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Anyone else just hate walking the toy aisles now?


GPM in ICT

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Well maybe hate is to strong a word. But when I'm at Target or Walmart and go through the toy aisle (mainly because I still have kids) I see all the stuff out there and know it not how it use to be. I'm old enough to remember Star Wars, G.I.Joe and Transformers in the 80's at a Toys R Us. I can recall the Children Palace that opened in 1988 two blocks away from my parents house and all the toy lines I never knew or saw anywhere else besides there. Or in 1990 how within a 1/2 mile from my parents there was a Kay Bee, TRU, Children's Palace, Target and K-mart.

 

Most of the 90's were pretty good. Star Trek had a huge foot hold thanks to Playmates, who also was riding high on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles train which it had since the late 80's. The (real) introduction of Toy Biz and all the Marvel figures they did. The Batman cartoon figures from Mattel and the start up of McFarlane Toys and all the independent toys companies that followed. Even the beginning of the Millennium wasn't bad. McFarlane and Toy Biz kept pushing each other and the huge resurgence of Star Wars that began in the late 90's really started hitting it's stride with the new movies. Imported toys really started popping up and I would say it was probably about as good as it got. Walking through a TRU, I was transported to a word much like my own childhood in the 80's. G.I.Joe, Transformers, TMNT, Wrestling and Superheroes figures as far as I could see.

 

Now a short ten years later prices are super expensive and many figures hard to find. McFarlane doesn't really do action figures anymore and Joe is virtually comatose. Star Wars is on the cusp of a possible resurgence and Superhero Toys (either Marvel or DC) seem to be scrambling to figure out what to do. And here I am walking the aisle at Walmart or Target feeling a bit sad. I see the 5 POA Star Wars and Spiderman figure and think "what a waste". I look at the Captain America figures and like what I see, but that few figures is it and I still know they aren't as good as they could be. I see the Guardians stuff and think "Why two inch figures?". My son doesn't seem to care, he wants Lego's. My daughter love her Monster High and Ever After High, but even she's old enough to wonder why she only sees the same stuff month after month.

 

That's not to say there are not bright spots. DC is still putting out great looking stuff from DC Collectibles and if you want to pay for it there are so many much imported stuff that is unbelievable. Then you have the high quality (and price) 12" stuff from companies like Hot Toys or Sideshow. Things like the new 6" Game of Throne or SW Black is pretty good and even Marvel/Hasbro throws out the odd great Legends figure.

 

It just seems like the bright spots are few and far between. Maybe it's age or maybe it's the toys companies or the hobbies themselves, but I think we're past that golden age. Sorry for the rant.

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I hate going in and finding nothing.Before the Walmart up the street remodled it always got in good items.They shortned the toy dept and I think the Toy dept mgr doesn't care.Evey time I go in looking for any new Transformers Generations figures all I see are the movie figures collecting dust.Same with the TRU in my area.If they want to stay open they have to rotate their stock.I hate how people who work these stores still think toys are kid only.They never seem to care about the adult collector who can make them money.

 

On FB recenty I seen a picture of a Child World one entire run of a gondola was all Transformer sand same for GI Joe.Hundreds of figures on pegs playstes and vehicles galore.

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Yes, it's not quite the same as it use to be in the 80's, to me anyways. But to my children, they still seem to find the magic in roaming the toy aisles. I think part of the trouble is variety. Target and WM hold little variety. It's always the same crap with them and yes, their selection is usually subpar. TRU I find usually has a better variety and larger selection of toys (they should anyway, after all toys are their specialty!). adult collectors and scalpers have an effect on variety as well. My son and I can't find an ML Rocket Raccoon to save our lives. We've seen many multiples of all the other figures, but never a Rocket. Yet I've seen a ton on ebay. I know it's not the kids, they don’t hoard, lol.

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  • 1 month later...

It wasn't that bad only til recently....Imho though.

The 2000s were a good era for toys, with accurate likeness copies of the characters, Marvel,Legends, LOTR, the 4 inch JLU figures, then DC universe classics, Transformers universe and Young Justice.

It's only like last year, to me that it really felt it declined. Except when BL released those motuc, dcuc and ghostbusters oversupply figures. After that it went downhill again.

Guess, the main advantage there, is we get to save our money. Though Hasbro's 6 inch black series would lead me to check out some aisles every now and then. Like twice a month, but yeah, not as before, when every sat, my,itinerary would be a stopover on all stores with toy merchandise. Reminds me of KBs, just love those quick stops over their stores.

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Nothing will ever quite match up to collecting when I was a kid.....I never had $ to make great purchases but its just a different game nowadays....Imop the digital age has evolved children into the Ipad & video game era......I can't say whether its affected all of them, my nephew love legos & video games but aren't big on figures, my nieces still find time for their Ipad games & Monster high dolls so I know all kids aren't doomed.....but in the scheme of things I think playing w/my Joes/TFs/whathaveyou was good for me in a sense that I learned kept myself busy & stayed out of trouble, I learned to share & socialize w/other kids, my imagination & creativity were awesome & still help me avoid becoming a full fledged adult, I didn't need the $100 toy fix to be happy back then (my my how times have changed $80 Masterpiece TF's I'm looking at your delightful arses) I was a happy kid if I had 2 Joes or a couple of Hotwheels....I quit collecting through the early 90s to the mid 2000's, every now & then I would buy something to reminisce but I would give those toyz away to the lil jedi's in my life back then....but after a I got seriously ill & then mildly better I started collecting again.....I'm not altogether happy at what I see in the toy aisles in terms of Prices & Availability but I'm content....do I need 6 Stormtroopers? prolly not but its nice to channel some of that "good medicine" I used to gather so long ago.....I feel kind of sad that my nieces & nephews don't get that excitement like I did when we pulled into the parking lot at TRU or Target but it sure does come out for a little bit during Xmas morning or even on birthdays.....I have a rep amongst my nieces & nephews as I'm the cool uncle (yeahyuuuh) that likes to wander the toy aisles & talk about comics & galaxies far far away......I always tell them being a grownup is overrated....& to never ever lose their imaginations....@hvg@

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