Shoutout to our friends @spinmaster toys for hooking us up with this sweet DC Batman Adventures: Batman vs Bane Action Figures set!
Whether you’re a collector or looking for a gift for a younger fan, this DC Batman Adventures: Batman Vs Bane double action hero set is a must have! With comic style detailing, these 12-inch figures have an impressive 17 points of articulation and they are customizable with 14 unique and interchangeable armor accessories! Mix and match these armor pieces to create endless looks!
We literally scoured the internet trying to find where in Canada to get this. We couldn’t even find it on Amazon or eBay so our best advice is to check out the Spinmaster toys website to find a retailer near you!
We received this gift courtesy of @thisisbutterly & @spinmaster toys
Are you tired of the traditional ghost, witch, and vampire Halloween getups? Well this year, you deserve a transformation that is bolder, brighter, and super fun. Bring your favorite comic book superheroes to life with these exuberant costume ideas! Pulling off a superhero disguise has never been easier.
The Classic Superman: One of the most recognizable comic book characters of all time, Superman’s gear includes a blue bodysuit with his iconic red cape waving behind. Recreate those childhood intensified moments with your very own Superman Halloween costume.
The Marvelous Wonder Woman: Make a bold yet elegant statement as the Amazonian princess. Don your gold tiara, red bustier, blue shorts, and don’t forget the “Lasso of Truth” to capture your Halloween spirit!
The Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord: Steer your Halloween in a cosmic direction. The Star-Lord costume, complete with a burgundy jacket and mask, is both cool and unusual.
The Invincible Iron Man: Blast into action with a crimson and gold suit! Halloween isn’t complete without the high-tech hero–bonus points if you add LED lights for the eyes and hands.
The Mysterious Batman: Nostalgic of the golden age of comic books and Batman movies? Step into the dark night with a bat-themed ensemble. Keeping it captivating with black from head to toe.
Captain America, The First Avenger: Salute this Halloween with the red, white and blue. Captain America’s uniform, with distinctive shield, is always a favorite pick.
The Enchanting Scarlet Witch: Capitalize on the ‘WandaVision’ trend with a Scarlet Witch superhero Halloween costume. The red leather jacket, black bottom, boots and the crucial accessories – gloves with red energy emblems will make a hit for sure.
The Mighty Thor: Reward yourself with the mantle of the God of Thunder. A muscular bodysuit combined with the renowned hammer, Mjölnir, will give you a god-like presence on Halloween night.
Black Widow’s Power Packed Combat Suit: Unravel the mystery of Black Widow in her black stealth suit. Dare to be different, and keep it sleek with her signature weapon, the Widow’s Bite.
The Indomitable Black Panther: Become the undefeated King of Wakanda, costumed in a sleek black bodysuit. This not only brings an icon to life but pays tribute to the legendary Chadwick Boseman.
These superheroes aren’t just for the comic books; they’re mighty personas waiting to be unleashed by you! This Halloween, step beyond the fantasy and become the hero you were always meant to, even if just for a night. You are never too old for some comic book magic, and hey, who says adults can’t have all the fun!
After all, Halloween is not just about adding a chilling factor. It’s about exploring your style, celebrating creativity, reliving childhood memories, and making new ones. So whip out the Halloween candy, string up the spooky decorations, and most importantly, indulge in becoming your favorite comic book superhero for a night to remember.
Whatever you end up choosing, make sure it’s a character you love and feel comfortable portraying. Remember, superheroes may have superpowers, but their greatest power is their human spirit, just like ours. So here’s to an epic Halloween filled with adventure, fantasy, comic books, and unforgettable superhero costumes. Let the transformation begin!
Welcome to your source for all things antiquated and action-packed!
Whether you’re a die-hard aficionado or a dabbler looking to dive deeper into the awe-inspiring world of Transformers, you’re going to enjoy this nostalgic journey back to the Golden Age of Saturday morning cartoons.
So, buckle up and prepare for an enthralling ride, as we explore the five most popular Transformers ever to grace your living room floor!
Optimus Prime: The Unquestioned Leader
Let’s kick off this list of awesome with the iconic Optimus Prime. This Autobot leader embodies majesty, strength, and noble charisma. It’s no wonder he stands as one of the most coveted Transformers in the toy collecting world.
G1 Optimus Prime source: Transformers Wiki
This venerated leader isn’t just a top-rank in the collectible sphere; Optimus Prime transcends generations, acting as the epitome of the Transformers brand. His formidable truck mode and suave robot form, paired with memorable G1 quotes, make him irresistible to collectors worldwide.
Bumblebee: The Lovable Hero
Can we discuss popularity without mentioning our universally adored “little buddy”, Bumblebee? This Autobot is nothing short of a crowd charming phenomenon. Blending steadfast loyalty with credible versatility, Bumblebee’s Volkswagen Beetle and contemporary Camaro incarnations have consistently soared in the popularity charts.
G1 Bumblebee source: Transformers Wiki
Beyond the trench warfare between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Bumblebee shows us the importance of courage, determination, and friendship in every episode – qualities that every collector treasures.
Grimlock: The Fearsome yet ENDARING DINOSAUR
Ask anyone about Transformers, and there’s one Dinobot that they won’t leave out – Grimlock! The charismatic T-Rex captures fans’ hearts with his unique blend of brain and brawn, mixed with a child-like naivety.
His G1 design remains etched in the memories of many collectors, as it perfectly encapsulates the magic that Transformers brought into our lives. Grimlock’s articulated jaw and the radiant dino-form make him a hot favorite among seasoned toy collectors.
Megatron: THE UBIQUITOUS Villain
Behind every great story is an equally great villain. This statement holds true with Megatron, the treacherous leader of the Decepticons! Portrayed as the arch-nemesis of Optimus Prime, Megatron’s wickedly impressive robot form and his notable transformation into a handheld weapon make him a must-have addition to any Transformers collection.
Soundwave: THE SPY AMONG US
Rounding off our list is Soundwave, the Decepticon’s master of espionage. What makes Soundwave stand out, is his unique ability to transform into a microcassette recorder, as well as the smaller Decepticons hidden within his tape-deck! This cloaked complexity contributes to his charm, making Soundwave a compelling collectible for Transformer enthusiasts.
And there we have it! The top five Transformers figures, ranked in all their bot glory.
Each one of them holds a special place in the toy collecting world, representing the epitome of imaginative transformation, lovable characters, and narratives that have hooked us over the years!
Whether you’re tracking down these icons for the love of toy collecting or are enchanted by the realm of Transformers, remember: The magic of these seminal heroes isn’t just in how they transform, but in how they’ve transformed us along the way.
This was our third time attending this local comic, game and toy convention. It’s always great to see how hard everyone worked and how it all came together. It was great to get out and mingle with some familiar face and meet some new ones.
We did our rounds and checked out all the amazing vendors. We brought our two youngest kids this year. It was fun and both of them (plus the Mr.) left very happy shoppers having found some treasured comics and must have video games.
I think the highlight for all of us this year (aside from going to begin with) were the cosplayers walking around. Incredible jobs done on their costumes and being in character just put the cherry on top. They’re always also so friendly and welcoming to take a picture! We ran into a Jawa, Darth Maul, and we also saw the capital ghostbusters among many other characters. So fun!
Thanks to the team at Fanaticcon for hosting us! We had a great time! A day well spent! Stay tuned for future announcements about Fanaticcon 2024!
It’s that time of year again folks, when Mr and Mrs Toybox start getting hyped up for some summer collecting and also summer events happening in our local city!
This summer, geeks and nerds alike will be gathering in Ottawa, Ontario for our favourite local event: Fanaticcon 4!
Fanaticcon is described as a fan-driven convention for nostalgic toys, collectors items, games, art, cosplayers and more! It’s a day to get together and celebrate all things geeky with other enthusiasts like you!
What happens at Fanaticcon?
Vendors
Fanaticcon will have over 33 vendor booths to check out featuring some of the Ottawa areas finest nostalgic toys and games vendors, collectibles, artists and much more. There are also games and prizes throughout the day. Make sure to stop at Flacs Collectibles and Kaboom Comics stations!
Flacc’s Collectible’s!
Cosplay
Expect to see the unexpected! Fanaticcon attendees have amazing cosplay skills and they will definitely be on display once again this year for us to be in aw of! Plus, there’s a contest and you have a chance to win a prize if your costume is judged THE BEST of Fanaticcon!!! So fun!
Celebrity encounters
Come and rub elbows with some spectacular special celebrity guests like Abby Hagyard (You Can’t do that on TV/Carebears), Ken Sangoes (Nightmare on Elmstreet 3), Kurt Lehner (Celebrity Artist) and more including Lance (the loser) from Canadas Worst Driver 6 for pics, chats and fun!
I did actually meet the real Abby but this prop was too fun to pass up!
There is just a whole lot of awesome going on at Fanaticcon, it’s impossible to write it all here in the blog. Seriously, you walk in and it’s like 🤯 – mind blown, where do we start!!!
If you get VIP tickets and come early you get first dibs on all the vendors. Plus, kids under 12 get in free and have the chance to get a surprise bag (first come first served).
How much is it to get in Fanaticcon?
$15 at the door 11am-5pm or $20 early bird VIP 10am-5pm. Kids under 12 are free!
When and where is Fanaticcon?
August 13th 2023 at the Ottawa Conference and Event Center
Back in the good old days of the 1980s, Mrs Toybox had some little tiny animal friends called Calico Critters. They’ve become very popular around the world since then, also going by the name Sylvanian Families.
One hobby we have is searching local online markets for nostalgic toys to both buy and we also post ones to sell that we’ve acquired. One search lead back to childhood with the Calico Critters.
A seller was selling a brand new Hopscotch Bunny family and a CC Livingroom Furniture set. For the price and the memory, we couldn’t resist. Although her first CC family were bears, she thought the bunnies were absolutely adorable.
A few days later on another pointless search we found a CC cottage with furniture! It’s so friggin cute!
There are so many things to collect for the Calico Critters, you could really spend a fortune. Mrs Toybox is stopping with this one small display. She said she has enough with all her dolls and action figures.
Before we begin, we know that Mattel is one of the biggest commercial toy companies in the world and while we would love to post a sponsored content, this isn’t one of them.
Ever since she was a kid, Mrs Toybox has been a huge fan of Barbie. While she didn’t have the Malibu or Dream houses, she did have many different Barbie’s.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard that the movie is coming out this summer, unless you’re living under a rock. So naturally there are or were Barbie dolls available.
All I can say is CA-CHING! Wow. For Barbie’s these go from 39.99$ each to 99.99$ each depending which version you were lucky enough to get. Why am I saying this? Our local toys r us sold out within the first day of release. If you wanted a special 99$ Barbie or Ken you’re SOL my friends. They can now be found overpriced on eBay.
Let’s start with Barbie
Isn’t she pretty? I love her outfit and the accessories she is wearing. The pink is just so her.
I wasn’t going to buy Ken
What blasphemy is this? I wasn’t going to buy Ken? Oh good Lordy lord! No, seriously I did not want to spend $80 on two dolls who’ll stay in their boxes because I want them to stay perfect BUT Mr Toybox pointed out that technically they’re a set. So, here we have Ken. Why he is in beach clothes and not town clothes like Barbie is beyond me. I guess I’ll have to see the movie to find out. He doesn’t come with much special other than his loud clothes and a surf board.
I love that they are both ball jointed dolls and can be fully posed with many points of articulation from the head down to the ankles.
So there you have it folks, the collectors editions Barbie Movie Barbie and Ken. Good luck finding them so close to the movie release! 🙂
Gremlins was a hit movie back in the 80’s followed by Gremlins 2: The new batch in the later 80’s. They were supposed to be horror movies but the gremlins antics ended up making them more of a “family” movie, toys were even marketed for kids.
Growing up we had the posable versions of Gizmo and Stripe (see image below). They were pretty cool for their time; I have always been about details when it comes to toys and even back in 1984 they were fairly detailed for toys that originally were for kids (even though adults like me today would love to get our hands on them).
There have been a multitude of toys and other collectibles depicting gremlins and the popular Gizmo but none compare to the detail and fun of the Gremlins and Gremlins 2 collections by Neca!
Each figure is very detailed down to expressions on their faces and come with little accessories that are sure to bring back the Gremlins movie nostalgia.
You can read about the neca Gremlins release dates here.
Ultimate Gizmo
We started our Gremlins collection with the Ultimate Gizmo. He comes with familiar accessories from the Christmas scene in the movie; the instrument, candy, toys and also multiple faces to pose him with! He can be happy, sad, content; the choices are great! We will most likely unbox this guy for Christmas time.
Ultimate Stripe
Next up we found The Ultimate Stripe which is the “boss” or “leader” of the evil and mischievous gremlins. He comes with a very detailed chainsaw, a skateboard and another metal saw tool. He looks as ugly and angry as he did in the movie; we love it! You know, you can’t have Gizmo without Stripe; they go together!
Winter Gremlins Two Pack
Neca released a set of two Gremlins from the wintery scenes. They come in their winter attire and come with candy cane and a gingerbread man with its head bit off. The detail is phenomenal, I cannot express it enough. Maybe these two are the ones who messed with Mrs Deigle or Billy’s Mom with her cookies!
Ultimate Gremlin
When the gremlins take over the local downtown area (movie theatre, the bar etc), they have a blast. Neca did not disappoint with this gremlin who comes with all kinds of fun party accessories playing cards, candy, cup of pop, a cigarette and a mug of beer!
Ultimate Greta
She is out and displayed in a shelf with lights around to give her that dramatic look! Hello, Greta!
The only female Gremlin in the movie series is called “Greta”. She is from Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Her backstory comes when the gremlins take over a high rise building and one level happens to be a science lab. They get into different experimental potions, each having a different effect. This one pink potion happened to change this Gremlin from male to female with a really comedic lust for a man she sees. Today, what she does would be considered assault but hey it was the 80’s. She was also the sole living gremlin besides Gizmo who survives to the very end of the movie. This figure comes with a potion and a pink feather boa. Greta has “real” hair but her outfit is sculpted and painted on. It’s a beautiful figure to have in the collection.
Back to School Gremlin
Conclusion:
We didn’t originally set out to get almost the entire set of Neca Gremlins figures but it ended up being a great collection to have. What I like most about these, besides the incredible paint details and accessories, is the box they come in. It’s not a shell capsule so you don’t need to break the box or cut them out (except Greta who came with a plastic elastic around her head/hair but otherwise simple to get out) you can also easily put them back into their original boxes for safe keeping.
Are they worth collecting? For someone like us, absolutely. They aren’t extremely expensive compared to some other figures of similar stature, they come in a nice windowed box with movie pictures, on the back there are images of the figure posed with its accessories. They are superior collectors figures for us Gremlins movie fans.
Hello there! Let’s travel back in time, a time when your heart skipped a beat as you ripped off the vibrant packaging of a brand new toy. You marveled at the intricate details of your Transformers action figure, or the captivating elegance of your new princess doll.
Today, we’ll reignite that excitement and dive into the nostalgic, rewarding, and uniquely captivating hobby that is toy collecting.
Toy collecting is more than just hoarding kids’ stuff. It’s an engaging world of nostalgia, appreciation for artistry, the chase for that rare find, and yes… lots of fun. And even better? It could be an investment, with some toys appreciating in value over time, just like that super rare mint-condition Optimus Prime Transformer from the 1980s.
Embarking on the Adventure of Toy Collection
Remember, every journey starts with a single step…and every collection starts with a single toy. Start by exploring your interests. Do you have fond memories of playing with action figures, like He-Man or G.I. Joe? Or did you spend hours lost in the world of dolls, comics, or miniatures?
Once you’ve identified your interests, it’s time to do a little research. Discover the classics in your chosen category, identify the rare pieces, and gain an understanding of the value of different toys. Your childhood favourites might just turn out to be highly coveted collectibles today.
Chasing the Thrill of the Find
Part of the joy in toy collecting comes from the thrill of the hunt – from rummaging through piles at garage sales and scrolling through eBay listings to attending toy fairs or visiting local toy stores. Each find can feel like unearthing a hidden treasure and adds a unique piece in your growing collection.
Creating Your Toy Sanctuary
Your toy collection is a physical representation of your personal journey. Each piece’s story and how it came to be part of your collection adds to the fun and satisfaction. So why not create a dedicated space in your home to display your collection? You’ll be surprised how a well-arranged display of vintage toys can add a whole lot of character to a room.
Joining the Toy Collecting Community
Engage with fellow enthusiasts. By joining toy collecting communities, both online and offline, you’ll discover new friends who share your passion. They could offer collecting advice, trade toys, or simply share stories of their own fantastic finds.
Toy collecting isn’t just a hobby, it’s an adventure filled with fascinating tales and exciting experiences. It takes you on a nostalgic ride into your childhood while introducing you to a vibrant, dedicated community. Whether you are nostalgic about the simplicity of vintage toys, passionate about the artistry behind miniatures, or love the thrill of finding a rare comic book, toy collecting offers something for everyone.
So, why not relieve that childhood fascination once again?
Start your toy collecting adventure today and discover the immense joy this hobby can bring!
I’ll admit, I know who the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are but I wasn’t a die hard fan of the show or movies; a younger generation as I was an older teen when this show originally aired. I did babysit a few kids over my teen years who were quite obsessed with MMPR. Even though it’s been revamped and rebooted into movies and new shows, my kids never got into the Rangers either. Needless to say, not being a huge fan didn’t stop us from getting this collectors special edition My Little Pony for The Toybox Collection!
Hasbro My Little Pony Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Crossover
With an intergalactic threat hovering over Equestria, a team of friends unite under the Harmony Grid. These are the Mighty Morphin Power… ponies!? Fandoms collide with My Little Pony Crossover Collection — an expanded universe of My Little Pony mashup characters! Crossover Collection Morphin Pink Pony toy combines the retro My Little Pony form with the design of Power Rangers characters. Character has unique deco, colors, and Cutie Mark inspired by the Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger. This 4.5-inch figure comes in collectors’ packaging that’s great for fans of the My Little Pony or Power Rangers brand to display. Turn the stories you know on their tails with the My Little Pony Crossover Collection.
When you think of these two franchises crossing over into eachothers worlds, you might wonder what could a Power Ranger Pony look like? Well, Hasbro has shown us with this unique crossover figure named “Morphin Pink Pony”. The figure is 4.5” in size and a cross between an original ‘80s My Little Pony and the Pink Power Ranger, aka Kimberly Hart. She wears pink armour like the Pink Ranger. Really cool looking figure! Morphin Pink Pony will look excellent next to her other crossover friends, My Little Prime and Plasmane!
Next up…
Hasbro My Little Pony X Light Bright Crossover! This one is going to be a fun flash from the past!
TheToyBoxCollection 