Random Thoughts from Working in a Toy Store

These are a collection of random thoughts related to being a comic geek working in a toy store. :-)

It's really cool, working in a toy store, to see the toys/action figures based on comic book movies. I'm not much of a collector myself, so I'd probably never even see them otherwise.

I single out comic book movies only because when I was a kid, action figures based on real people tended to be kind of sucky looking. It's not their fault, just the techniques used to make them didn't really allow for that sort of precision.

Whereas the action figures for Ghost Rider that actually have Blaze's human head alongside the skull really really do look strikingly like Nicolas Cage. It kind of freaks me out actually.

Brandon Routh and Ioan Gruffudd also, for some reason, tend to be pretty recognizeable in action figure form. (The rest of the Fantastic Four don't, as much. Except Ben, but Ben kind of doesn't count.)

The Batman figures don't look as much like Christian Bale, but that may just be because of the mask. On the other hand, for Halloween we'd carried this pail that was Batman's head. Now, if you looked at the nose/jawline of that pail, the resemblance was very striking.

I really liked carrying those around, because they had really creepy intent stares. Fun to freak out your friends.

The JLU figures are neat, but I've never found the three pack with Sand in it. Much to my sorrow. I did however end up using the package with Kilowog and the two other Lanterns in my initial hiring interview.

That was a very strange interview.

We have a lot of the black clad Superman sets though. And Aztek for some reason.

On my first week of the job, I had to have "points of articulation" explained to me by a comic book geek.

Before he explained it, I figured that all of those action figures just talked very clearly.

I can be kind of dumb sometimes.

The Batman lego sets are surprisingly detailed. I particularly like the tiny lego poison ivy. It's cute.

I always regretted that I started working at the store too late to buy that Wonder Woman Barbie doll with my employee discount. The Poison Ivy and Batgirl/Supergirl dolls were cute, but the one I'd really hoped to find was Diana. I could get it on Ebay I suppose, but it's not the same. :-)

The Young Avenger action figure fourpack actually got me reading the comic book. I remember being mildly bemused by the way the little Hulk-lite character had earrings and a mesh shirt. Asgardian's costume was cooler than Wiccan's later was, I have to say.

I had this friend who'd collect various anime and comic based (male) action figures and pose them in suggestive positioning. I thought about giving her Asgardian and Hulkling, but figured a canon couple would probably ruin her fun.

I always feel sorry for families looking for action figures from any previous season of Power Rangers. It's a very out with the old, in with the new franchise. Right now we're on Mystic Force and Operation Overdrive.

I'm disturbed by how easy that is to rattle off. I blame my Power Rangers-fan of a roommate.

We have Lost action figures for characters who'd died two seasons ago. That strikes me as weird. I don't know why.

The fact that we have Rocky action figures is awesome. But the awesomest thing ever is the fact that we have an action figure of "the meat".

We have an action figure of a CHUNK OF MEAT.

Coolest/Stupidest thing ever.