Intro / Playing With Dolls

[SKotK]

My theory is that a collector is created when kids are denied the toys they want. Kids pick up an interest in baseball cards, Pokemon, comics, action figures, soccer, etc.
Most kids try out an interest and then move on to the next thing. If the parent or siblings take it away or condemn it, the child doesn't get to scratch that itch so it
remains an unresolved desire that may manifest itself later.

It's like the girlfriend that dumps you. It takes much longer to move on.

I think you're absolutely right, Doc...the things I'm most obsessive about now I either couldn't get my hands on as a kid or just couldn't afford to "collect them all".

When you become an adult, you have to come to terms with the fact that you will never be able to fulfill a lot of your dreams (I am pretty unlikely to become an astronaut or world-class skateboarder at this point, which I've mostly accepted now!). But there are childhood dreams that you *can* realize, if you've hung onto enough of your innocence to still value those dreams. Finally being able to collect those particular toys you always wanted as a kid is one of them, and it can really bring a lot of joy when you do.

That's what brought me here, and I suspect that's what brings most of you here as well.

--SKot

[tllgn]

i still remember the funny look that my folks gave me at christmas of 76 ,i wanted Isis at wards for my superhero set.
they didnt mind superman,batman etc and didnt think anything of it ,but isis ,when i unwrapped it ,all they can
say is 'Ah shes pretty"
.my reply "shes an action figure"" a superhero" ,they said "shes pretty".
"

[SKotK]

SKotK - YOU play with DOLLS? Ppppsssch.... SISSY!!!!

Just kidding of course. I play with dolls. I should probably only speak for myself, but we all play with dolls here. Great story dude. Welcome to the MegoMuseum!

Thanks! Yep, we all play with dolls here. At least, I hope we do.

Nice icon and user name, btw...the Galaxy Explorer brings back a lot of fun memories for me as well. It just now occurs to me: nobody ever called LEGO minifigs dolls! But technically, they are as well.

--SKot

[kisstour03]

That why I hate carded figures... You can't take them out and play with them... So where's the fun

This is also why I prefer loose toys. You can look at them, display them nicely and yes even play with them. I have a few MOC and boxed toys but they are in the minority. Too much stress involved with MOC figures. Don't bend the card, don't dent/crush the bubble, don't display them where the sun can get at them, don't display them unless they're facing north etc etc. BUT the funny thing is since jumping into this Mego thing I'm finding myself drawn to the MOC Pocket Heroes figures. Help me someone.

[Bronxboykev]

Hold on... You mean you guys PLAY with your stuff :0 what's this world coming to... Grown men playing with Dolls!!! Sorry Action figures
That why I hate carded figures... You can't take them out and play with them... So where's the fun

With that being said I think I need to go check my Batlab it's due for a tune up

[VinMan]

Welcome! Wish I could say there was a cure, but there is not.

True Statement!!!!

[HumanWolfman]

Welcome! Wish I could say there was a cure, but there is not.

[galaxyexplorer42]

SKotK - YOU play with DOLLS? Ppppsssch.... SISSY!!!!

Just kidding of course. I play with dolls. I should probably only speak for myself, but we all play with dolls here. Great story dude. Welcome to the MegoMuseum!

[Random Axe]

Since I didn't have any kids in my neighborhood my age, I think my parents bought me a bunch of Megos and the like so at least I'd have 8-inch friends. Yes, I realize how pathetic that sounds but I'm sure it's way closer to truth than fiction. I was never denied any figure except Bulletman, and Brian knows the story behind that...

[drmego]

My theory is that a collector is created when kids are denied the toys they want. Kids pick up an interest in baseball cards, Pokemon, comics, action figures, soccer, etc.
Most kids try out an interest and then move on to the next thing. If the parent or siblings take it away or condemn it, the child doesn't get to scratch that itch so it
remains an unresolved desire that may manifest itself later.

It's like the girlfriend that dumps you. It takes much longer to move on.

[Werewolf]

I came from a household where dolls and action figures were common place

That's the way my Mom was when I was a child. Toys were toys to her. Dolls, action figures, Lego, Hot Wheels, video games, etc. Didn't make any difference to her.

[Hedji]

Unless it is an all plastic figure like a Star Wars 3.75", I still call them dolls.

Mego? Dolls.
Captain Action? Dolls.
Hot Toys? Dolls.

[kisstour03]

Welcome to the forum. You'll like it here. And we'll let you have dolls. I felt bad for you as I read your story. I came from a household where dolls and action figures were common place and I sometimes have a hard time understanding that there were kids out there that couldn't have them. I would have let you come to my house and sneak in some Mego time.

[mikeMc6]

Fun thread of the likes that I missed reading on the mego museum. Welcome.

[SKotK]

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

Welcome, Skot.

Are you able to laugh about the doll ban these days?

Yes, Hedji, it's pretty amusing to me now. I did take my parents to task for it quite a few years later, only half-jokingly ("what were you thinking?!"). Obviously times have changed, and it seems almost silly now that people thought that way. But I'm willing to bet there are still quite a few households even now where divisions are strict between what boys can play with and what girls can play with.

To be perfectly honest, though, from an early age I really did think dolls and dollhouses and other "girls toys" were actually pretty cool, which probably didn't help my case either. I loved miniature things, and dollhouses fit right into that. I was happy when my sister came along to have a girl in the family who could get those things I wasn't allowed to have so I could pretend to not be playing with them! Did that make me a sissy? I don't think so.

Hi SKot,

I'm really sorry you were deprived of action figures when you were a kid. I'm a girl, and my folks still relented, but only if the action figure was black, (Action Jackson, Big Jack). The toy I was deprived of was a BIG WHEEL! (Hey, is this thread turnng into an episode of Nerd Therapy?)

I imagine it was very similar for girls who weren't allowed to play with Tonka trucks (I had no problems getting those!) or other "boys toys"...although I do think getting branded a tomboy for girls was not quite as bad as getting branded a sissy for boys, which was undoubtedly the underlying fear parents had. Nevertheless, girls were brainwashed pretty early on back then that they weren't supposed to be too interested in certain things that boys were supposed to like. That always bummed me out as a kid - I really wanted more girls to be into sci-fi, D&D, video games, computers, etc., but back in the 70s/80s it was almost impossibly rare. Nowadays it's a point of pride for many girls to be into these things, and I think that's great.

My wife and I don't have kids...so far, anyway. But if/when we do, they will be able to play with whatever kind of toys they want, whether they're supposedly meant for girls or boys! And maybe one day I'll tell them how I missed out on Mego the first time around.

--SKot