Action figures are a big part of childhood for most kids.
Whether you grew up on Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men, or
Power Rangers, the toys associated with these characters always brought a smile
to your face. Once you become an adult, those figures and memories seem so
distant. Fortunately, novelty collectibles and bobbleheads can recapture the
magic in a way more suitable for your grownup tastes.
Consider novelty collectibles as action figures for adults.
You won’t find any of these “toys” at Toys “R” Us or Target. In fact, the term
“toy” is used loosely in this instance because these figures should be
classified as works of art in many cases. Places like NECA and SideshowCollectibles offer figures of all shapes and sizes representing characters
from movies, cartoons, video games, TV shows, books, sports, and more. The
amount of effort and detail put into each figure is astonishing. As an adult,
displaying one of these breathtaking collectibles in your living room would be
akin to hanging a beautiful painting on the wall. Some may even cost you as
much as those expensive paintings but the quality is worth the expense for many
fans.
Yes, this is a life-size Iron Man 3 action figure. You can actually purchase this from Sideshow Collectibles. (Photo courtesy of SideshowToy.com)
Kids choose action figures based on characters that peak
their interest. The same logic applies with novelty collectibles for adults. No matter
your passion, there’s a figure for it. Star Wars, Batman, Dexter, GI Joe, Iron
Man, etc. are all available in some form. For example, Iron Man fans have options
ranging from a sixth scale figure of Tony Stark ($279.99) to an Iron Man Mark
42 life-size figure ($8499.99). Check out Entertainment Earth’s website. It
does a nice job gathering product information from different collectible
manufacturers and making it easy to find. You can shop the site by company,
theme, or product type. They also provide easily digestible Top 10 lists for best-sellers, new products (or "Hot Off the Truck" as they call it), and more.
Collectible figures aren’t exclusive to superheroes and
movie stars. If history and science is your forte, Royal Bobbles (closely
associated with Bobbleheads.com) specializes in historical bobbleheads. It has
collections based on U.S. Presidents, First Ladies, the Civil War, our Founding
Fathers, and more. The brand covers science and literature too with popular
bobbleheads like Einstein, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe. Similar to the
novelty collectibles from NECA and Sideshow, Royal Bobbles’ bobbleheads are
designed to be life-like figures which also happen to bobble, not caricatures
that look wacky.
What’s the lesson here? Growing up doesn’t mean you have to
give up on action figures. Instead, start looking at more grownup action
figures in the form of high-end novelty collectibles and bobbleheads. Film,
comic, and history buffs alike can appreciate the fine detail of these pieces
and the stories they tell. Whatever your interest, celebrate it with the youthful
exuberance you had as a kid. Your inner child will thank you.
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