Toy Collections- for play or for keeps?

by admin on April 7, 2010

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Toy collections. Almost every parent starts one.

When I was a child, my mother started me with collectible Barbies.  Swan Lake Barbie, Holiday Barbie- you name the doll- I have her still in her box, picture perfect.

I remember when I reached my late teenage years, I would often tell my Mom how silly I thought the collection was- but now- umph years later, I not only have an appreciation for the collection but am finding myself starting similar collections for my own children.

Only unlike my mother’s Un-touchable collection- my collection is very play-friendly- in fact my kids play with them all the time.

So what is my collectible of choice?

… Mr. Potato Head.

You can find a Mr. Potato head for just about every occasion, holiday and profession and they are always offered at a very reasonable price point.

I am not sure when my obsession collection started, though I was  officially aware of its existence andI knew I was not alone when I found out that this years Spud-Bunny was completely sold out in local stores!  Luckily, the folks at Hasbro sent me 2 for my kids baskets and they were over joyed on Easter morning!

My kids love their Potato Heads. It encourages them to use their imagination and they love mixing up the characters facial features and accessories. Today our Spud-Bunny is sporting a Santa hat in lieu of his signature bunny ears- both my 5 year old and 18 month old find this hilarious.

I do not know that all of our Mr. Potato Heads will stay as perfect as they were when they first arrived – but I’m not sure if toys were really meant to stay perfect. Though I do love my Barbie collection now, I also believe that worn in toys equal well loved toys and for us- that is what Mr. Potato Head is- well loved.

Do you collect any particular toy for your child? Do you let them play with it or do you keep it in the box for value in years to come?

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Tagged as: mr.potato head, toy collections, toy story

  • My kids don't have collections. They have Leggos but they are everywhere, including my dishwasher, dryer and vaccum cleaner so I guess that doesn't count. When I was a child I collected Precious Moments but I got rid of them all because I don't have the space. I love your Mr. Potato Head collection, just adorable.
  • I haven't started any "official" collections, however the Hot Wheels seem to be "collecting" on their own. It's funny because this post from Modern Kiddo (http://www.modernkiddo.com/?p=1364) made me start thinking about all my old toys. I think I had almost every item on that list!

    I also had doll collections. I had every Strawberry Shortcake character. I had every doll in the Wizard of Oz crew. I had I don't know how many dolls from "around the world". All new and shiny in their boxes. My mom never let me play with them. I used to sneak them open (this is before Fort Knox took over the toy packaging security efforts) and secretly have little doll parties when she wasn't looking. Funny thing is, I have no idea where all those perfectly preserved pieces of plastic and nylon are today! I have a call into the momster.

    So, I say play away!! Every bump and scrape is a story. The real value of the toy comes from all the fun memories and the experience right?
  • well I am a collector of figures too, love them, thanks for this cool post xx
  • How lame am I that I haven't yet???
  • kmama
    We have quite a few Mr. Potato Heads too!! Both my kids have gone through phases of loving them. I like that they encourage dexterity by having the children insert and remove the pieces.

    Our biggest toy collection, by far, is the Disney Cars miniature cars (like matchbox cars). We have so many of those, and they keep making more.
  • We have a ton of Disney Cars too!!! ... We got the carrying case for them-
    but now there are so many they don't all fit in there!
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