Why Do You Display Your Toys?

[5FDP]

About 95% of my collection is on display. The rest is stored away in a lockable cupboard. I bought two display cabinets with the sole purpose of creating a 'museum' like setup. I even went one step further and had a room built specifically for my collection (and because my wife and I had another child ).

I love going into the room and just gaze at my collection. This may seem weird but it has a calming influence on me and I can get lost in it. It works out well after a stressful day at work.

[GoktimusPrime]

I initially did it out of necessity. Before Transformers came out I already had some Machine Men, and a lot of them suffered from scratches and damage (especially to the chrome) from being put into boxes with other toys - cos I would naturally rummage through toys when looking for particular toys to play with. So when Transformers came out, I realised that I didn't want my Transformers to share the same fate as my other toys. At that time the head of my bed had a small space for stuff, so I put my toys there. Then I started putting my toys on top of a chest drawer next to my bed. Then by late 1985 or early 1986 I copied a friend of mine who put his Transformers under the sofa by putting them under my bed. This was the first time I would also sort them out to according to faction and sub group.

In 1988 I'd started displaying my Transformers on my bookcase. And by time Beast Wars came out, my childhood bookcase looked like this:


My bookcase alone could no longer hold all my toys so I put some of my toys on top of a cabinet next to my bed...

...and bought what would be my first of many cheap metal tool shelves from Bunnings which I put on top of my desk.

By 2000-2001 half my bedroom had become full of Transformers. I literally had my computer on top of a pile of boxes because and most of my belongings under my bed and stuffed in my wardrobe. My room was pretty crammed. Then in 2002 I moved out of home and got into sharehousing... again, half my room was full of Transformers. 2004 was when I was first set up my own room exclusive for displaying Transformers. Although this was the front room, so it was next to a lot of human traffic which meant a lot of dust built up in there. In 2005 I moved into a smaller house so I had to cram my Transformers into my bedroom - though at least I had the largest room. Then in 2006-2007 I moved into another apartment with my fiancée/wife... so my Transformers room also doubled as my computer room. Having toys in a bedroom or computer room naturally meant dust accumulation.

In late 2007 my wife and I bought our first home and moved to where we're living now where I have a room for my Transformers collection. It's the cleanest TF room I've ever had because it isn't exposed to as much human traffic as other rooms where my TFs are stored. That's not to say it's completely dust proof (unfortunately the room has carpet) -- but just the least dustiest I've had.

So yeah, putting my Transformers on display was something that started out of necessity to make my Transformers easier to access for play (no need to rummage through a toy box).

[gamblor916]

I rarely get visitors at home due to location and because I usually go out to meet friends so the toys are certainly not for 'public display'. However sometimes I do get the odd person come in like Real Estate inspections. Sometimes they are amazed and other times they act awkward. Only last weekend did an older asian man come in from the Real Estate and saw just a small sample of my collection in my living room (My MOTU display) and he seemed to like it. Jokingly I told him that there were more and suddenly he repeatedly begun to say "Nothing wrong with that" in an awkward manner. When he went into my collection room and saw the bulk of my collection, he continued to repeat the same phrase a few time in an even more awkward manner. I could tell that he was starting to feel embarrassed for me somehow.

I have a magical mantra for that. I say to myself 'do I value their opinion?' or 'who the f**k are they to judge me?' and it's all settled

[janda the red]

^ lol... wise words gamblor!

personally i display my stuff because i think it looks cool. ( and so does my wife...thankfully )

a mantle piece with all sorts of odd toys on it, looks so much better ( IMO ) than one with a whole bunch of china trinkets and crap covering it.

janda

[UltraMarginal]

^ l
a mantle piece with all sorts of odd toys on it, looks so much better ( IMO ) than one with a whole bunch of china trinkets and crap covering it.

That's really a matter of taste isn't it
our grandparents didn't have plastic stuff so they used China, now we have plastic stuff made in China.

Glorious plastic.

[janda the red]

your right, it is a matter of taste...

nice play on words

[liegeprime]

yeah well, thank goodness I havent encountered any negative reaction ( well except for one aunt who chides me about it) when some visitor sees my collection room - they just "open up" actually and recounts , when they were younger they used to have this and that figure and how they missed it and lost it or how mom threw it away or sold it in a garage sale, quite interesting really. These were the roof insulation people, pest control sprayers, electricians blokey people mind you but you can see it in their eyes that they miss their childhood toys. Havent heard any bad comment from em.

One of the Pest control guys was actually a Yoyo collector and I pointed him to Parramatta fair, dunno if he's attended even one. He did ask me coz he couldnt help it, and he mentioned he was apparently thinking to himself ... geez it's one lucky kid who lives here to have all these... but then he thought, nah cant be it's just this guy living here ,theres no kid. So I did confirm his doubts...yup, no kid, just me, all mine heheheh

Granted it's never one of my reason to display my toys ( for people to look at) but it's a nice incentive that it brings enjoyment to others who sees it, not just me.