The San Diego Comic Con

Rise of the Collector
By Robert Covarrubias

Collectors have been around for a long time and even stereotyped as child like, eccentric people. We are fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, investors, admirers and just plain old fans. We all have reasons why we collect books, rocks, toys and comic books. Usually it starts off as a hobby, perhaps we collect because it reminds us of our youth, and some just do it for fun. Regardless of your reason, collecting something can be as fun as a trip to Disney World.

With hundreds of toy and comic conventions year round through out the United States and plenty of websites, magazines and books written about the subject, it’s no wonder that collecting is becoming the cool thing to do. The average person may look at a toy and see a tin robot, a rubber doll, bobbles and trinkets but the collector sees works of art, especially in the world of today where toys are highly detailed and made exclusively for the collector, making its value worth the price tag.

The toys of yesteryear carry an image of Innocence and purity aimed more at children. Today toys are more articulated, darker, more creative and aimed at the adult collector such as the Sideshow Collectibles and their array of 12" figures, busts and statues. McFarlane’s tortured souls figures, Bleeding Edge, and Living Dead Dolls.

Every year I am amazed by the rise in convention attendance, new toy lines, services for the collectors and toys that are created. It’s like being 12 again in a toy store and hounding my parents for all the toys I could get my hands on. For a 33year old married man with 3 boys, living in a highly stressed, overworked and underpaid environment, I think it is amazing that I can still feel that way. Of all the collecting that I have done in my life with stamps, coins, and other forgotten items, the best and most fun has been toy and memorabilia collecting. I have to admit there was a time in my life when I was embarrassed to admit that I am a toy collector, but that time has changed. Today when I am asked why I collect, I always answer with pride "because it’s fun".