bro!
I started after my grandmother passed away. I'd usually get a toy when I went over. Now it makes it feel like she is still there
It’s truly amazing the memories we have and how it molds part of our personality and the things we enjoy. I’m sorry she passed. Thank you for sharing part of your story.
What a good reason.
That is so sweet
Grandparents have one purpose: spoil the shit out of their grandkids.
That’s beautiful 🖤
Having a physical representation of the universe I love is why I collect
Yes! Exactly!
Same!!!!
Same!
It just hits different having the representation of a character you care about in your hands instead of just witnessing on screen
I remember being in high school and most kids were more into girls and sports but I still enjoyed toys. One day after school I went to the store across school and as I was browsing the toy aisle a friend from school saw me. As I looked back at him, he said “I love toys too, they are so awesome” and we started talking about the new Independence Day movie figures . Good times. Sadly he passed a few years ago but the good memories remain
What a great feeling meeting another collector from school. That is sad, but it’s awesome you have those memories. Thanks for sharing Fernando.
I've always missed my toys from when I was a kid and would buy random toys here and there during my teen years, but my current collection started when I finally got my own place with my fiancée and I saw no reason not to start actually collecting.
awesome, especially when you significant other is cool with it!
Something very similar for me
When I was younger my grandpa would collect Batman action figures and legos later he’d pass and leave me everything I remembered figures we bonded over movies, shows, and comics I’m finishing some of his sets still and collecting more
Hope if I have grandchildren that they will do the same lol. Awesome man
Thanks for the shout out dude appreciate it, was great to hear your collectors journey too! :) stay safe, stay awesome :)
Absolutely my friend! you do the same!
My man!
In my late 20’s I took care of my sick father until he passed away but as we buried him my mother suffered a stroke and I had to care for her. I needed an escape so I would hangout at my college buddy’s Japanese Anime toy store to get away from my problems. All the customers became great friends my collection of Toys became my obsession to get me through the difficulties of life.
I'm sorry to ready about your parents Valkyrie. I can't even imagine at such a young age dealing with so many things that should have been years away. That's amazing that everyone became friends and you found an escape through collecting. Thank you for watching my content and sharing your why......
They really are pieces of art!
I'm an art collector in my mind.
If I may quote youtuber Greg Cook, "Toys refresh the soul".
Greg really hit the nail on the head with that. I have heard him say it many times, and he is SO right.
Well said, mcmadman! Great point of view seeing them as art…
Well, My brother Matt (aka Big Nerdy), was quite a bit older than me growing up. We didn't connect on a lot of things, but he and our other brother Mark connected on all things nerdy. Matt took us to see the Phantom Menace at AMC at the Neshamany Mall on opening day. It was such an amazing experience. And later, when that VHS came out, Matt met me and Mark at the bus stop to come get us to watch it again. Mark used to collect star wars vehicles, and Matt used to take me on his toy runs. However, when I was 13, Matt took me to Midnight Madness for the Revenge of the Sith toy release at Toysrus in Harrisburg. I literally fought off people to grab a holographic Yoda.
Anyway, my collecting interests peaked again in my early 20's when Matt took me to Wizard Con in Philly. The that is what really got me hooked. My collection continues to grow, Matt and I have been doing toy runs and cons together, and now he is killing it with his youtube channel.
Congrats Matt, know we're proud of you.
Nerdzoic, this was a heartfelt, candid video about collecting, and it's refreshing to see. You've really got your own style in this community and it's appreciated. I collect because SW had such a huge positive impact on my childhood, and I love reliving it again and again. Now that I have a son, seeing him light up when I bring home a new Chewie or Yoda for him is just the best feeling.
Yeah my boys love my collection and I let them play with them and once they get tired of them I put them away. But they have their own collection of dinosaurs and other cool action figures. I also give them some of my figures especially the ones that don't cut it for me
My oldest says he loves his action figures and he creates his unique names and stories for them all. I think in many ways I did the same thing growing up
And it's very strange sometimes being in my 60s and going down the Action Figure line. I just mumble grandkids. I do have them, but all granddaughters so far. LOL
Knowing there’s other collectors with their own story is so cool life is so weird and awesome some humans hav the same hobbies lol love the vids keep it goin !
I kinda like that being a nerd/geek, liking superhero movies, comics, anime is more accepting in society but at the same time it’s like liking a band before they get popular. You get kinda disinterested, etc
I lost my dad when I was in 2nd grade so my toys were my escape too, plus like you said, the bond I had with my nephew and friends while we played and collected could never be duplicated. Great video man, so many of us have the same reasons and motivations for why we love these franchises and why we collect✌
@oddz-Modz thank you for sharing your story and why you collect. I’m sorry to read about your dad. I can’t imagine being that young. You’re definitely right that the memories we make and have can’t be duplicated and it brings happiness to our lives. Thank you for watching my video.
@@Nerdzoic You're welcome man, I appreciate you replying. I'll be turning 41 here in a few months and it's really cool to see other people around my age geeking out and having fun collecting. Thanks again Big N
Love the video, and I am a 56 year old collector, who has collected off and on since childhood, much like yours. Sold most of my younger collection during money trouble many years ago. Now since I had to take early retirement disability, collecting again is my anti-depressant and joy again. So many found memories collecting. Gold may have lost its luster, but my plastic always shines :)
Thank you Paulmike for watching my channel. I'm sorry to read you had to take early retirement. It's great that collecting brings you so much joy and you can escape to a place and in time where you're happy. I like your last sentence-very true.
@@Nerdzoic Thanks for the reply, and yes , toy collecting is a simple escape to better times. :)
I started collecting because it reminds me of my childhood days, how it gave me endless source of joy and happiness and now that I'm an adult i like to share it with my kids and build lasting memories with my son and daughter
Thank you YTR for sharing your reason why you collect. Isn't it great being able to share a and create new memories with the kids? I just love it.
Hello Mr Zoic. I am not a toy collector but I watch videos in this genre and others as I enjoy seeing what makes people happy. Your video was poignant, meaningful and I really enjoyed watching it. You are also a very good presenter, some really funny lines in there. I really wanna steal the line about people asking you with their eyes haha. I watched Super Sorrell also and wanted to leave a comment to wish you luck with the channel 👍
Thank you so much, that means more than I can possibly tell you! Cheers!
My love for toys has always been there, when I was twelve my grandparents said that if I was going to get toys other than on Christmas and my birthday, that they would go in half with me and I had to earn the rest. So I started mowing lawns, hauling hay, mending fences, and helping people put in gardens to earn money. That's when I really started collecting and I had a solid appreciation for what I was getting. I collected the lines that I truly loved like mask, GI Joe, He-Man, Etc. Having to earn the the money for the toys at a young age is probably the reason why I still have most of them today. I will finish up with saying that I've recently discovered this Channel and I absolutely love it, so thank you so much for doing all of this.
As a lonely kid, some of my best memories were playing with my X-Men cartoon figures. Even back then when super articulated figures weren't a thing, I wished that my figures could do more, or at minimum, look and scale more like the cartoon/comics. A few years ago I walked into a KMart and bought my first ever Marvel Legends figure (Captain America from the Winter Soldier movie). I started googling and finding out about older Marvel Legends figures (Toy Biz). All of a sudden, I was finding myself using my free time to hunt for figures (old and new). Just finding something felt amazing. That feeling of being there at the right place and the right time. After a few Glenn Webb and Shartimus videos, my heart decided this was going to be my hobby now lol Great video by the way! I love seeing this kind of stuff from the community. Finding Instagram and the toy community just blew things out of proportion in other ways as well lol
I can really relate to the loneliness. It’s such a good feeling when that reconnection for toy hunting comes back in your life. The thrill of being there at the right place and the right time is spot on. Thank you for sharing your story.
I used to build model cars and space ships, etc, then lost it all in a fire. I discovered toy collecting about 8 years ago, and just fell in love with the hunt and yeah I agree it's an art form. I've met a lot of people through collecting both online and in stores and formed new friendships. I just enjoy it and it's an escape from reality.
Larry-I’m sorry to read about your house fire. I completely agree with why you love it. There are so many great people we meet and form friendships along the way. Thank you for sharing. 😃
First: Thanks a billion for this vlog! Many fellow “Nostalgianeers” needed to hear this to self reflect on their drive for collecting. Had a recent conversation with my 3 girls to address the “why don’t you open your toys” question.
Second: Collecting reminds me of music: a rich array of genres, artists, albums, and songs that helps us recall good/bad times and at the same time amplify or tackle recent moments of greatness/lameness.
My toys do that for me…reminds me of the friends and family in my life and the toys are like the glue that binds them to those memories. Just holding an old Go Bot, Joe, or Boba Fett brings me a flood of memories. To have the ability to hold and control the destiny of heroes and villains was always a quick way to “choose my own adventures” with or without friends.
Third: Bossk Bounty or YakFace would be great to hear their collecting “why.”
Thank you so much for sharing this, Big Nerdy. It's so much better than my story of "They look cool." Well, actually, it's more like this...since you asked: I used to have so many random action figures. Except for Power Rangers, I never had two figures from the same franchise. Until I got into Dragon Ball Z. That's when I discovered the whole wave on the back of the card. Around this time is when I discovered Marvel Legends. I began cataloguing, prioritizing, and ordering figures. This went on for a few years in my adolescence. I moved away from it when I became a teenager. However, in college, when the New 52 came out, I thought the designs were really cool, and I was able to get the entire Justice League in one package. I collected some more of the New 52 and began to reminisce about Power Rangers. I bought the 5-inch figures Bandai released. I had to sell them almost immediately when I found the Legacy figures. I found the most perfect Green Ranger figure and began to collect the entire line (I got very close too). Next, after Age of Ultron and Civil War came out, I used literally all of my Christmas money to get BAF Ultron and (Gi)Ant-Man. I bought some more Marvel Legends and began the Star Wars Black Series here and there, but I focused on Power Rangers. I began looking for the next announcement and searched fora for new information. I learned that Hasbro would be taking over the Power Rangers brand, and I was upset because I had just spent a load of money collecting Bandai's line (not that that concerns me anymore), which would now never be complete. The past couple of years, I've kept up with the Black Series and Power Rangers. Other figures would catch my eye, but I prioritized Power Rangers and the characters I wanted from the Black Series. I discovered McFarlane's DC Multiverse. They had a really nice Nightwing. Then, I got Wonder Woman. Then I decided I wasn't too far behind, so why not all of them? Marvel announced the Sentinel, and I had to get it. I needed mutants to go with it. I had to make a decision. The eternal "DC or Marvel?" I chose Marvel for their sheer commitment and variety. I began selling my DC figures in order to catch up with Marvel, and here I am today. But my friend @TokuTopics has an interesting history too.
Thanks Cory for sharing your origin. I like that you kept it honest and seemed to have not gotten sucked into the completion part of collecting that we all have at one time or another.
I was fresh out of football and highschool, I had a job and a little bit more time on my hands for the moment, so I began to embrace my nerdy side a bit more and started collecting as a new hobby to experiment with during the Pandemic. At first, It was intended to be mostly for shelf decor with my books, (and technically it still is) but it grew into something more than that. I mostly collect the Neca Alien Predator figures, since those were my childhood favs, and still is, as well as the Del Toro line in Neca, since I got into watching and liking his movies/books not too long ago.
I've toned down a bit on my collection and had to downsize recently, I'm mostly gonna stick with just the books, but I've kept a good handful of my figures collection to go along with it. Mostly the predators.
Wow, I'm older than you....so hearing your story kinda surprised me in a few ways. My love for the character and shows is what got me into collecting.
Love your spirit and seeing the enjoyment of collecting! I started as a curiosity if they improved much since childhood... Oh my gosh was I happily surprised. Star Wars Black Series 6" Gemonian guard amazed me with fur pants, multiple weapons, amazing realistic look, incredible articulation... and I was hooked. To the childhood point, as a 70's kid we saw Mego 8" figures with amazing quality for the time go extinct due to the oil crisis. They replaced them with 3.5" almost completely solid figures? Ok their arms and legs move... like a robot. That did me collecting for almost 40 years. It takes me back to childhood and lets me continue happily playing. Totally a benefit as playing brings back sooooo many memories of family time, movie recall (I don't watch TV anymore and it is tremendous how the memories of comic/movie scenes come right back! Gotta go.... playtime!!!
Thanks for sharing your story Dave. I'm glad you're enjoying collecting again. There's so many great lines out there...
Great video, every once in a while I start thinking that I'm "wasting" money on this hobby, then I remember exactly what you've described, escapism, makes me feel like a kid again, and it reconnects me with the people who got me into it in the first place, my parents.
I think most of us who collect toys goes back to our childhood. It was always a part of us. I remember when I was 13 and playing football a friend came over and saw all these toys I had back then lining up my shelves and told evreyone I played with toys ( wasnt cool back then) but looking back, I always loved buying toys to pose on a shelf. As an adult, most collectors I know switched from action figures to statues and I get it but I was never able to make the switch, I love buying action figures way too much :)
I started last year, Im in highschool and I have a brain injury which affects my memory. People make fun of me because of my interests and the fact that sometimes my teacher will have to explain something 3 times before I get it. But collecting toys is an escape for me. Watching you makes me so happy aswell. Because of collecting and your videos and others videos I don't feel depressed that much anymore. Thank you big nerdy for being a big part of my life. You a have lifetime subscriber right here.
I LOVED this video. Thank you, man. I'm 36, and I got bit by the collecting bug a couple of years ago when my one older brother got me a few of the TMNT Playmates reissues.. since then, I've gone wild collecting my TMNT plastic crack. As you said, the escapism was huge for me... then the art of the figures and the packaging... the nostalgia of it all.. its brings me a lot of joy when I was (and still sometimes do) going through some "dark stuff" in my life. Also, I have a 4 year old that I can now share these experiences with, and I love it. Collecting, posing them, and taking pictures of them is something that brings me so much joy and excitement in times where I struggle to feel excitement for anything. So thank you for this... I just recently became a customer of yours through a fellow redditor, and I will continue to be a loyal customer... and in addition to that, a loyal subscriber to your channel. 💚🐢
I discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago and saw this video and it reminded me of my journey into collecting action figures. Like you, i was obsessed with wrestling as a teenager in the late 90s and I too was never into the other stuff teenagers were doing at the time.
I loved playing with toys as a kid and like you, even though my parents were not well off financially, they too still got me heaps of toys.
So as I got older my passion went from wrestling to music (metal) and for years, collecting cds was my thing and being able to afford that myself and not feel any of that guilt factor.
In the last few years, my collecting turned to Transformers as it gave a sense of nostalgia and has now also involved Marvel Legends and DC Multiverse (only when on sale though haha).
Keep up the awesome content!
I've always been a gamer and as a kid I had plenty of toys and fond memories but like that Pixar Toy Story short, I lost the joy of toys and became a gaming junkie. As a teen and even into college I also loved reading and drawing comics and wanted to be an illustrator. When I got older and married with kids, I loved going to Toys R Us and looking at the toy isle with my kids. However, besides an occasional collectable item I wasn't really into collecting. That changed though in 2019. I stumbled across a Pixel Dan toy review on some Super 7 Masters of the Universe Vintage 5.5 inch figures and I started getting this desire to pick some up. Suddenly, I started noticing other figures like the Funko 5.5 inch Thundercats and DC Primal Age at places like FYE. What finally took me over the edge was the announcement of MOTU Origins figures. I was flooded with fond memories of my small collection of MOTU figures as a kid and the fun I had. I missed out on a lot of the figures as a kid because my mom was single and couldn't afford to get me a lot. So, now my primary collecting focus has been MOTU Origins. My goal is to collect all of the line and have what I couldn't have as a kid. I've also found plenty of other properties that I am getting into like Super 7 and NECA TMNT figures. Your Star Wars Black Series and Marvel Legends videos have also got me into collecting those lines. So this has been a bit long winded but I don't think I'll stop collecting any time soon. Like you said, its an escape and compared to other avenues, this one is safe and retains its value (mostly).
Man, I found your channel the other day and talk about a happy accident. You' ve earned a subscriber. I am a little bit older (44) and like you I grew up in the 80s. What a time that was for cartoons, comics and toys. I actually think of it as the golden era. You had so many different franchises, so there was something for everyone. Im a big comic book (both Marvel and DC) collector ( copper era and back) and G1 Transformer and GI Joe Collector. With a few fave figures thrown in from other toy lines like Masters Of The Universe and Robotech. You hit the nail on the head as far as both the escapism factor and going back in time to a much simpler time. its balm for my weary soul. I had a lot of toys growing up and had always collected comic books (Mostly Spiderman) but wasnt a big Collector guy until I had my son and getting down on the floor on the weekends with him to play with his transformers and GI Joes sparked something inside me that I thought Id lost. My sense of wonder. Collecting both connects me to my childhood and helps me to remember who I am if that makes sense. Thanks again and I look forward to more great vids.
I appreciate your heartfelt story. There is a reason why we adults still collect toys and it is the association of the memories that ties us to them. We lived on a limited budget, as well, and due to the distance we lived away from town and the fact that my eyes could not track a ball, I was not into sports, either. The farm we were leasing went up for auction and one of our neighbors who farmed next to us (we even went to the same church) outbid us. It went into a bidding war between an auction company and him. He ultimately won out, but pay the price for it. The land sold for an amazing $500 an acre in 1981. My grandparents had to find a place in town and we ended up moving to their place on the homestead farm. Mom ended up having to work as a bank teller to pay the bills. She would save up her work money so that way we had just the normal basics, money for college and the extras, which were the toys. It still amazes me that she knew exactly which Star Wars figures I wanted. When I've asked her about it, she said that she would really listened to the figures I wanted during casual conversations. It is also the memories that I have with my brothers that I treasure. My brother lost his Yoda and no sooner had he bought another one then he found the one he had lost. That one became the rebel. That Yoda would go to the cantina, get drunk, steal Luke's landspeeder because he didn't have a a vehicle to get home, crash into something, then have to go to jail. He fit up really well in the Fisher Price village jail.
Sorry for the long windedness. Each one of us has our own personalized memories, which is why we still collect the toys we do. It is no different than an athlete later coaching as an adult. They enjoy the sport so much, but can no longer play due to physical limitations. They want to share it with others to still experience the exhilaration. Yes, they are material things and we can't take it with us when we go; however, it is the people in our life that truly made it important and we associate the memories of those things with the specific individuals in our lives who were important.
Jim-I love your Yoda storyline you had with your brothers. Thank you for sharing your story with the community. Exactly it isn't any different than someone who enjoyed sports so much they coach later in life. Your last sentence hits the nail on the head-we associate the memories of figures/collecting with the people we love and who mean something to us.
I just started collecting and absolutely love it! Started off with my favourite game. I collect Gears of war Neca figures. I found a few figures new in box from when i was a kid. It brought back so many memories and i said “you know...these are badass!” Decided to track down a few more and i got hooked haha. Im 24 years old.
Thank you for sharing your story Nerdzonic. Just wanted to say I am a big fan of your channel and that I consider myself an avid toy collector. I think my fascination stems from a similar avenue. Growing up my parents were always busy with work and on top of that dealt with financial and marital issues. However, they always spoiled us with videos games and toys when they could. In a sense, I'd like to think my siblings and I were raised off of 80s/90s pop culture and became our "babysitter" in a sense to keep us preoccupied when things were rough at home.
Escapism is of course a great way to balance a stressful life and to help bring perspective but I also just love the feeling of joy and spark (I also saw your video about tips on collecting lol) whenever I go toy hunting and find something I am looking for or when a delivery comes in on something I've been waiting for.
Just wanted to say I love your channel and enjoy your content! Also the toy community is awesome. We are all just kids at heart!
Thank you for this Big Nerdy! I needed this as a young collector who's just getting into the hobby. Definitely feel out of place as most people my age don't really understand it. You're my collecting Jedi Master, so thank you!
I collect lego, I love lego, and I still feel so related to your story and the whole concept of collecting. I started collecting because of Bionicle (a lego IP). I had lego prior to that, but Bionicle was very unique and it was kind of a "regular action figure" line (buildable, of course, but you can really see the similarities and collectability). After Bionicle was abruptly cancelled it left a void... but lego kept going with great IPs. Since I was already into lego, I rediscovered my liking and love for regular lego sets and started collecting other themes and IPs. Most recently, I've never cared much aboute Lego Starwars but in this last year... I've been getting sooo many Lego starwars figures on top of every other themes I like. It's fun, it's exciting finding expensive figures for very cheap (and I mean cheap) of their market price.
Great to find your channel and empathize with you and the community.
Love your video! I started collecting Star Wars Black Series bc it reminds me of when my brother and I use to play with his 3.75 Star Wars figures. Now I have a good many in box and out of box I display. Collect some G.I. Joe bc my brother and I use to play with those and they shaped what occupation we both went in too. Love Star Wars Hot Toys bc my wife gets me one for Christmas, birthdays, and anniversary’s. I collect some Marvel Legends and a few DC. It is really cool when you see another collector in the aisles and you are able to help them find what they are looking for at another store that you have been too. Collecting/posing is also fun and is an escape for 30 mins to an hour a day when work has been stressful. It’s a great to decompress. Thank you for your video, I don’t feel like a dork anymore knowing a lot of other people my age enjoy the same hobby!
I felt so much relatability to this video. Collecting always brings me back to the nostalgic times as a child. Middle school and up, I've always felt like an outsider and ostracized for my hobbies. People thought I was weird for collecting action figures, reading comicbooks and watching stuff like Godzilla and wrestling. I haven't really been in a real relationship since 2012, when I was in 7th grade. All of my friends were into sports, which I was never good at. I began to drink and use drugs after losing my mom. I was lost and felt no purpose in life, which led me to trying to commit suicide. I got sent off for rehabilitation and to help me mentally. Collecting has always given me solace and reminds me of when I was a young kid with no depression or anxiety. It is times that I miss being at.
Hey Dee, Thank you for sharing your story and why you started collecting. I'm very sorry to read that your mom passed. I lost my dad two years ago and I still struggle with the grief like it just happened. I can relate to your story too. I have never been good at sports, but I'm a big sports fan. It's okay to be different and now we're all part of a community that embraces our love of collecting and escaping the real world which can be healthy.
As a kid, I was always very thankful that for two holidays and the 'gift-givers' that made those days great and brought me joy. Heading into my preteens with new insights, and understanding our family's money problems, I quickly developed a great amount of guilt and subsequently muzzled my gift asks for low and budget-friendly (Nothing unpractical, nothing frivolous, nothing extra). So, I guess me buying now a celebration of hard work in adulthood and my ability to own cool stuff (even just amateur level) that the kid always wanted.
Thank you for this video. Nice to hear and see genuine and heartfelt stories similar to mine.
Thanks for explaining why some of us like to inbox collect. Loose collectors are constantly bugging us in these Facebook groups as to why we do that and it gets annoying.
I had toys as a child of course, and my late mother used to go out of her way to set some money aside so that she could get me a toy every paycheck. We were a single parent home with limited income so it was the one thing she could do to provide me some enjoyment as a child. I have only been doing it as an adult for a year now. I got back into it because I was going through a layoff and it was what I considered to be a relatively inexpensive hobby that I enjoyed. Actually, I started getting back into comics which of course then lead me into action figures. This hobby takes me back to the days when we'd go to the store so I could pick out a toy. I love those memories I have of her. I have to say, of all the other things I've collected over the years, I find action figures to be the most soul and mind refreshing.
My collection journey began with an average interest in toys in the 70s. Then came Star Wars. Then the 80s. Got away from it in college, but jumped back in with both feet when the Special Editions came out. During the pandemic, I discovered this community via RUclips and I’ve been obsessively gathering vintage and retro lines. Like you, I find it to be extremely therapeutic, and it simply brings me joy. Just subscribed after this video, though I’ve been watching for a while. Let me know what you’re trying to track down and I’ll keep a lookout here in Richmond, VA. I’m usually up in PA at least once a year visiting family. Great channel!
Hello there, I've been collecting since 1978, wasn't much different from now except now I get all I want. It's been something I did as a kid with my dad. My parents separated at a young age so it was how dad and I bonded, with STAR WARS. Every time I came to visit he had something new for me. Playing with my toys meant setting them up in scenes and such. But then STAR WARS ended and G.I.Joe and comics took its place. Then, in 1989, the first book in the Thrawn trilogy came out and it wasn't long before Micro Machines released something STAR WARS and I was 8 years old again. Soon after the Power of the Force "buff" figures and vehicles came out and without hesitation my collecting was back like it never ended. I collected through the years but concentrated on becoming a Chef. STAR WARS was always there but I no longer made the time to collect. Little bits here and there, mostly with the release of a movie id get as much of that line as I could but again, taking the time to hunt wasn't something I did. Fast forward to 2018 and I lost my best friend (my cat) of 13 years and it almost destroyed me. Soon after Hasbro started Haslab and collecting was all I could do to escape the pain of my loss. And collecting isn't even the right word, compulsive obsessed buying of as much of everything I had missed in years before, and now, I didn't have to hunt anymore, especially after the pandemic, just get it on preorder and get 2, minimum from the beginning. Now, 4 Haslab's later, my collection has quadrupled what I had before and it now is what I do, I chef 50 hours a week and the rest of the time I hang out at home with my new fur babies and my toys and life is good. Love your channel, I never had any toy collecting friends, so it's been something I've done alone for years so you are as close to collecting friend I have. I've got you by 10 years or so but I'm right there with you. Definitely getting old but I'll never grow up, it's what keeps me young. May the Force be with You
Man i love this channel. So heartfelt and real. Feels like a real community we all live in ❤ I went to a kid in my classes birthday party one year and he got tons of star wars figures which kicked off my interest. My great aunt and my mom got me the majority of my collection. My aunt is getting dementia now and im caring for her, and my mom is getting up there too but thankfully doing ok. Can really relate to the guilt, and still feel that way about my mom's hard earned money. Some figures have so much sentimental value to me because i remember every one my mom or my great aunt got me and brought home just because they knew it would make me happy. 1998 born kid here and PotF2, TPM, and AotC figures are worthless to some people but a million fond memories for me because it was my childhood.
We are definitely a community of people that can relate on all different levels in one way or another. I'm sorry to read your aunt and mom are dealing with poor health. Yes, continue to hang onto those positive memories especially when times become tough with your mom and aunt. Those are priceless and make collecting that much more meaningful. Thank you for sharing Dakota.
@@Nerdzoic and thank you so much for listening, exactly why i love this channel! 😁
Matt, you hit the nail on the head my friend. I started collecting comics and figs in my teens (I’ll be 45 this year). As the years went by, life took its hold. I started my career, marriage, we had kids, the mortgage and all the other parts of being an adult. I’m between all of that I stopped collecting everything but those books and figs always had a special place in my heart. And one day my wife was laid off and a few days later was involved in a car accident that almost took her life. Going that rough time I had to make adult decisions and I had to sell off my collection to make ends meet and to pay hospital bills. It was tough to say the least but had to be done. That was 20 years ago. I had always regretted selling my comics. One of my only regrets in this life. People say, “their just comics” but not to me. They were an escape just like the escape you mentioned in your video. And quite possibly my favorite video of yours btw. So fast forward to 2020. I’m walking thru Target with my new wife, and lo and behold, I see the new retro wave of Spider-Man and a ton emotions hit me like a ton of bricks. The fire that had just been kindling for all those years reignited once again. I purchased my first two figs in 20 years that day. Electro and Green Goblin. And the rest is history. I now have a collection that spans multiple lines from MOTU to Marvel Legends to NECA TMNT to DC Multiverse to the always elusive GI Joe classified line (Anyone out there that has a spare Major Bludd please hit me up lol) Long story short, this is a very satisfying hobby and it’s one that calms me after a long hectic day of being an adult. Matt, thank you for making this video and keep up the amazing work!!
Mr. Zoic, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for this video. It encapsulates many of the reasons why I collected as a child, and why I continue to collect as an adult. I was an only child growing up, both my natural parents were away, and I didn't have many friends. My action figures were my friends and my missing family, the scenarios and escape I achieved by playing with them helped me feel better and deal with the reality of being a child of a divorce when it was uncommon at the time. That feeling of peace and escape, and the thrill of the hunt still drives me sir. Thank you again, your story makes me feel like there are some people who actually understand what it was like to be a troubled youth of the 80's!
Hey Alan-that’s what I love about sharing my story with all of you. We have all struggled with something in our lives and being able to find even more common ground brings us together and we realize looking back “Hey I’m not alone anymore” I have people who felt the pain or loneliness as I did and what we did to escape is being celebrated and bringing many of us together as a community. Thank you Alan for watching my video and sharing your reason for collecting. 😀
Another great and honestly, a much needed video for the apltly named Muggles as u said. Being 43 and a doc from India the comments from family and friends are so irritating that I almost stopped collecting. But the reason I still do is the nostalgia behind each character I hold in my hand whether in or out of the box.....Star wars, Batman, Hot wheels Heman and lately Marvel......the way figures have changed and the hunt is also fun...it is not easy nearly impossible to find figures in local toy shop coz there are very few where am from and if they do exist then no figures....fortunately online retailers have ensured steady flow. I gave up my collection of action figures after high school to show that have grown up....BIG mistake....only to graduate from med school to buy again......😁
I'm 42 and I started collecting about 5 years ago. I'm married with 2 children and their the reason I started collecting. I was feeling frustrated that I worked and worked to give them everything they needed (and I still do, happily), but I was feeling left out and like I had nothing for myself - no reward. That may sound selfish, and maybe it is, but that's the reality of how I felt. So, I started collecting because it helped me feel like I was able to enjoy the fruit of my labor and not just watch the rest of my family enjoy it. I've made collecting mistakes and regrets, but luckily my collection isn't so huge that I can't correct it. I'm refocusing my collecting wants and needs to what I really enjoy. And it's a huge stress reliever. Great video.
There is nothing selfish about wanting some well-deserved reward for yourself too! As I can sense from your comment you've made yourself into a workhorse and a servent to your wife and kids. Treat yourself man! You deserve it! Look out for your own interest some more! Don't let anyone guilt trip you into feeling selfish for wanting to be treated well and acknowledged, just as they are!
I'm a '75 baby and I have been collecting pretty much since OG Kenner Star Wars, and on to the '84 Transformers. My collecting slowed down from about 1989-2012, but it never stopped. Had a great childhood with excellent parents, on the Canadian Prairies, on an acreage. Toys and my dog were my companions.
This is awesome Lowell! Thank you for sharing and commenting.
Thanks for all the excellent content. It is always very appreciated.
I've always loved comics and toys. I was raised by a single mom. So every time I got one, I was so happy. I would take the toy everywhere. Didn't always get entire lines or every toy in the world, but I got some I wanted and felt lucky to have it. As I got older and got myself a job, I got more into comics. I found the Marvel Legends Line, and it just started there. I started slow with one or two Iron Man figures since he's my favorite character. As I got more financially stable, I got more into collecting. I started buying other Marvel characters like Spidey and Cap and toys from other lines.They became a form of escapism for me. Also, seeing the heroes I grew up with in my hand being able to pose was so cool. Just being able to play with them and just taking pictures brought me so much joy. They remind me of simpler times. As I got older and dealing with loneliness and depression they've helped me so much. I've had people look at me weird or laugh at me, but I've also had people be so starstruck when they see my collection or pictures. I have met one or two people in the community. Hope to be more in it and be more vocal and post more pics. I'm my own worst critic. Always want to be better. I'm still a beginner. Don't have any dioramas or a good camera, but I want to start putting things together and start getting better-looking shots. I love my toys, my collection. I worked my ass off for them. I won't be stopping anytime soon. Great video, Nerdzoic! 😁
I started collecting recently. I graduate from college this week, too. A few months ago, I started packing up my old toys from when I was little and it hit me. I missed toys. I actually got emotional when I couldn’t find my Anakin and Obi Wan from ROTS. I found them eventually lol. I’m picky on which ones I don’t open, which I now know is crazy to some. My most sought after toys now are Han Endor and Pilot Luke because I got those at 6 as treats for doing so well in school. I still have the toys, their accessories and even their cards, but I want them new. There are a handful of older toys I want new too, like Hologram Luke and Endor Han that swivels on the blue AOTC card because that was a 5th birthday gift. I’m keeping some on cards now because when I’m older, I’ve been given the go-ahead (if the girlfriend and I last) to make a make shift video store in our basement. There will be a toy aisle made up like Toys R Us, a video game section, a magazine rack, posters, but it’ll mostly be my VHS tapes up to 4Ks. Working 10-25 hours a week in college paid off in this regard. My most recent purchase was Luke’s X-Wing with a ReAction Raphael. I think I’ll ask my parents for Slave 1 for Christmas... at 22 😂
I started collecting in my early twenties, i was super lost and confused and I didn't have much to look forward to in a given day, so reconnecting with a simple joy that would make me happy as a child gave me something that I could think about and be excited for, it was a nice form of coping in a time when things were really hurting. Thanks for the video Big Nerdy, I really appreciate it
I just found your channel and your content is so upbeat and genuine. I just subscribed today. I actually sold my toy collection about 10 years ago but all the new stuff coming out from Super 7, NECA, and 3rd party TF is definitely bringing back that itch back. Keep up the great work!
I'm 38 and just started collecting like 2 weeks ago when I found out about the X-men 97 line, and it brought back memories of all the Toybiz Marvel action figures I had as a kid. I can't completely relate to your story because I stopped getting toys around age 14 and played basketball in high school and junior college. However, hearing about the things you were going through when you were young and how toys gave you an escape from it all brought out my empathetic side, and even a few tears, because, I am very familiar with loneliness. Thank you for sharing, and I love your content. and personality.
Dude I’m glad I found your channel, it is nice knowing there are other people with the same interests as you out there. I believe Shartimus has a video on why he collects too.
Hey Victor-I’m glad you’re enjoying my content. Yes I believe you’re right about Shartimus. It is nice knowing there are others out there like me and you.
I’m a 80’s /90s kid and that era of toys represent some of the best times in my life and as I got older I wanted to get back into collecting. Can’t explain the therapy it gives from collecting now that I can somewhat afford to splurge of what I wasn’t. My peace of mind and glad I found your page 🤘🏽🤟🏽🤙🏾
That's awesome. Thank you for commenting and watching my content.
Great video! Love your story and I connected with your experiences. I also collect and I started for similar reasons. It was a bond I shared with my sister and it brings back so many great childhood memories. My son also loves my vintage toys and it warms my heart to see him enjoy classic 80’s properties I grew up with.
I just came across your channel, I like it it's interesting and fun to watch, so I subscribed to it. To answer your question, I started collecting baseball cards and comic books when I was a kid in the 70's, in which I still have by the way, and by the 80's when I was a teenager I basically stopped, by the late 80's I joined the service, it wasn't until the last 20 years or so that I started collecting again, at first it was the large baseball figures starting lineup, and I was able to find my ol baseball cards which was awesome, when it comes to figures I collect vintage Star Wars, Superman, my main collection is Star Trek, anything Star Trek from the 60's to now, I still get comic books, it does bring me back to when I was a kid, fun times, I still keep my figures in their boxes, I'm not sure if I took them out they'll lose value or not, I just ran out of room displaying everything in my house lol.
I started collecting action figures also for reasons of guilt. As a kid, I had lots of action figures. I started with the 8 inch clothed super heroes. My dad would surprise me with one when he'd come home from work. Then STAR WARS came out! I was hooked and still am to this day. I'm 49 years old. Anyway, I was rough with my action figures. I loved to decapitate them. Even the 3.75 original STAR WARS figures weren't safe from my wrath. I kick myself to this day. Now. I keep my action figures in the boxes where they are safe...LOL. I love collecting! It's fun and the thrill of the hunt is cathartic. FYI, I still have the original Boba Fetts head. Take care!
Forgive yourself-you were a kid being a kid. That is amazing you still have the original Boba Fett heads. Thanks for sharing your story.
I started collecting star wars figures for my two sons when they were around 5 and 8 yrs old . I purchased everything from car boot sales and the odd toy fair, the vast majority of which was used. My son's are now 27 and 30 yrs old and have started collecting star wars again. And subsequently got me hooked too. It really is a fantastic nostalgic escapism that u just can't beat. Love your videos. Keep it up 👍Best wishes from across the pond.
@dHunter'sReviews
I'm (31yr). Why I started collecting. It's honestly simple in my case. They Remind me of a better time in my life where things were alot simpler. An escapism more so now because of adult life. I'm miss having that genuine kid feeling where nothing mattered but you friends and toys. Many adults now lose that child like innocence that molded them and they discard that part of their life like tissue. Yes we have to grow up but why leave that part of our life behind.i can't speak for everyone because not everyone has had a great/good childhood. Or not even a childhood at all. Don't let anyone deter who you guys/gals are as a collector or hobbyist of toys. Do what makes YOU happy.
Nicely put Eduardo
It’s just great. It reminds me of how I would go with my Grandma. My story is actually extremely similar to yours. I struggle and have struggled with the guilt thing and getting them for myself now working is a whole new feeling. I love it because it is something that gives me refuge and hope in an innocent way that I wouldn’t expect. Thanks for the video!
Awesome video. I agree totally. I started collecting recently during covid. I work in the medical field and during the hard times of work they help bring back memories of my childhood. Growing up as an only child for my first 10yrs helped not being alone and escaping. As I have got older now I can afford the items I couldn’t then. And it just makes you feel like everything is ok you know. I can’t wait to have these moments with my kids. Thank you for doing the video and all others
Hi Jonathan-welcome to the collecting community. Hunting and collecting is a great way for anyone to escape and certainly during a pandemic. Your statement about being alone is something I can’t relate with you. I was an only child until I was almost 8 and having some friends is great, but at home it can definitely be lonely. Exactly it makes us feel like all is right with the world when we can image a different place and environment. Thank you for watching.
Hey ! I'll be 50. Nerd strong!!
plastic crack be praised. My brother and I started our love of action figures in 78. When Star Wars released in 77 dad and I sat through it 4 times. You could do that then. Our first action figures sets on Christmas day set it in stone. We also had quite a few of the GI Joe's , Battlestar Galactica, and some Transformers. But from 87 to 2015 I didn't have a collection of anything. And it wasn't up until I spotted an Orange line Cody at a Walgreens that I had even heard of the Black Series, there was 2 Cody's 2 blue line Obi wan's and Boush Leia.
I bought them all. I now have a 10' by 5 closet that is my minnie toy store. I don't know how to share photos on here or I would show off.
Damn! This the first video on here that has made me cry!!! And I’ve watched lots of different things on RUclips. Thanks! Hit super close to home. And helped me understand myself a little more. And why I still collect. B/c i do and have questioned it. Thanks for being candid and real. Amazing!!! And I enjoy you other videos too!!! Keep up the amazing work!! Didn’t expect this… lol
For me, it's simply to keep the good old memories that I had when I was a kid. My parents used to get me toys on special occasions, and then it stopped as I grew up. Fast forward, now I have the resource to afford these toys on my own.
I started collecting back in the late 70s, as a fresh faced pre-schooler with the original Star Wars line. Over the years I had lost, mostly due to parents making their/our life changes, and fell.out in my early teens, then I discovered comics, and my bestfriend and I would tote his gijoes, or starwars figures and vehicles to my house in the summer to play. Again I fell out of toys, and continued with comics until my late teens, and discovered all of the ToyBiz marvel x-men. Then I rolled into the power of force 2 lines... and snowballed from there. But I honestly think and believe that I been my nostalgia of trying to replace so much of what I had lost over the decades prior. As life happens, I then again, fell out of collecting, until my divorce in 06, and realized that I loved my plastic Crack, because it was one of the few things that had never let me down. (And this was years of me working in retail at target and kaybee toys over the years) but I've rambled too long... hey @lifeAnimeGaming you should follow this too
Hey thank you so much. I lost a lot of my toy collection due to so called friends stealing a lot of my stuff. I'm actually collecting Marvel Legends and Universe 6inch and 3.75. At first I felt bad about collecting because of people's opinions.I also fell on hard times and sold a collection I started. I was thinking maybe they were right. Now that times have changed I'm rebuilding and looking forward to my man cave with the collection I have now. I plan on have 3 set ups. One for the marvel 3.75 as I have the shield helicarrier. I also plan on getting a Tower of Doom for the new 3.75 Kenner line. My ultimate will be the 6 inch legends line. I'll do a diorama for the Hasbro Sentinel and Galactus. I love the feeling of searching online. I wish I did have more resources to pick from with online stores. Thank you again. I watch your channel and Carbon Scoring.
Be blessed and safe.
Leon
I have a lot of fond memories of KB Toys. I was so sad when the one in my area closed. I really enjoyed this video and made me think of thrill of opening a fresh pack of basketball cards hoping for that rare insert card. As a new subscriber just hearing you share this story really hit home with me. My family lost our house when I was in 11th grade, it was rough but we made it through. My friends and I were also super into wrestling and that was one of the things that helped me through those dark times.
When I was growing up I was pretty shy, I never really had more than a couple friends at a time, and even then most of them weren’t an extremely close bond. I was always sort of by my own at this time, my mom worked a lot, and my dad passed away when I was in kindergarten. The one thing I always held on from my dad though was a lot of my passion for video games and especially the hours I spent with him with my old action figures, especially the marvel and Star Wars one. This then transitioned as my favorite super hero has always been the Hulk, and dad was a bit of a wrestling fan and got me a Hulk Hogan action figure sort of as a joke but also to get me into something he was into. I never fully got into wrestling until a bit after he passed where I sort of took this pilgrimage to learn more about Hulk Hogan and the other wrestlers he’d mention, which was also helped by my Uncle who was a huge wrestling fan in the 80s and 90s that sort of fell off after WCW got bought out. From their I got hooked not just to wrestling but the Jakks WWE figures that were coming out at the time, which were then replaced by the Mattel’s. I found comfort in the wrestling figures I collected, everything about it has a real charm to me, and the best part of it was getting the old school wrestlers and using the old dvd sets to find matches with them in it to learn more about the characters and matches. Flash forward to today and now my two biggest passions are wrestling and figure collecting, and my uncle ended up getting back into wrestling after bringing me to some live shows.
Love this, really enjoyed hearing your backstory and thoughts on collecting. Absolutely brilliant video fella, nothing but respect for your journey!👏🏼👍🏼
It was not until later in life, maybe my early forties my interest was piqued by Comic-cons which were at the Philadelphia Convention Center. I was reading Wizard World which further inspired me. I love Spiderman and friends would send Spidey stuff. It kind of blossomed from there with statues, prop replicas, figures and miscellaneous genres. I have autographed pictures with Moon Knight and The Secret Wars poster signed by Michael Zeck. I am into the Marvel Legends and at present over 100. I have oddities like a bat signal, green lantern rings that light to a working star trek communicator that makes calls. The closing of this I worked several cons and appreciate all the oddities and autographs from celebrities. I actually met Stan Lee before he passed. He was so kind and meeting him assured my love for collecting would not fade. I follow your channel to gain inspiration to keep collecting what I am passionate about.
For me it was two reasons. One, Toys always caught my eye as a kid and I always wanted to pass by the toy isle when shopping with my parents at walmart. I always begged my parents for toys but my dad would rarely buy them for me because he couldn't afford them. So when I got older and started to get some money of my own I started buying toys I missed out from my childhood on ebay. Mostly Jurassic Park figures. That was my start of toy collecting. Reason two, the one that semented the hobby and kept me going, I was really impressed by the transformers released with the 2007 movie. At first I was like I'll just get an optimus prime. Then I wanted a bumblebee. You know what? Let me get a starscream and so on. Little by little I started getting more characters. When I heard the Revenge of the Fallen toy line would come out I saved up money and when the toys released I bought ALL OF THEM. Keep in mind I was already out of high school at this point and going to college. That's when I officially had a collection going. Then the same thing with Dark of the Moon. When the Return of Marvel Legends happened I started collecting that as well. Then Star Wars Black series. The rest is history. Now as I get older and have more income I collect imports like Mafex and Sh figuarts and Transformers Masterpiece. I still dont collect hot toys though. Never really got into those and I'm mostly a 1/12 scale collector anyways.
The sense of security I get when I’m surrounded by my collection. It gives me this sense of reassurance that I’m not alone. All my hard work surrounds me and no one else can tell me otherwise. So whenever I’m down in the dumps I look back at my collection whether it be the newer figures or the vintage figures they remind me of my whole life story. My love of toys will follow me to death.
I wish I had some deep and meaningful story to tell as to the reason for why I collect action figures lol. But the truth is, nothing or nobody really got me into collecting. I just kind of...started doing it. I loved playing with toys when I was young. I was a very lonely kid who didn't have any friends for a while, and so I often ended up playing by myself and toys were a great way to keep myself entertained. Action figures were my favorite kind of toy to play with, and I think it was because of my strong love for movies and my vivid imagination. With action figures, I could essentially act out any scenarios I had in my head using the figures and the vehicles they could be put into. As I grew older, I realized that I still liked action figures. I still wanted to buy them. (Which I was embarrassed about in the beginning and tried to hide for a while) But the reasons were different. Instead of wanting them to play with in the same way that a kid would, I wanted to display them on shelves as cool-looking pieces of art. Being able to give them any pose I chose, if they were well-articulated and allowed for it, made it more personal and helped to scratch that creative itch I've always had in life. I think I also enjoy having a physical representation of the characters and worlds I love so much from various movies, video games, comic books, etc. So, that's how my action figure-collecting days began.
I think your story was deep and meaningful. It's true escapism and creating the world we wanted to imagine. Collecting and posing are a real form of art. I used to feel I needed a creative hobby besides collecting and that's when I really started learning about diaramas and taking the figures out of the box to pose them the way I wanted. Thank you for sharing your story.
Long story...
My parents worked really hard for my brother and I to have a good education and they were able to buy some toys every now and then. They really wanted to give us the best they could and they taught us the value of things and as a kid I didn't take the best care of my toys, which I still regret. For my second trip to the US they encouraged us to save our allowance for the trip for us to have our own money to spend. I remember walking into a huge Toys'r'us with my brother and 30 minutes later I walked out with a bag almost as big as me for a 10 year old. My dad looked at me and laughed while I showed him every toy I had in the bag, later that evening we played on the hotel room and he said that "these were mine and I had to take care of them" which I still remember to this day and I miss him.
On the technical side, I love the engineering that goes behind each figure for the articulations or the transformation mechanisms.
Hey. Collector here, Usually Loose, been at this ever since I was a kid collecting the Playmates TMNT Figures from the original series, with some breaks in between.
I wish I could say I remembered what got me into collecting figures way back when, but I really don't. I just know that (cue cliche) "I wasn't like other girls" and that, once I hit age 4 I thought Barbies were useless and boring and decided that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a better use of my time. I do remember my parents trying valiantly to gender me back to normalcy but I was having none of it. I wanted TMNT, Star Wars, and MOTU.
As I got older, and the trope of "Strong Warrior Women" became more prevalent, I transitioned into Xena: Warrior Princess and started collecting those figures. Then, when I got into the WWF(E) and wrestling during the Attitude Era, a whole NEW world of collecting opened up.
I took a hiatus for a while in college when I had no place to display the figures and put what I had in storage. Now, I'm graduated and have my own apartment where you can find Wrestling Figures, Marvel Legends, Buffy/Angel stuff, Doctor Who, Star Trek, and yes, even some Xena and Turtles figures proudly displayed on my shelves.
Do I remember why I got into the hobby? No. But it's been a hell of a journey and I wouldn't trade my figures for anything.
This is a great why you collect Shanie. Thank you for sharing it. I'm glad you are able to display them and proudly too. I'm sure your parents had the best intentions, but I can say personally it makes me happy that my 4yo daughter plays with Barbies AND Star Wars, Marvel, and whatever she can get her hands on. I feel like there's more opportunity for imagination with lines that may seem categorized for "boys". My wife has even told me the same thing. She was into Barbies and dolls, however, she loved Hot Wheels, GI Joe, etc, because it was more fun to play with them. Thanks for watching my channel.
Man, this was a great video. I’ve been subbed for a long time, and I think this one has to be my favorite! I collect toys because, unlike doing copious amounts of drinking and smoking, buying toys gives you something to show for it. During my year of unemployment after college, It gave me something to go out and do instead of doing nothing but play video games. It gave me an escape when my folks were getting divorced, and for when my stepmom was being a raging bitch and i just needed to leave for a bit. It helped me bond with my little brothers and my mom too. I collect toys, not just for me in the now, but for me in 20~30 years that’s gonna be rifling through his basement, only to find the box of old Star Wars figures from back in the day, and tell his kids about it. Toys collecting is great, too bad it costs so damn much haha.
Hey Cynarole-I’m glad the video resonated with you too. It’s certainly my most vulnerable video and appreciating the heartache and loneliness as a teenager in an odd way. That’s awesome it helped you bond with your family and also still give you that escape when you hit hard times. Thank you for sharing your story with me and the community.
@@Nerdzoic Thanks for the kind words, big nerdy! keep up the great work, my friend
I started collecting because when I was 4 my grandma bought me the Spider-Man with Spider-Disc Blaster from Toy Biz Spider-Man 2000 series and I fell in love with this toy. I always kept it with me and played with it so much that I even broke it (several times, happilly my father found ways to fix it every time). And when I grew up I started looking for the most articulated possible action figures, specificly Marvel ones. And a few years later, in 2004, I saw the Marvel Legends Fantastic Four Gift Pack, and begged my parents to buy it for me. They did, and I haven't been able to stop buying Marvel Legends since then.
But I have to say, I'm french and it is not easy to collect marvel Legends here as stores are not buying Marvel Legends series regularly and the import cost makes the prices increase a lot. I still reached the amount of 134 Marvel Legends in 20 years !
This video was enlightening and helpful. There was so much I could relate to in this video. This explains why I felt the need to collect action figures. I was depressed and alone at one point. And collecting helped me make friends. There are people who accept you for who you are and there are those who judge.
I hate that most of us have experienced loneliness or sadness that has formed part of the reason why we collect, but it feels so good to know that we're not alone and many of us this has been an escape from real life. Collecting helps to make friends and action figures can always be relied on and whatever we need them to be. I'm glad your part of a great community of people who embrace who they are and aren't ashamed to collect "toys". Thanks for sharing Racoon M45t3r.
I won't comment now. . , But you hit something in my heart and soul I have to go back in time to find again.... Why did I start. . . Why do I love it Star Wars figures and stories so much.....? You awoke a bunch of memories. . . keep up the good work......
Hi Ricardo-it’s interesting how something we love and enjoy now can also be something that started from a lonely and maybe darker place.... Thank you for commenting and watching the video.
i’ve been into action figures my whole life. my mom always bought me and my brother all the toys we wanted lol i just never really grew out of liking toys. I got seriously into collecting prob when i was 21 and im 26 now and still love it. it brings me so much joy for many of the same reasons you mentioned!
The toys back then were cool! From Stretch Armstrong, Mego toys, Superpowers (aka Superfriends), Batman, Marvel Superheroes, Spawn, Superman, He-Man, Thundercats, G.I.Joe, Transformers, and many more! Even old WWF, WCW, and other wrestling toys! As children, I remember playing with them until they became broken! None of us knew about how valuable a lot of things would be in later years! There were no toy collectors guide magazines back then, unlike now! By the time I started working for Toys R Us (many years ago /R.I.P.), a friend of mine showed me these magazines and I was shocked to see how much certain things are worth now, mint condition, and especially the difference in price between in the package vs loose! I remember seeing the original Alien toy, at a comic book store out of the package hanging on the wall! I asked the owner how much was it? He told me, out of the package, if not too many scratches and the tail intact, anywhere between $150 to $300. In package, $350 and up, if no dents ! I walked out of the store, sat on the curb of the sidewalk and cried like a baby wishing my brother and I didn't destroy ours while playing with it! It's the things u learn later on that makes u wiser as a collector, regardless if it's comic books and action figures! If we all knew then what we know now, a lot of us would be rich! And now that certain toy companies are re-releasing certain toys with noticeable differences, and the prices jumping to an alarming rate, it saddens the kid in me! G.I. Joe figures that were about $8 now has jumped to about $13 dollars! He-Man is about $15! Marvel Legends about $20. WWE and AEW closer to $20. Castle Grey's Greyskull, with a Socrosses figure included ( which the original didn't come with, $80)! It's more expensive now to buy toys than ever before! With Toys R Us, Kay Bee Toys, Kmart, and other places out of business, it's hard to find reasonable prices for today's toys! It's a double edge sword for collectors!
Hey Alex-those are some fantastic toys you named. I feel the same way about some of the ones I destroyed because I played with them so much BUT I also feel like if I didn’t play with them as hard as I did I probably wouldn’t have the same amazing memories as I do now. Thank you for sharing.
I started off with Playmates tmnt as a young child in the 80s/90s. Switched over to marvel ToyBiz in the mid 90s. Started collecting more serious about 6 years ago with Marvel Legends. Now I'm getting into NECA and Super 7 tmnt. Action figures have always brought me peace.
Well said Mike-“brought me peace”. Thanks for sharing.
This video speaks to me, man. I’ve always loved toys as far back as I can remember. For the past 13 years I’ve collected DC, Marvel, WWE, MotU, TMNT and so much more. It’s about having something representative of the things I enjoy, whether it’s cartoons, movies, comics, video games, etc. It’s something I can hold and look at and admire. Thank you for sharing!
I collect toys bc it takes me back to a simpler time, when I was younger. When I was in high school I was someone who watched toy RUclipsrs like Shartimus, Fwoosh, Sean Long, etc. but never got into it bc I was afraid of what people would think. I always had a fascination with toys. But one day I met someone that I knew of, and I knew who he was. It was my junior year of HS, and his Senior year. And I found out that he was also into all this nerdy stuff, as time went on, we became friends and we started collecting Funko Pops. Then one day we went to GameStop and I saw the Black Series Gaming Greats Stormtrooper Commandeer. And it was over after that, I got heavy into 1/12 scale figures. I loved the detail, articulation, etc. then I got heavy into Marvel Legends. Really 2020 was when I went full blast into 6” figures. I even bought my first mezco last year (the 2019 Hellboy bc I’ve always wanted a Hellboy figure) and I just preordered The new movie Batman figure.
I mainly collect ML now but last year (2021) after I got the whole Disney+ wave, I started out being like, well ima just get the characters I like, then went to, okay ima just get the hero’s, and now I’m like, “to hell with it, ima get every MCU character made into Marvel Legends. I have most of them now, still working on Villains, but my hero’s are almost complete (meaning I’ve gone back and gotten most of the ones I’ve missed) but I absolutely LOVE this hobby, doing photography, posing them on the shelf, hell even doing drawings of the figures in poses. And that is my Figure Collecting origin story. And I wanna hear Fwooshs’ Robos story tbh.
I started collecting as a child, unfortunately i had toys stolen, comics thrown away, cards stolen or thrown away. I felt like it wasn’t meant for me. Then I was diagnosed with cancer as a young adult, and have been battling it for the past 5 years. With that being said, I decided I wanted to get back in touch with my childhood especially being a father. I started collecting and to be honest, it’s one of the best decisions I made, my kids love it and it’s definitely brought me closer to my family. All in all, it’s turned out great for me, not in it to make a profit, just visually, the look good anytime I wake up in the morning. I love collecting. It definitely bring me back and I enjoy sharing that moment with my boys.🤙
I saw this video when it first came out, but I couldn’t comment then, because I wanted to tell my story with calm because as every other story, it’s very meaningful for me.
I was a young misfit kid when I came across with STAR WARS, at 4 years old, my kinder friends never minded it, but when I turned 6 a virus got inside me, that when it reached the brain, it was going to be Game over for me, at that time in the hospital, an uncle visited me with 3 things, a play station with lego Star Wars 1, a visual dictionary of the original trilogy, and a Luke training with yoda alongside Ghost Ben Kenobi from the galactic hero line, at that moment, Luke became my full time hero, because in dagobah Luke had to face many challenges, and was training to overcome them, that was me, latter, when I left the hospital because I “had become a Jedi” I was full of STAR WARS toys, that my relatives gave me because they saw that that was what made me happy and gave me a reason to still fight, from that moment on, I begin to collect, just for the felling, that everything was all right again, and it’s still gonna be that way…
May the force be with all of you, always
Thank you for sharing your story. You clearly had to face many challenges certainly at a very young age. From your story you have great family support and your uncle brought you something that would open a door to a life long love of collecting. I love your mindset of becoming a Jedi to face all the obstacles in your way. May the Force Be with You....
I was gonna suggest a topic kinda like this with the new video that would come out this week. Saw a post yesterday talking about the Target exclusive Clone Wars Figures. The person was getting mad they couldn't find and bitching about scalpers ( a known problem within the toy community for as long as I can remember.) I told them to be patient as eventually you will find it for a reasonable or even retail price.
That got me thinking about some of the more interesting stories that I had about the hobby. I never really left the hobby, by the time I was kinda getting out of the younger age (10-11) collecting, my brother came home with the Marvel Toy Biz Multi-Posable Spider--Man from the early 90s. Thought it was so cool and then we went to a mall and found at KB some of the "Talking Marvels" and I think they were either 5 bucks or 3/10. He got Hulk and I got Punisher. And it just snowballed from there.
I enjoy the hunt, especially back in the day going all over the place, the 41/43 Highway trip, Milwaukee to Green Bay and back to Milwaukee with stops in Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and if we were feeling froggy West Bend. 94W trip we would hit 94 and would push out when more place became available. Chicago area trip, SW WI/NW IL. As you can tell we had options. Also this hobby is what keeps my brother and I close. He's in Milwaukee and I'm in Las Cruces NM.
Couple of stories, we were doing the Chicago area trip and stopped off at Gurnee Mills, we get there around mall opening, go to the toy store and what did I see on the Marvel End cap, reissued X-Men Wave 1 Ice-Man, Storm and Nightcrawler. But all I saw at first was Nightcrawler, my favorite X-Men since Pryde of the X-Men. When we got into collecting I think it was around X-Men Wave 2 so finding some of the Wave 1 was difficult. But I can still remember the elation that I had of finding Nightcrawler in the wild.
Another time I was in HS, we had school but all after school activities were cancelled that day because a blizzard. I get home and my brother tells me that TRU are clearing out their AT-AT PotF vehicle for 10 bucks, I was out of Star Wars at that point but he still liked it. He calls all the TRU in the immediate area and not one had it so on the last store he asked for the numbers for some of the further away ones the closest one to that had 1 was Appleton WI which usually about 1.5 hrs away and they could hold it but only until the end of business. We hopped into his Ford Escort and away we went. He got it but I dont think we got home until after midnight. Another part of the trip I remember is we went to our normal spots there and one of them was pre owned media store. I found and bought an Undertaker VHS tape for a few bucks.
Sorry about the small novel
The memories that I have of toys as a child are absolutely amazing. My grandmother lived with us. She would always take me WWF matches when they were in town. I'm talking about the era of Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Demolition, and The Macho Man. I even had the privilege of seeing Andre The Giant once. My grandmother was also the one who took us toy shopping all the time. I can remember it as if it were yesterday. Her and I walking hand in hand up and down the toy isle together. I never really played with others when it came to toys. My imagination did not like having others interfering with it. There are certain superheroes, characters, and toy lines that will always remind me of my grandmother. I stopped collecting comics and figures when I went away for college. About 7-8 years ago I suffered a major back injury. I just had what I hope to be my final surgery on April 30th. Living with excruciating chronic pain for almost a decade was not how I wanted to wake up and face everyday. That's when I decided to start collecting figures and comics once more. They are the only escape that I have from a painful and saddening existence. I can just go to another world. A world where the people are strong and can almost never be hurt or feel pain. But the best part about it... Was who was waiting for me in my toy memories? I'll love you always Grandma.
That’s such a great memory Darrin and WOW seeing those wrestlers in person. Amazing. I send well wishes your way regarding your back and pain. Another great example of how collecting can take us into a world of being invincible and help us forget our daily pain. Thank you for sharing your story.
@@Nerdzoic Thank you for the opportunity to share something that is dear to my heart with others. In all honesty I got very emotional when I was writing my comment. Those touching moments are often too rare.
I love collecting because it relaxed me after a long day of work when I get home and seeing them its therapeutic... and most importantly it brings me back to my childhood when life is happy that the only problem I have is when get to play the red ranger instead of the blue...
Thanks for sharing DeAlpha. Exactly a nice way to escape the real world and adult problems.
I started when I was 5 years old. My dad took me to see the Empire Strikes Back and I was forever hooked in to the galaxy far far away. Plus, growing up in the 80's there was an abundance of great cartoons and toy lines that went with each show. My parents really went overboard on me as a kid for birthdays and Christmas. I'll never forget coming down on Christmas morning and seeing a sea of Joe's or Star Wars stuff to play with. Then as I got older, when I was in 8th grade, I thought it wasn't cool to be going in to high school the following year and having all these toys. So I sold them all at a school yard sale. One of my biggest regrets. Although when I got to high school I met a kid who was just like me and still collected. To this day we are still friends.. So fast forward to being a young adult with a job and having actual money, I started to collect again. I went back and forth with the collecting dilemma, getting flack from my mom who didn't want me to waste my money on toys and get my life together. So again, sold a lot of my stuff once again. Another regret. Now, I'm married with 2 kids and I have my own Man Cave full of Marvel, Star Wars and Lego stuff. My wife actually after 13 years now and many conversations is now encouraging me to still collect. And honestly, that means a lot when you are not being looked down upon for something you love. Recently I was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery to remove it. I beat it. After that ordeal it really hit me. Life is too short to worry about what people think about you. Be happy and do what you love. Collecting makes me happy. The thrill of finding something you like to add to your collection....that is a great feeling. I love my collection and this time around I'm not giving it up. 😀
Thank you for sharing why you collect Nisher34. I bet your toy collection was unreal-amazing having all the original GI Joes and Star Wars. It is really special when your significant other supports and encourages your hobby. I'm happy to read that you're in remission and that you're still enjoying the collecting and hunting ride. I'm sure your kids love the collection too.
I honestly didn’t know why I started collecting this past year, but like you it’s escapism. Having a rough go for a awhile and it reminds me of me and my little brother when we lived with our grandmother. I love this hobby. Nothing like finding a deal or seeing the new waves be revealed. Thank you for putting it in words. Love the channel man.
It’s possible to enjoy multiple things and it’s sad that most of the people that enjoy sports and other “manly” hobbies won’t get it. I love sports. I love playing them, lifting weights, etc. but when I say I’ve started collecting action figures. The looks lol.
this nearly brought a tear in my left eye ;). My biggest influence was the commercials in the late 80s like RGB, & TMNT..I was active as a kid, into team sports, but I also enjoyed time by myself, I was an only child til I was 9, so toys were my playmates at home.
First of all, thank you a ton for the entertainment brother! Second, I started collecting for various reasons. Mainly because when I was little, I would see all these kids with tons of toys and all I had were bootleg figures or sometimes some hand me down figures that were faded and scraped most of the time. So naturally now that I’m 29, I can afford (for the most part) anything I want. This transition into today’s new reason, which is to escape the “”norms”” of society. As a 29yr old father of a 5 and 2 year old, people (“”friends””) judge me so much for buying TOYS for myself. There’s nothing I love more today than having people judge me for being happy 😁 I see everyone who hold themselves back of doing what they love to do because they are afraid they’ll be judged by “society”. It’s like you say bro “LIVE HAPPY!” My family is healthy, well fed, bills are paid, kids have tons of toys, wife is happy...yeah...I think I’m doing very well in life 🙏🏼😊
This is awesome Eddie. Yes, we should never feel embarrassed for being happy and a hobby that isn’t so conventional. I have never felt more like myself than when I started this channel and meeting others just like us. Congrats man on a healthy family and life. That’s all we really want happiness, love, and health.
@@Nerdzoic Keep doing what you’re doing brother 👍🏼 I’m sure you’ve impacted not only us adults, but many teens who just can’t seem to fit in. Helping people 1 action figure at a time 👍🏼💯
Awesome video man, have kind of the same story not fitting in. But I just love toys, now as kind of a story/movie expression but the designs are so cool and childhood safety and comfort. A simpler time and smaller world yet more time for imagination and your own fantasy stories with those figures. And Wow, your parents played with you with the toys? That's awesome. I have 2 kids, boy/girl and yess I will play with them and their/our toys a lot when they get a bit older.
I have always loved action figures but felt the peer pressure of "growing up" in High School and being made to feel bad because I still liked toys.. Fast forward to my 30's and forties and I learned that YOU are the only one that can truly make YOU happy and started collecting again.. And I have a wife that is just as nerdy as me and collects her own toys... Really enjoy your videos Big Nerdy.. Thanks for all you do..
I've loved watching these videos of your journeys and the hunts you did, like this and the count dooku hunt. I'm a big metal head, love collecting cds and vinyl, but I'm also a sucker for a good macfarlane or godzilla toy, or comics. Thanks for the videos and the nostalgia, it's a big stress relief for me to watch these after long days working in the hospital so thanks brother!
I started collecting after going to a friend's house he had a bunch of Spawn action figures all displayed on a shelf that run his bedroom and not to shortly after that marvel legends came out the toybiz figures. I started buying the X-Men characters that came out and just started getting other random ones Captain America iron Man the thing and of course when the first build a figure came out it just kind of hooked me. I stopped for quite a while and within the last 2 years started again once again started because of marvel legends but definitely have not stuck to it I've got DC McFarland a couple of NECA and I've even gone back to try and find some of the ones I used to granted they're a lot more expensive now. But the Hunt is always fun I've also began to do my own customs to fill out some teams that don't quite have all their money.
This is awesome Sickonesnow. Exactly collect what you like and don’t feel that there’s any boundaries. Thank you for sharing your story.