I like toys. There’s something about rediscovering, collecting, and reminiscing about what I used to play with when I was younger. I’ve had a couple of saved searches on eBay over the years. Every so often, I’ll buy something small on eBay to try and connect with that essence of youth. There’s just something about the tactile, colorful plastic and die-cast metal that speaks to me, something that shaped who I am now during those formative years.
During covid I would go on long walks in Brooklyn and find little forgotten trinkets on the sidewalk. Tiny little toys, a plastic dinosaur here, a lego minifig there. And I’d bring them home, wash them, and put them on a shelf.
Fastforward and I find a lot of joy sifting through mins of used toys. I’m not the type of person to spend $50 on action figure. But I like small cheap things that bring me joy and add to a visual menagerie.
Ive been getting my toy fix from two places Book Off and Museum of Nostalgia (check them out they’re great!) It’s made me think about what toy properties I actually seak out and things I want in a collection.
I’ve boiled it down to the following:
- Pokemon
- Power Rangers
- Some Transformers (g1 jetfire)
- Mechs in genral (Valkyrie macross, Gundam)
- Star wars
- x-men animated series
- 90’s Batman (Mostly Animated Series)
Additionally I just like anything visually interesting, or intricate like a figet toy, something nice to put on a desk, pickup and play with an dput down.
Also just weird, odd, or disturbing, tosy that challenge your expectations and do weird essoteric things.
Enter Batman
Thinking more about toys I actually played with, I came across this image:
What would it look like to track down and collect all the items in this photo?
The rest of this post will be some of my search in trying to find the names of all the toys in this photo.
First These two off to the side seem to be Mr. Freeze and Two Face.
I think The two face is this one:
Two Face Batman The Animated Series Action Figure Only 1992 Kenner 90s
Kenner Batman & Robin Cryonic Blast Bazooka Mr. Freeze Action Figure 1997
The batwing above them is this one
Vintage DC Batman Animated Series Batplane Batwing Bat Jet 1993 Kenner W/ Figure
The figure case to the right is this one:
1992 Batman Animated Series Collectors Case With 2 Trays 12 Figures DC Comics
I’m pretty sure the batmobile was this one
Vintage Kenner 1992 Batman Batmissile Batmobile Incomplete
In the box there’s a catwoman
1993 Kenner Batman The Animated Series Catwoman Action Figure DC Comics
In the upper right corner of the case is a joker with an orange thing with it. I believ that’s this:
The Joker with Laughing Gas Spray Gun Batman Animated Series Kenner 1992 90s New
