Playmates has gone BIG with their newest relaunch of their venerable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. There is no better example around than their Battle Shell assortment, exclusive to Toys “R” Us stores across the nation. Collectors who were perusing aisles in the early 90’s might recognize the format since it harkens back to the […]

They say that you can’t go wrong with the classics and Playmates Toys is proving the old adage correct with its modern re-envisioning of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle vehicle, the Turtle Party Wagon. After all, every superhero team worth its salt needs a mobile headquarters to help champion the cause of justice, and […]

The year was 1984. Steve Jobs released the groundbreaking Apple Macintosh computer to the world, the product of a company started by two talented and resourceful guys in their garage. That very same year, two other equally gifted fellows named Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird self-published a black & white oversized comic book with a […]

As the new millennium happened, most of my contemporaries became parents. Over the last ten years, I’ve made the acquaintance of several collectors who are the first of a kind: Their love of action figures is being passed to a new generation. What makes this such a melancholy experience is that the toy industry is […]

Before The Twilight Saga, there was Dark Shadows. It would be an understatement to say that television did not fully bloom into a bevy of genres during the turbulent 1960’s. Indeed, the medium came of age due in no small part to the diversity of programming made available during this decade. Sitcoms, westerns, variety shows […]

The early 1990’s saw many collectors transitioning from high school to college, and in the process, leaving behind “childhood things.” (Yeah, right!) New fashions were in, and tastes were changing. While I was discovering the various aspects of jazz, both grunge and rap were killing rock and metal much like cassette tapes were being made […]

Sometime in the future, the surviving members of Generation X will be shooting the breeze at some futuristic retirement home, talking about all the cool TV shows, films, music, and junk food that the 1980’s delivered, much like their grandparents reminisced about Babe Ruth, John Wayne, and Glenn Miller. But what of the toys? Our […]

By 1983, the Golden Age of action figures was up and running. Kids and collectors could choose from a plethora of genres ranging from science fiction, (Star Wars’ concluding chapter, Return of the Jedi would premiere in May) military, (Hasbro’s successful relaunch of G.I. Joe as “modern army” heroes)  fantasy, (Masters of the Universe, Advanced […]

Adult toy collectors face several pitfalls while attempting to enjoy their hobby when compared to our childhood days. Finances are a biggie seeing how work, family responsibilities, and relationships in general didn’t factor in as much when we were kids. Our closest relatives bought most of the stuff we collected and we would store it […]

By the late 1970’s, the toy soon to be known as an “action figure” in the annals of popular culture was about to enter the next phase of its evolution. Mego had dominated the toy aisles through its various licensed properties. The strongest seller in my case had been the World’s Greatest Superheroes line, encompassing […]