Can You Get Into Toy Lines You Didn't Grow Up With?

[hizzy]

I only saw Planet of The Apes in my 30's. I REALLY liked it but I have no lifelong attachment to it like I do DC/Marvel/Star Wars. I do dig the Mego figures from POTA but I've not bought one yet. I don't have that collecting urge for them. I'm like that with many of the movie monster figures, too. Never saw Black Lagoon. I can appreciate a nice figure but I have no real urge to buy one. Green Arrow on the other hand, sign me up! Is anyone else in the same boat?

[TRDouble]

I'm not sure if you mean toy lines (Mego, etc.) or licenses (Planet of the Apes, Star Wars).

But, to answer your question... Sure! With toy lines, one example would be Captain Action. That line was before my time and I learned of it much later. When Playing Mantis revived it, I was all over it. Attempts at updating the concept from impersonation to a standalone character, with figures from ZICA Toys and in the Amazing Heroes line, were great too. If the people who control the license actually used it and did something with it, I'd probably be all over it.

Strictly speaking on toy lines with licensing affiliation, like Planet of the Apes, sometimes it comes down to finding things in syndication and growing an attachment to it that way. Star Trek was off the air before I was born, but I watched it and many other shows enough as a kid (The Munsters being another one) that when I saw toys and other merchandise, I was attracted enough to it to buy it, particularly as an adult. As a kid, it was all Mego Super-Heroes stuff, and a few others things, like The Six Million Dollar Man (something that I am not into as an adult, so it's the opposite of your question) and Bulletman (please, please, please remake him as an 8" figure in the Super Joes line!)

[hizzy]

Lines and licences, I suppose. I didn't think about the difference!

I haven't become a collector of any licences that have come out in the last several years. I thought Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter were neat but I don't need anything from them at home. I can't believe I went so long without ever even knowing what Planet of the Apes was. Star Trek has always been on TV and I love my childhood Spock figure

[PNGwynne]

Sure! I like GI Joe Adventure Team now but could have cared less in the '70s. And I'd agree on Capt. Action, too.

[Werewolf]

Major Matt Mason. Had no idea the toys even existed as a little kid and didn't get any until the late 90s/early 2000. They are just cool looking toys. I actually think a lot of 60s toys are pretty cool. King Zor is adorbs.

[RonnyG]

I grew up in the 1970s, so I primarily collect toy lines from that era. I had GI Joe, Six Million Dollar Man, and Star Wars growing up. I didn't have Megos, Big Jim or Charlie's Angels, but I do collect them now! Also, I don't collect any of the recent Star Wars lines. Just the old 1970s Kenner line.

I'm not really interested in any toy lines from any other era (although I do remember one of my very first toys was a Billy Blastoff) ... however I recently became obsessed with Monster High!

I obviously didn't grow up with Monster High, but I collect them now as an adult. I found one at a thrift store about 2 years ago, and I was hooked! Its probably my biggest collection because there's been so much of it to collect.

[KingKickass1983]

Of course! I bought my first Mego (Fonzi re-release)a few years ago. Been collecting and customizing since.

[jwyblejr]

I did. G.I.Joe ended before I could get into it and now I've collected stuff from the 60s,70s and Action Man.

[Makernaut]

For sure. Just hanging out on this forum got me interested in Captain Action (before my time) and MOTU (just after me “outgrowing toys”). People here keep expanding my interests by posting pics of their stuff. It’s been a good education just hanging around here.

[Confessional]

Indeed, so many lovely Japanese things of wonder… Takara Cyborgs, Devilman, Apemania, along with monsters, sofubi, heavy metal… gahhhh, it's mind-spinning-goodness!

[rykerw1701]

A couple of years back I was at a small, outdoor toy show. A guy at a table was selling off his Gabriel/Marx/Hubley Lone Ranger collection. I never had any of the line as a kid, but seeing them in front of me for a very good price made them irresistible. Of course, next thing I know I'm on ebay looking for more of the line and I'm all in. At least I can say they're from the same era as the other stuff I collect.

[B-Lister]

I wouldn't be here if I couldn't.

I was born in 1980. Mego was gone before I was old enough to know what it was. I was a Mattel, Kenner and Hasbro kid.

[scott metzger]

Absolutely. In the past few years I got into both Supernaturals and Rock Lords, which I never got back in the 80's. Same happened about a decade ago with Dino Riders. Just stuff I recall seeing back in the day, but it didn't hit a note with me then.

[Wee67]

Great question!!

I'm sometimes drawn to toys from the 60s, but usually not entire lines. I have a real affinity for a lot of the aesthetics of the early 60s especially, midcentury furniture, Mod clothes, and that bleeds over into toys. Especially any atomic age-themed toys.

I did get into collecting Marvel Legends and Mini Mates for a while. I had all of them and their variants for several years, but one more Wolverine variation was one too many. I think I had 17 versions of Wolverine at one point. I think not growing up with them made it that much easier to sell them all off a few years back.

[Nostalgiabuff]

some things are cross genre. Captain Action was one for me. well before my time and i did not even know what it was until probably the early nineties but once i picked one up i was hooked and got a bunch of them. it was a really cool line, that unfortunately did not catch on enough