AS OF last count, there are four cabinets in our humble abode that are packed with toys my boys and I have accumulated over the past 20 years. Two are located in the living room, another one near the bathroom, and the last one inside my eldest son’s room which I fondly refer to as the ‘bat cave’ (with Batman being my son’s favorite DC character). There are also about five more boxes scattered around the house waiting to be sorted. The missus has warned us that if we had the audacity to bring in more, we’ll have to do more household tasks for the space that our collection takes up. I told her that it was a fair enough deal.
Our main collection is composed of DC’s Justice League members -- Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman -- and Marvel’s mightiest: Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor and Spider-Man. We have two to three variants of some of these characters though we’ve had a bias for certain ones like Superman, Batman, Iron Man, and The Hulk. We also have a modest collection of the Transformers’ main cast – Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumble Bee, Wheeljack, Ratchet, Jazz, The Constructicons, Bonecrusher and other lesser known characters.
For the past two decades, my boys and I have painstakingly built this trove. I’ve spent countless hours scouring mainstream and obscure toy shops in Manila, Davao, GenSan, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga in search of our prized figures. Many of our good finds are what collectors call ‘loose’ or figures that are sold sans their boxes. Years ago, Gaisano Mall used to have a wide array of these loose collectibles, which were sold at bargain prices. One just needed to have a good eye for detail to spot the original ones from the knock-offs. But it was the excitement of the search that made my time and the money spent worthwhile.
To my wife and children, I’m a man-child or the boy that never grew up. This is on full display whenever we enter a toy shop or attend a toy convention. The urge to check out the latest figures lining the shelves is so strong that at times, I would be left behind and I’d have to catch up with them. My better half would give me an exasperated look, while my kids would turn to their mom smiling and say “We told you so.” My eldest son is following in my footsteps and has built his own collection of figures but are pricier than the ones I’ve bought. Like me, he doesn’t mind spending. For us, the joy of collecting is priceless.
But there is a deeper reason as to why I have spent a small fortune on my collection. For every purchase that I make, I am able to reclaim a part of childhood. As a young boy growing up in Manila, I did not get the chance to enjoy the luxuries that my contemporaries had. Most of them were the sons of military officers and business people. Every weekend whenever we gathered to play, they would show off the latest He-Man or G.I. Joe action figure they got at the mall. In my hand were worn-out Matchbox cars, which were given to me by my cousins. And so I told myself that one day, I’ll build my own collection.
And so, here I am, a 52-year-old who goes around wearing Marvel and DC printed shirts and checking out the mall’s toy sections. For me, these heroes are not only fantastical beings but embody the ideals that I hold dear. Superman represents strength and compassion. Batman symbolizes grit and courage. Spider-Man exemplifies selflessness and going beyond the call of duty. These characters may just be figments of their creator’s imagination, but they resonate deeply among their followers. This is because of their ability to inspire hope in the goodness of humanity and bring out the eight-year-old inner child in all of us.
