Have you ever seen a toy collector or thought about collecting toys yourself and wondered what the benefits are? People all around the world collect toys, but, why? Although people started to collect items such as train sets and dolls way back in the 1800s, the 1900s really sparked the beginning of toy collecting. With the rise of mass produced toys, people began to acquire more specific items and start their own collections. There are many reasons we will mention for why people collect toys. These include the nostalgia factor, investment, hobby, thrill of the hunt, community aspect and social connection, as well as the competitive challenge and reward. Follow along with us in our blog as we mention the benefits to collecting toys.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia proves to be a huge factor and motivator when looking at why people collect toys. The nostalgia factor allows adult collectors to relive a bit of their childhood. For many, toys bring a sense of comfort and help people to remember days of their creative imaginations and play. Collecting toys allows people to reconnect with the past and remember the toys they loved to play with growing up. Along with this, collecting toys as adults also allows people to buy the toys they wished they had as kids. They can buy the toys they remember seeing in catalogs, commercials, or television shows. When they buy these toys and get the chance to see them close up and even play with them, they get a sense of comfort and happiness from remembering those days of their childhoods.
Toy collectors often search out toys they remember from their childhood with the hopes of reliving these feelings of happiness and fun from the first time they played with them or saw them. Whether it’s action figures, vehicles, play sets, or dolls, many people collect varieties of toys for this excitement in the nostalgia factor. Along with the more familiar toys, rare toys from people’s childhoods drive them to collect specific items. For instance, a short lived line of toys might be difficult to find but searching for the long lost toys of the past brings a certain nostalgia to many people.
Investment
Another major reason people collect toys includes investment. Particularly for adults, many people see the value in buying vintage toys. This value stems from how much some toys are worth. Some toys over the years gain significantly in value which makes collecting these toys a great investment. The toys that typically grow in value include rare toys, limited edition items, and those within a popular franchise. Along with these factors, vintage toys in good condition, or mint condition, hold a higher value. Toys still remaining in their original, unopened packaging, especially in good condition, sell for way higher prices. The potential for financial gain with toys encourages people to begin investing in those that increase in value and to expand the collections they already started.
Other things to consider, popularity and demand, make an impact on how much value different toys hold. Items such as Star Wars, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Marvel are typically worth more because of their popularity. The demand for these among collectors causes the value of the toys to rise significantly compared to some other vintage toys that don’t hold as much value. As mentioned, too, vintage toys are often worth more than modern toys because of the date of release. Toys from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s often hold much higher value than toys that released in the 2000s. Especially in recent years with advancement of the internet and social media platforms, people all over the world research value of toys and see many different resources for getting the best possible value for items.
Hobby
Next up, we have the hobby factor. Some people spend their leisure time searching for these treasured items. Some people collect specific toys and get joy from displaying their hard-sought for collection. Many collectors greatly enjoy this as a hobby as it provides a creative outlet for people. Along with this, people can simply enjoy growing their own specific collections. For instance, some people only collect action figures and search for specific ones. They enjoy searching for them, growing their collection, and displaying them. Hobbies are also driven by interest and passion. For the collector, he/she finds great excitement in the toys they acquire. Also, hobbies happen by desire of the individual. The toy collectors enjoy their hobby because no one pressures them to do it. They truly just enjoy it, so they continue to collect.
Along with these factors, the toy collector also may develop this as a hobby to become an expert in their area. The toy collector can control how much they would like to collect and what types of toys, this hobby gives people a chance to organize things how they like and control what they purchase to begin or expand their collection.
Thrill of the Hunt
The thrill of the hunt takes the next factor in looking at why people collect toys. This factor refers to the satisfaction and joy from the entire process of looking for certain items and then acquiring them. The entire process stands as one reason people collect toys, it brings them excitement. During the anticipation, the toy collector begins to search for items. This includes any online sources, conventions, or in person stores. The availability of so many options makes it fun for many people to search far and wide for items they wish to add to their collections. Then, the chase after the item begins. This happens when the toy collector finds an item to add to their collection and they become dedicated to getting a hold on it.
Lastly, the reward plays a factor in the thrill of the hunt process. This takes place when the toy collector gets his/her hands on the long sought out item for their collection. Rare items, finishing a collection, or finding a better option than originally planned brings a great feeling of reward and excitement. The toy collector may look a long time in many different places for a specific rare toy. Since rare toys prove much harder to find, the sense of reward remains great when the toy buyer acquires them. Along with this, completing a collection of toys brings satisfaction with knowing the entire hard sought out collection stands complete. Throughout the hunt process, the toy collector also learns tips and tricks as to where to search for certain items. From all of these points, the thrill of the hunt stands as an important factor for why people collect toys.
Community Aspect
Next up, the community aspect and social connection take a main role in why people collect toys. Many reasons stand true with the important factors of community and social connection with toy collectors. Some of these include forming friendships, sharing a passion, collaborations, and exchanging information. Through joining online groups, attending events and conventions, and meeting like-minded people who share the same passion, friendships begin forming. Along with this, many collectors enjoy where they get involved with trading between others and collaborating on projects to enhance their collections. Also through social connections, people enjoy gaining knowledge and tips from other collectors as well as giving other people tips and tricks to help them when collecting. The longer an individual collects toys, the more of an expert they become. With this, many tips and tricks come throughout the years, leading to more collecting and sharing with others.
Through social media, toy collectors also benefit from the social connections and community. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow people to connect on a global scale. For toy collectors, social media takes an important role in establishing connections. Along with this, collectors use these platforms to search for toys, display their collections, and connect with other collectors. They purchase toys through those online and engage with others which also begins friendships with those who share the same passion. The social aspect adds more value to the entire toy collecting process. It enhances the experience by providing a supporting community. It also reinforces the cultural aspect to toy collecting. The toy collector gets to know people who not only share the same passion but also gets to know people that enjoyed the same toys and remember when these toys first released.
Competitive Challenge
The competitive challenge and reward come next on our blog for why people collect toys. There are multiple competitive challenges for people in the toy collecting business. These challenges count as benefits since they give the collector a great edge when collecting and help enhance their own collection. The competition between buyers takes place as one challenge found in the toy collecting market. Finding desired items while many other buyers look for these same toys makes the process more difficult. However, this helps with the thrill of the hunt aspect for when the collector gets their hands on the desired product, a feeling of great reward comes. Since the market saturation continues to increase, it becomes harder and harder to find more valuable and rare toys.
The toy collectors need to work extra hard sometimes to locate these desired toys with the competition always there of others looking for the same ones. The competition between other collectors includes understanding the market, the different collections, and acquiring certain items. First, understanding the market allows collectors to gain an edge on searching for items and purchasing the ideal items for their collection. The different collections also provide some competitive challenge between collectors with wanting certain items in their collection compared to other collectors. Lastly, getting their hands on a rare item or one of great value adds more competition to the toy collecting business. Often times, many people search for the same product and once someone gets their hands on it, the competition only grows for the next big item.
Final Thoughts
Clearly, people collect toys for many different reasons. The nostalgia factor, investment, hobby, and thrill of the hunt play factors into the different benefits. Also, the community aspect and social connection as well as the competitive challenge and reward prove to be beneficial. These factors play into the reason people collect toys to begin with. They start small, they continue searching, their collections grow, and connections get established. Toy collectors find satisfaction when they locate that perfect item for their collection and purchase it. They can personalize their collections and get to know many other collectors through events or online. With technology advancing, many avenues become available for people to search for toys through many different sellers. People all around the world take part in toy collecting, keeping both old and new toys raising in value and continuing to bring joy to multiple generations of people.
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About the Author
Chris Ingledue is the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. His vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day he works in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year; scouring the internet – like we did the Sears Catalog of yesteryear – for the next great treasure, awaiting the arrival of the postman as if he was Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. For Chris, every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!