Collecting and Kids - Do you ever feel guilty?

This has been on my mind for a while now. Like (I'm guessing) most people here, my SW collection started as a kid buying toys to play with. The adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han we re-enacted and continued off the screen thanks to these little things and the power of imagination.

I remember being able to buy action figures (SW and others) for less than $5 a pop. And in the buildup to the SEs, SW toys kept coming, in all sorts of cool variations. Only occasionally would a particular new figure be missing from the shelves at the store closest to home, prompting an eventual trip to a more distant store. Toys were fun, available, and budget-friendly.

Then I noticed something happen around the time of the SEs and the buildup to the prequels. The coolest new stuff was more and more frequently missing from the shelves, only to be found later at comic book shops for highly inflated prices. I finally figured out - it was the collectors, the older guys who made it to the stores when the toys hit the shelves and grabbed at least two of each.

Somewhere along the line, I realized that I was buying toys I had no intention of playing with. I mean, I didn't play the two-of-each game, and I took everything out of the boxes, but I was getting toys for no reason other than to add them to the number of other I owned. I started feeling guilty, especially if I snagged the last of a certain figure off the shelf. What if some kid who actually wanted to play with that toy came in after me?

I rarely buy toys anymore, unless it's something really cool that I plan on playing with.

When I look at the SW toys on the shelves today, I see a bunch of side characters, molded more to reflect their appearance in the films' backgrounds than for any sort of exciting play value. And these figures are selling for upwards of $10.

I feel like Lucas's knowledge that there are so many people out there who will buy two of everything he puts the SW stamp on, with little regard for quality has ruined the toy market, at least for what used to be its primary demographic: the young and the young at heart - the ones who will actually take them out and play with them.

I'm fine with maquettes and the like - all that stuff that has no purpose other than as a collector's item. But I think we should leave toys alone.

Thoughts?

 

I must be missing the point. Star Wars toys today have way more articulation than what was around a decade ago. At least 10, even 14 points. That's alot for play value. And let's not forget, if the toys don't bring in money, the line will stop. Hasbro has to keep it fresh with new figures, either new molds of existing figures or new guys all-together.

And recently there has been ALOT of hype for background characters, look to the Cantina scenes for those. Star Wars has only gotten better, yeah, there are still misses in the line, but overall articulation and accessories have been well received and greatly help the play value. So what exactly is wrong with 'em?

 

SW toys are a LOT better than they were 20 years ago. The detail on the toys is excellent. And the ships, etc, are awesome. The Clone Wars line and ROTS are my favorites.

 

I agree with some of the original post, but I don't feel guilty about it. The big problem is that kids don't play with toys anymore. I'm speaking from my observations as a teacher and parent here--it's not culturally acceptable for kids to play with toys beyond about the age of 7 or 8. After that, they are pretty much treated like teenagers. It's a situation that saddens me on a daily basis, especially now that I am a father. So I don't think anyone needs to feel guilty for collecting new toys, as long as they don't get greedy. I don't play the "two of everything" game, and I never buy up all the hot toys unless I'm going to give them to some of my young relatives. Bottom line is, from what I see, action figures aren't popular with the kids anymore. I hope I'm wrong.

 

My main idea with this thread is that I feel guilty buying a toy if I'm not going to play with it (especially if it's a hard to find figure that I'm in all likelihood denying a child the opportunity to play with), and I was wondering if any of the collectors here (particularly those that like to buy two or more of each figure) feel the same.


Related to that, I feel like:

A) Toys used to be cheaper, therefore easier for kids to build a collection with just allowance money
B) Toys used to be more oriented towards the idea that kids could use them to make up their own adventures with the characters rather than just mimicking the events of the movies (things like the old 'crowd-control stormtrooper' and the 'training gear qui-gon')
C) Both A and B seem to have developed as a result of adult collectors, who are a) on the whole willing and able to pay more per figure than children and b) generally just as likely to buy that fat wuiupi frog-seller from TPM as a cool new battle-gear variant of Luke Skywalker that promotes making up new adventures (and probably PREFER the fat dude because of the collector-mentality-based idea that he's one step closer to a 'complete set' of every single character from TPM)

Articulation is great, but when I was a kid I'd rather have some sort of new 'underwater adventure' set of the big three (Luke, Han, Leia- boy it's sad I felt like I needed to specify that) with basic rotating arms and legs than a General Riekaan with 16 points of articulation. Not that the side characters aren't great to have, but they shouldn't be the main thrust of the line - they're SIDE characters.

 

Look at the lines. Look at how many main characters we get. Look at all the Vaders! Which is easily one of the most sought after toy with kids. Hasbro makes the line accessible to both Collectors and kids, collectors get their troop builders and tons of other characters of which to collect (like to finish off the classic Cantina scene). While a kid is able to pick between a ton of characters, both new and old, and have it that way.

Plus with articulation, kids are obviously greatly satisfied because they can pose them in any freaking way. Look at all the Obi-Wans we get. The underwater Obi-Wan from ROTS is out in March, then we get tons of others from past sets with action features and crap.

Hasbro makes a point of having main characters in every line and wave, so kids always have something fresh, plus a new mold of a main character is great for collectors, so it's really great for both worlds. The entire collection is great for both worlds. Now, as for being upset when buying, thinking you're keeping a kid from getting a toy, I don't feel that way.

With Toys R Us, Wal Mart, Target, and any other freaking store that sells toys, kids have a chance to always get a figure. This actually reminds me of something back during ROTS, TRU had one Vader left, which was a big deal, I had to get him. And some kid came along, looking for the same figure, he pointed to my box and asked if I had seen another, I told him no, then his dad said we'll go to Wal Mart next. Kids have parents, who are probably equally into seeing them have that toy, and will search EVERYWHERE for it.

That's how this line is with kids, kids want it ALL. So I don't, nor will I ever, see how it's a problem with kids. The little guys obviously love what's around, or else Hasbro wouldn't be selling so many freaking SW toys.

 

I think the issue is just coming up because norms are changing like rebelwookiee mentioned. It's true and unfortunate (to me, anyway) that some people that are able to hit stores early can ruin the collecting experience for many other people, collectors and kids included. I don't think, however, that the changing nature of the line itself is anything to feel guilty about. Kids are becoming more and more interested in video games and less in toys. I think Hasbro does a good job of balancing collector-targeted and kid-targeted figures, and they all seem to sell fairly well (granted, the kid-targeted Vader repacks and the like tend to pegwarm more, I feel). The less interested kids are, the more Hasbro will gear the line towards collectors. They want to make money and will tailor the line in the way that they feel gives them the best opportunity to do so.

"I feel like Lucas's knowledge that there are so many people out there who will buy two of everything he puts the SW stamp on, with little regard for quality has ruined the toy market, at least for what used to be its primary demographic: the young and the young at heart - the ones who will actually take them out and play with them."

I do agree with that in the sense that Hasbro can get away with subpar releases simply because so many collectors will buy anything with the Star Wars name on it, but just like the shift in kids' interests, I think as Star Wars fades more and more out of the general public eye people will come to realize that figures that are on the shelf today will not be worth a fortune at any time in the future, and the number of completist collectors will drop off sharply, and there will be fewer (but higher quality) figures made each year. They're just different reflections of different changes in the marketplace, and I don't think there's anything to be ashamed of in that.

 

/\ Agree. I collect for my children now, except for my G.G. busts they play with everything. Any figure I get them I want them to open, because it keeps them interested in the saga. Everytime I bring a new figure home my kids want to play and watch SW.

 

I don't think we can really complain about the price of figures. The price of a gallon of gas or milk has gone up over the last 10 years too, but at least the quality of figures has improved vastly.

I buy most of my figures online, it's not that hard to find near-retail prices without having to feed Wal-Mart and I figure that in the end I'm saving more money because I'm spending none on gas and it's worth not having to deal with employees and the constant disappointment inherent in finding nothing in store after store after store. Because of this, I don't come in conflict with kids anyway. When I do actually head out to the store though, I've never actually seen a kid in the Star Wars aisle, only a fellow collector on a few occasions and a scalper once. I think Hasbro is seriously overestimating kid interest in the line, as collectors are without a doubt now the backbone of the consumer market. Regardless, it doesn't trouble me if I take the last figure on the pegs, first come, first serve, and I know I've been beaten many times before, that's just the nature of it.

The only thing that troubles me is the space that stores are alloting the line. I don't know if it's because I was a small child during the POTF2 times, but it seemed like there were 30 pegs devoted to figures and tons of space for vehicles of all kinds, AT-ATs, Millenium Falcon, TIE Fighter. I could just get lost in that aisle and there was ALWAYS something to buy, unlike today. I don't think this is because collectors and scalpers are robbing the pegs, but rather that there is rarely anything on them to begin with. Retail stores are very slack in their re-stocking procedures anymore and with most stores devoting some 4-8 pegs to the Saga Collection throughout the line, you can't expect to find much at retail. Perhaps interest is much lower now across all demographics than it was in '97, but the root of the problem is in how much space is available and thus how many figures are, not in price, quality, or increased collector interest. That's why I love online shopping, I can order everything I want in the click of a button and bypass all of the retail silliness.

 

I don't think any among us here are scalpers...we all value what we buy in a special way that goes beyond dollars and cents. Plus, we help keep Hasbro's sales up to ensure they keep making stuff.

Hasbro has admitted to walking a fine line between making things for collectors and kids, and I appreciate the fact they acknowledge it. The only thing that pisses me off about collecting is the recent rash of errors and typos on their products. Now that's a bad influence on kids.

 

My favorite days are the days the movie toys are out. I always get the figures that look great, and the ships. I still think ROTS was a fantastic line of figures.

 

Collecting is collecting no matter which way you look at it. why feel guilty if your buying what you love. Do you ever feel gulity about buying that last loaf of bread or gallon of milk on the shelf? Hasbro does travel a fine line between collectors and kids and they do it pretty well. So buy what you want they will proberly make more.

 

Take this advice from a kid Hasbro! (the kid is me)

1) Lower the prices on the figures

2) Don't make 50 Anakin Skywalkers (mad Ani,dead Ani,pilot Ani) have some veriaty

3) Don't make Elan Shleezbaggono type figures ether

4) Don't have "rare" figures

5) MAKE SOME PLAYSETS!


But sence Hasbro doesent listen to kids I shall resort to Kenner figures and Galactic Heroes!

 

Well the thing I see is that kids aren't really playing with Star Wars toys anymore. The movies are over and children are fickle and they will go with the latest fad which is usually a blockbuster superhero movie...

It's up to the collector to keep Star Wars toys on the shelves because if it wasn't for us,there more than likely wouldn't be Star Wars toys anymore

 

Like Ghost Rider.

 

Bingo