WORD OF THE DAY - FRANCHISE: The isms of popular culture dictate the future if you let it. Is it me or does the whole concept of "Franchise" seem a bit manipulative and subliminal on some level? Stay with me here. While I live in America (the free and brave, et al) where capitalism was born, bred and is synonymous with our branding as a people in general, something has seemingly upped the ante in the non-threatening world of the toy. Somehow as humans we've allowed simple production and merchandising to become the larger fabric of big franchises for the humble collector in the past few decades. And though we've maybe overlooked the not-so-subtle shift over time - but as a generation (X + Y) that grew up with Star Trek, Marvel Comics, Transformers™, Spongebob, Godzilla (©Toho), Power Rangers, M.O.T.U. and the DC Universe led by the dynamic threesome, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent and Diana Prince -- we've accepted various iterations on a theme that may have been initially 'sacred' to our psyche. But apart from first impressions what are you left with decades later? A sense of longing, or remorse for actually playing with your toys instead of keeping your prized figures carded?
BIRTH OF THE ADULT COLLECTOR: Hey, I had the original Planet of the Apes Mego figures and wore them out, all the playsets, the film and television characters! A whole new concept in merchandising was born, and in its infancy seemed relatively harmless and smart. George Lucas brilliantly exploited this whole cottage industry soon thereafter and brought home some pretty coins. Of course if I never opened them and just stored them in a lightless attic in a watertight plastic container I could hock 'em on eBay for thousands of dollars today. Collecting should always be something pleasurable and within reach, right? Alas, then came the birth of 'retro' lines from Diamond Select Toys, Figures Toy Co., Gentle Giant Studios, BifBangPow!, Super7, and Mattel's do-overs.
TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY?: I've always had this crux and have always determined that the common denominator for me then, and now, is that the fun of it far outweighed any notion of value. This construct seems to be one which has become even more fabricated over time, and has created a generation of adult collectors. We once had this or that in the 60s through the late 90s. And this type of value is now somehow subliminally induced upon a new generation of young people who live in a far more virtual world. A good recent example of a twist in the collecting paradigm is the beloved BBC phenomenon, Doctor Who. For a majority of its fifty or so years on the airwaves there were no mugs, figures, cards + costumes to be had - but with the advent of comic conventions comes collecting conundrums, and loads of pretty shiny things to ogle and desire. BTW: I'm not a naysayer - I'm a proud collector myself.
KEEP THEM WANTING: As collectors we can learn a lot from those who have collected comic books and vinyl records. Sometimes it's for the simple indulgences, but when you start to build a massive library all bets are off in terms of estimable value, thanks eBay! It's really only been somewhat recently that we are starting to see hi-and-lo collectibles from cult movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Space 1999, Willy Wonka, The Twilight Zone and even A Clockwork Orange. Decades after their hey-day they too have come into the light and on to shelves across the globe. Who woulda thunk 'geek' would have been bankable and that in 2016 you'd be able to pick up a semblance of the fringe-y 'ultraviolent' Alex DeLarge (rated 'X' back in the day) from three or four competing independent toymakers? In the wings are fine companies like Chinese maker threezero and Austin's Mondo reviving their own takes on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- and Go Hero/Executive Replicas filling the old school nitsch with their sci-fi nods to Lost In Space and 2001: A Space Odyssey! Hey, two of my favorite films have not yet made it into prime time shelf-ware yet: Liquid Sky and Logan's Run. I'm waiting.....
THE ONUS IS ON THE S(h)ELF: But truthfully, how can something you bought today hold true value? Well, for those who love certain animation or movies (no matter how familiar or obscure) the answer can have many splintered variables. What YOU like is really personal on some level, and it's all truly psychological. Though because major film studios work alongside giant toymakers the result is a blend of eventual landfill and lots of ROI for the corporations behind the industries that pump out another iteration of Chewbacca, the latest WWE champ or POTA chimp (in my case).
We are the musicmakers, and we are the dreamers of the dream.
- Willy Wonka
"GOTTA GET A GRAIL": Yesterday someone told me something that made me smile, even though it was temporary, when I learned that the Mighty Muggs line from Hasbro was made of recycled plastics. I did not know that and immediately thought (when he was talking about the nature of how the SDCC Exclusive Iron-Man figure he was trying to vend me had an accessory) that I wished I had collected them based on this fact alone. But on second thought I held back, maybe because of the weighty-ness of how many were available on the secondary market in the era of the completist? Or maybe I realized in that very moment, that even if every toy on earth was made from recycled materials, that ownership itself comes with responsibility (upkeep, de/valuation, shelf space). Either way I cannot afford to start collecting a mostly foregone series, no matter how cute/clever the design - it's deeper than that. Our love for certain characters waxes and wanes over time - but my love of craftsmanship and quality/quantity has endured over these many decades.
ARTIST v ARSENAL: WHAT AM I BUYING INTO? Of course companies like Mattel and Hasbro and Funko have truly pitted us against them for varied reasons and alliances, evil or unintentional, inconspicuous or right out in the open. They (and many others) create re/versions to the nth degree to taunt our sentimentality. And we humans buy right into it with our discretionary funds, as plastic begets plastic. Toys will continue to be played with and get broken and tossed on some level, people will continue to buy and sell from the big box stores, the mom n' pop brick n' mortar venues and via the secondary market. Stay informed, buy wisely, consider all your options. But I realize that collecting things is as unique in and of itself as that made by individuals (artists and designers) rather than faceless corporate companies who wield factory-based licenses rather than skilled paintbrushes and artful concept has a much more soulful ring to it in the end. What do YOU think, let us know?
PS: Yes, companies come and go. But it begs the question that when the proverbial bubble bursts, is that space inside occupied by our dreams?