For a lot of people, when you think about collecting, you think about action figures. And why wouldn’t you? There are action figures for every subject under the sun, from FRIDAY THE 13TH to SUPER MARIO BROS. to STAR WARS to JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK. The list goes on and on (and on). And for each of those beloved properties, there are figures of every size, shape and color imaginable to choose from.
But action figure collecting can become expensive in the blink of an eye. Take STAR WARS collecting for example. Hasbro, Pop! Vinyl, Playskool, Gentle Giants, Kubrick and Lego are just a few of the many companies that produce STAR WARS figures. Some of these companies produce figures in multiple scales as well. They’ve even made STAR WARS figures that cross-over with such properties as M&Ms, Mr. Potato Head, The Muppets, Mickey Mouse and The Transformers. Try collecting just one of each!
Q: How many jobs will you need to take in order to afford all this? Action figure collecting can be too much for the average collector to deal with. So what’s a collector supposed to do? Chances are, no matter what property you love, they probably offer plenty of merchandise beyond action figures. I say forget about action figures! Try collecting odd-ball items like boxed foods, soda cans or temporary tattoos. Not only are these items extremely affordable, but they can also be beautifully displayed.
Wait! Wait! Go back! Did I say boxed foods? Yes. Yes, I did. Macaroni and cheese boxes, cereal boxes, fruit snacks, GoGurt wrappers. The list goes on and on. Right now, when you buy specially marked General Mills cereals, you get a free STAR WARS poster inside. They’re mini-posters featuring the Drew Struzan artwork for EPISODE I, II and III along with the Special Edition posters for STAR WARS, EMPIRE and JEDI. These are cereals my sons and I would buy anyhow. Now we also have a STAR WARS mini-poster collection to put together! These are unique, limited edition collectables that really don’t cost us a thing extra to collect. Last weekend, my sons and I had a enjoyed a wonderful dinner that included STAR WARS shaped pasta smothered in yummy powered-cheese goodness. That’s because Kraft is currently selling STAR WARS macaroni and cheese. Kraft’s Mac & Cheese and EasyMac bowls feature Yoda, Darth Vader, R2-D2 and C-3PO on their labels. The pasta is shaped like these beloved characters too, along with a Rebel X-Wing Fighter. The box art is cute and again, this is a product I would buy normally.
Also in stores now, Dr. Pepper is offering a second series of AVENGERS themed soda cans. As with their first series -- which were released to promote the first AVENGERS movie -- this limited collection of can designs coincides with the theatrical release of the second AVENGERS film. I’m usually a Pepsi man, but I’ll drink a few Dr. Peppers. This will be an easy pick-up, I’m sure. And where I live, soda is a mere sixty-five cents per can so this will be a cheap collection as well.
My sons and I recently put together a neat little collection of DC Comics temporary tattoos thanks to the gumball machine at our local Family Dollar. For a mere fifty cents each, we’d get one of ten possible temporary tattoos featuring logos for DC characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Lantern. Each 2.5” x 3.5” card has from one to four tattoos per sheet. The tattoo sheets fit perfectly into any nine-pocket sheet for easy storage and display. Even though we got a few duplicates, this collection still cost less than $7 to complete.
Pop Tarts Meet Funko Pop!: If you’re a collector on a limited budget, these are just a few of the unique, limited edition items you might want to collect.
PS: Speaking of Free Collectibles - Our GOFN/Nerd Block Contest runs until 5/15!