They’re Not Dolls - They’re Action Figures! The Deeper Meaning Behind Collecting | By: Jordan Fash
Action figures, like anything in life, can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. While we as collectors know the appeal of action figures and the value they bring to our lives, it’s a hobby that sometimes doesn’t make sense to those outside of the collecting community. I’m sure everyone has gotten at least one confused look or a raised eyebrow after mentioning that they collect action figures, maybe even a, “You buy toys? As an adult? For yourself?” Historically I’ve never been too ashamed of my identity as a comic loving nerd, so these kinds of perceptions don’t weigh on me too much, but I do think there’s a real concern about this for a lot of people. I’m not trying to make collecting toys sound too serious here because, after all, this whole thing is about toys and toys are meant to be fun; however, in my time co-hosting an action figure podcast over the last few years and hearing from many of our listeners, I’ve found that collecting action figures can often be looked down on as less mature than other hobbies or, at the very least, misunderstood. I’d like to address that and share three of the deeper meanings behind these plastic figures and how, to many of us, they are much more than just toys.
1. Making Connections
One of the best ways I knew to make friends as a kid was sharing my toys with others and talking about my favorites. I think as adults we can learn something about that by being as unashamed as possible about the stuff we love and finding other people who feel the same way. I collected Marvel Legends as a kid and continued to check out the toy aisle over the years, admiring the Legends retro cards that started to appear while I was in college. I didn’t know if it was mainly kids or adults buying them, but I definitely thought they looked cool. Not long after that an old friend of mine decided to take out his childhood Legends collection, take a few pictures, and look up some online groups. It turned out there were dozens of Facebook groups dedicated to Marvel Legends, each one full of members passionate about these figures that we’d drifted away from. He told me about them and not only did he and I reconnect (and now talk all the time and make videos about Marvel Legends every week), but we became part of these online communities. If not for the Facebook groups and YouTube channels, I might have continued to admire Legends from afar, wondering if I was the only adult I knew who still loved these things. This speaks to the ways in which collecting can actually help combat isolation, something that seems to be growing despite the opportunities for online communities in our modern world.
2. Inspiring Creativity
My co host Dakota talks about action figures as art pieces. While that might seem a bit snobbish (and it probably is), one of the things that strikes me most about the collecting community is their creativity. The unique thing about displays is that the collector is completely in charge of the arrangement. They can make whatever scenes they want and add in different elements, coming up with new themes and engaging with a display that can be constantly evolving; I think it would be hard to argue that there isn’t a heavy artistic element to that. Along with this comes action figure photography which is an art form of its own as collectors manipulate lighting or simply come up with unique ways to pose their figures. Then there are the customizers who take figures and make them their own. These can be entirely new paints, kitbashes, or something else entirely. Even the simple act of holding a cool action figure speaks to the childhood desire to make up a story or get to posing and imagine what kind of awesome stuff your heroes could be getting up to.
3.Improved Mental Health
While some might say action figure collecting can have drawbacks in becoming a financial strain or even stressful hobby, I’ve found that collecting mostly has a positive impact on mental health. Collecting can give someone an activity to look forward to or a way to keep themselves busy. Mental health is an important thing to be mindful of and getting help when needed is important but sometimes finding a way to keep yourself busy is an essential way to cope with stress. I’ve heard from many people who have turned to collecting when getting out of substance use. I am by no means trying to paint collecting itself as an addiction but turning from drugs or alcohol to action figures presents a much less destructive choice that serves as alternatives to those other habits. With this comes the elements mentioned above such as community and creativity, both of which are incredibly healthy things for a person to have in their lives.
Those are just a few of the important impacts collecting can have on a person’s life. It is my opinion that collecting is ultimately a good and healthy thing that should be celebrated for all the positives it brings. If you feel ashamed of collecting or don’t know exactly how to explain why collecting matters to you, I hope at least some of these ideas help. If you’d like to hear these thoughts explained more in depth (or just check out some other stuff on Marvel Legends and all things action figures), check out me and my co host Dakota on The Strong Collectors on YouTube. Thanks for reading and, until next time, stay strong!
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