1980’s nostalgia comes to store shelves with a new release of The World of Strawberry Shortcake toys from The Loyal Subjects.
Excited to have added the new 5 1/2” Strawberry Shortcake doll to The Toybox Collection! Scented like strawberry she is dressed in her classic strawberry shortcake dress, apron, hat, leggings and shoes. She has 29 points of articulation, Strawberry Shortcake is fully poseable, elevating the play experience and allowing kids to unleash their creativity.
The doll comes with 10x stickers, and 4x surprise accessories that may include combinations of the iconic comb, strawberry purse, beloved animal friends, cakes and fruit baskets, lunchboxes, and super rare finds too. All packaged in a classic red window-style gift box with 4 punch-out surprise reveal boxes on the back. Her clothes and accessories are also interchangeable between other dolls in this series.
We found this doll at Walmart Canada for under $30. A fun and adorable addition to Mrs Toybox’s doll collection.
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
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!
We will be attending Fanaticcon 4 (Ottawa) and Ottawa Comiccon is happening in September plus we also have the Toys, Dolls and Teddys show in October, so many events I don’t know if we can make them all but we will try!
All these events got me thinking about something I could share with our readers, people like us who either participate or attend their favourite collectors events; how to prepare for a fun time and avoid unnecessary stress.
Going to events is always exciting but they can also be costly and overwhelming if you just walk in blindfolded. There are so many people to see and things to look at or do, where do we start?
First off, get tickets early. Don’t wait until the day of the event. Even if tickets are available at the door you don’t want to stand in line and have to wait. Plus, sometimes advance tickets come with perks and a discount.
Dress appropriately, unless you’re in costume. It can get pretty hot even in a well ventilated or laid out area. Lots of bodies in one space heats things up. Luckily, most events have wristbands or stamps or ticket stubs of some kind which allow attendees to go out for fresh air, grab a beverage or whatever and come back to enjoy the rest of the show. Also, wear comfy shoes because you will walk, a lot.
Charge your phone the night before (or if it’s an evening event charge it during the day beforehand) and bring your charger in your car. I once attended an event and had my phone die during a really awesome moment I attempted and failed to capture on video because SOMEONE (me) didn’t think to charge their phone before the event. Don’t do what I did. Don’t miss the moment.
Bring drinks and snacks in a cooler. If the event allows you to leave and come back, you’ll already have some things to munch on from the comfort of your cooler and save on spending at a cafeteria or worse have nothing if the venue doesn’t have any food sources.
Bring a bag. Reusable shopping bags can be found anywhere, usually we keep them in the trunk of our vehicle since you prettymuch need them wherever you shop. This goes for conventions too! You don’t want to walk around with your arms full of goodies (trust me it’s easy to get carried away with buying the things). A simple reusable shopping bag can come in very handy.
If you carry a purse or wallet, bring the bare minimum. I suggest paying cash for any items just to avoid any issues with disloyal currency and maybe theft at a bigger venue with more people. Carrying a heavy wallet or purse is just annoying imo.
Bring your best attitude and have fun! Take your time to look around(maybe you’ll see something and take a trip down memory lane), don’t be shy to talk to the vendors and artists, cosplayers love when you admire their costumes. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, you can still have a full and fun day at an event if you prepare.
Have any tips to add? Leave a comment below this post!
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.
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!
When there’s something strange in the neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? My little pony! This awesome mashup Collab was released in 2020 by Hasbro; a retro pony styled like a ghostbusters character. I am old enough to remember how popular ghostbusters was back in the ‘80s when the first two original movies hit theatres. Ghostbusters 2 was on of my first theatrical experiences as a child. I clearly remember my younger cousin screaming at Vigo the Carpathian to “put the baby down!” during the scene where the spirit is taking Dana’s baby so that he can become human again.
We were thrilled when Hasbro released My Little Pony Transformers Crossover fig and even so finding out they also have a Ghostbusters crossover! Check it out!
Manhattan meets Equestria – Meet Plasmane!
“When the city of Manehatten is overrun with ghosts, Plasmane ain’t no scaredy-pony. She saddles up in the Ecto-Wagon and gears up for an adventure. Fandoms collide with My Little Pony Crossover Collection — an expanded universe of My Little Pony mashup characters! Crossover Collection Plasmane toy combines the retro My Little Pony form with the design of Ghostbusters characters. Character has unique deco, colors, and Cutie Mark inspired by the iconic Ghostbusters team. This 4.5-inch figure comes in collectors’ packaging that’s great for fans of the My Little Pony or Ghostbusters brand to display. Turn the stories you know on their tails with the My Little Pony Crossover Collection.” – Hasbro Pulse
Sold out
We were lucky to find this Pony online at NMC Toys, I believe they’re having a sale on them for $9.99 (plus tax and shipping) which is a deal because right now you really can’t find them anywhere but on Amazon or EBay at the rich price of $29.99 (plus tax and shipping); yikes!
I love the look of this pony! Details in its outfit like the belt and straps on the legs. The bright ecto-plasma coloured hair is eye catching and let’s not forget to mention the best part: the ghostbusters logo cutie mark! This is one that tempts you to possibly, maybe think about taking it out of its box to display but Hasbro did a good job of box art and I’m going to be keeping this collection in its fancy boxes while on display side by side.
Next up in the Hasbro MLP crossover collection: Mighty Morphin Pony!
Mr and Mrs Toybox have been collecting items of nostalgic interest their entire lives and now do it as a serious hobby together. Mr Toybox has always been a huge fan of Transformers and he doesn’t collect just any Transformers collectible figures, he has been focussed for over ten years with no end in sight. Aside from
Something that always grabs our attention when it comes to collecting toys is artwork themed with our favourites. The best kind of fan art is always the handmade kinds, fans really put their hearts and soul into their crafts for their favourite nostalgic characters. Sometimes, reprints are also fun to get your hands on.
hello Etsy!
Mrs Toybox is an Etsy seller and from time to time she enjoys helping out other small businesses like the print shop Patere on Etsy who sell patent blueprint prints. You can get them on cardboard, map or regular paper and in different sizes depending on your needs. The shipping is fast and the product is superb! We highly recommend them for your print needs and they make a great gift for the collector in your life!
Optimus Prime ‘85
The first addition to his new Transformers Prints collection was of course Optimus Prime from 1985. I believe there is more to this print, perhaps description of the numbers and more detailed toy instructions but having something like this hanging in the Transformers collection area is really something. It brings authenticity and nostalgic value to the look of the collection of bots.
Other choices of Transformers Patent Prints
Thanks to Damon for going out of their way to find us some other Transformers blue prints and putting them up to order. Considering the price of true prints plus the cost of shipping and also purchasing an 8×10 frame, these prints are worth it from a decorative perspective.
Other Transformer Patent Prints Available
Soundwave
Megatron
Starscream
Buzzsaw
Grimlock
Ironhide
Perceptor
Visit Patere on Etsy
Visit Patere on Etsy to see his full library of patent prints available, he’s got more than just Transformers. He also has patent prints of cartoons, movie characters and vehicles.
*Not sponsored or endorsed by Etsy or any mentioned shops. Honest review and opinions are those of the Authors of The Toybox Collection and are a reflection of our experience and impression of the product and brands mentioned.*
It’s not often since covid 2020 that The Toybox Collection has gone to any major events, except Fanaticcon 2 last year. We had a great time and just had to do it again. Fanaticcon 3 happened this past weekend and what a time was had by all! We went. We saw. We bought some comics and met some really cool people.
The event
Fanaticcon 3 was a smash, we would say. The place was packed with people of all kindred collectors, cosplayers and folks of all kinds. You could feel the excited energy in the room as soon as you walked through the doors.
There was so much to do and see, the first stop we made was to Ka-Boom comics where Mr. T picked up some Transformers comics missing from his collection. He did good knocking several off his list in one shot. The owners of Ka-Boom Comics are pretty awesome too. While they aren’t a store per-say, they do have a warehouse but you need to be on their list to shop. Call it the VIP treatment. Make sure to follow them on social and keep with the latest!
Political comics
This next artist was so awesome! His name is Marc Roy, (@cartoonist_CAC on instagram) and he hails from Montreal, drawing political parody comics. We at the Toybox Collection don’t usually like to bring politics into our toy collecting but this guys work is not only funny but honest and so creative, we couldn’t resist not sharing his work. Marc is such a genuine guy too who took the time to answer our questions, talk about how he started in cartooning and also signed the copy of his comic we picked up! Check his work out via Instagram!
Meet n Greet with “You Can’t Do That on TV” MOM
Mrs T went to Fanaticcon on a mission: to meet the one and only Abby Hagyard (@abbyhagyard on Instagram) of Care Bears (Teddy Ruxpin, For Better or For Worse), You Can’t Do That on Television fame. You can read about her entire experience here. Abby is the sweetest and funniest, she made the meet and greet comfortable and fun! She was down to earth, our TV Mom! You can tell she truly loves what she does!
Friends of The ToyBox Collection
This next mention is an old friend of Mr T. We had to stop by and check out Flac’s Collectibles! He and his Mrs sell super hero action figures and other collectibles. You can follow @FlacsCollectibles on Instagram!
Mr T with Mankind!When there’s something strange in the neighbourhood…
While we didn’t get a chance to stop and say hi (sad face), or get a picture (sadder face) with the man of the hour, Lance aka @TheToyTimeMachine, we would like to thank him (and his team of hero’s) for giving us the opportunity once again to join in on the geeky fun and rep our blog at his super awesome event! We hope to do it again next year, maybe with The Toybox Collection t-shirts? 🤔
We would love to sit here all day and write about all the amazing people and things we saw at this year’s Fanaticcon but I don’t think WordPress has enough drive space so we’ll end it with some awesome video to remember.
Fanaticcon 4
Fanaticcon 4 is already in the making!!! Check out the Facebook events page and click GOING. We already did!
TheToyBoxCollection 