How Toy Story Changes The Way We Think

Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film which was the first fully animated film using CGI. It was a story about Andy and his toys which to our surprise, are just like you and me, able to talk, walk and love. In another word, being alive. Most of us have been brought up in an environment which treat toys as just a plaything, another lifeless object which doesn’t really relate that much to adult.

Toy Story

So are they really as lifeless as we allow ourselves to believe? To answer that let us ponder upon another question. Why do we need toys in the first place?

Adults play an important part in the development of our child’s human interactive skills but unfortunately, we are not able to provide the undivided attention our child needs. Toys were used as a convenient substitute for children to learn this interactive skill in place of adults. I bet most of us have talked with our teddy bear or toy soldier before. We even developed such a strong feeling that we even called some of them as our best buddy. So to a child, their toy is very much alive just like you and me.

Child' Play, Chucky

My first toy related movie was about a murderous doll called Chucky. Child’s Play is a horror movie about a serial killer who is also a practitioner of voodoo. During one of his runs in with the authority, he was shot and mortally wounded. He took cover inside a toy store and uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul to a doll before his body expired. This doll was later given to… surprise surprise… a boy named Andy. It was one of the most shocking and frightening movies that I ever watched as a kid. It is a scary thought to think that the toy that you are playing with could very well be a psychopathic killer!

So are they really as lifeless as we allow ourselves to believe? In Shinto, we believe that spirits or gods exist in each and every object in the world. That will very much include the toy. On the other hand, did we not said that an artist always express themselves through their work? Mona Lisa was known as a great piece which mirrored the thought and heart of Leonardo da Vinci. Some said that it’s a reflection of his soul. The exact same thing would be true to a toy. The designer/sculptor pours his/her life and effort into it so that it is an extension of his/her soul.

So next time before you go to bed, imagine what your figure/toys might be doing while you are sleeping. What is that Pikachu doing inside the display cabinet? What about the Alien who has been sulking on that corner? Will my Predator goes on a killing rampage? Are they going to throw a party with my absent?

Well who knows? They might embark on an adventure which will lead them to affinity and beyond! So tug in tight and sweet dreams! =D

History of Collectibles

Collectibles or whatever you want to call it has been with us since the dawn of ages. There are proofs suggesting that our ancestor has very likely collected a wide variety of items such as seed pods, seashell, precious stones, bones, teeth, be it natural or man-made.

Recorded history of collectible started sometime after World War II. People do not have to live in fear and were getting more leisure time due to increased economic growth. They start devoting this extra time in different hobbies and one of these hobbies are collecting items of interest. They start collecting small item such as stamps, bottle caps, matchboxes, base ball cards; you name it, everything under the sun. The hobbies of collectible took another step forward after the industrial revolution when a wide variety of product such as dolls, collectible cards, sign board, posters, books, small trinkets, bicycles, motorbikes, and automobiles can be mass produced. That is the silver age of collectibles.

Fast forward to the present which I would say the golden age of collectibles, we have even more items to collect thanks to a succession of cultural revolution that happens almost everywhere in the world. Now we have anything from the norm to the bizarre such as your workshop kit, soft drink can, designer dolls, ventriloquist dolls, figures, lock of hairs, finger nails and the list goes on.

What is installed for us, the collectors in the future?

Collectibles will always be a part of our life no matter where we are heading in the future.

So, if you have not already jumped on the collecting bandwagon, you should pick up an item and start your collection. It is never too late to start. If you already owned an impressive collection, by all means, share it with the rest of the world. Show them the fruits of your passion and joy. That my friend, is the bragging right reserved for all collectors.