Teresa Newell on Origins in Toy Collecting

Jazz here, and I am so diggin' the Geekcast Radio

Network. Greetings, humans. This is Starscream,

and you're listening to Toycast. And if any of

you call me a parts former, one more time! Hello

and welcome to an all -new generation of Toycast

as we get the origins of any and all toy fans

that we can. I'm of course TSU and Mike and today's

featured guest is, well, she's royalty apparently.

I don't know where this comes from, we will get

that story, but it is none other than Ms. Teresa!

how are you good good good how are you i'm pretty

good pretty good so it's time we started talking

toys here on toy cast and i don't remember i

have all my episode numbers mixed up i know what

175 was because that's probably already out by

now folks but uh you're either going to be 178

or i don't know because originally i was going

to have you know the the rulers, Slapshot Pops.

I was gonna have them at 177 for Star Wars and

that didn't happen. So I don't know where you're

gonna fall, but you're gonna come pretty soon

here, most likely mid to end of May. And we have

42 questions all about toy collecting. What is

or was the first toy you remember having as a

kid? Couch Patch Kids. Very cool, very cool.

So that was my first Don't know I guess collectible

per se because at the end of it I ended up having

like 30 of them. So only 30 only 30. Yeah adult

Teresa is looking back on kid Teresa and saying

you amateur You know what's funny is I actually

still have them that's cool. That's good. That's

awesome. That's great It's always nice to see

when people's childhood toys can make it through

to adulthood because that's a rocky road. Yep.

Yep. That it is. Yes. Yes. Was there a particular

adult who was supportive of you playing with

toys as a kid? Was there anyone who was unsupportive?

No, I can't say unsupportive. I mean, my brother

and I were raised by our grandparents. And so

Our grandparents pretty much spoiled us rotten,

so anything we ever wanted we could get, pretty

much. And so they actually created our own little

toy room. And so our toy room was completely

full of toys, Legos, Barbies, constructs, GI

Joes, Transformers, all that stuff. We we were

quite spoiled nice. That is so cool. That's awesome

Yeah, my entire family was like that my mom my

dad not so much that's a that's a story or question

I can answer later because it's why that question

exists, but But my mom my grandma and my grandpa

my like my grandpa would go take me to like 88

89 when I was eight or nine years old He would

take me over to I don't know where it was Up

in Massachusetts, it was probably Benny's or

CVS or when you find the Ninja Turtles that were

out at the time and stuff like that. So yeah,

so cool. What types of toys were your favorites

to play with? I mean, besides video games, I'd

have to say Barbies. I mean, I'd spend hours

and hours on Barbies when I was a kid. So I mean,

we had. I got to say I had my little ponies.

I had strawberry shortcakes. I had all that rainbow

bright. I had, I had it all. So, um, but yeah,

I mean, like I would spend hours playing Barbies.

So very cool. Very cool. So is that the one that

kind of stands out more than the rest of them

is the Barbies? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. For sure. Do

you prefer the label of action figures, dolls,

toys, or other labels? Probably action figures.

If we're looking at it from like now for like

GI Joe's can you know transformers and all that

stuff I would definitely say action figures instead

of toys or dolls because you know, I mean They're

action figures. Yeah Yeah, absolutely The whole

dolls thing is like because I remember as a kid

sometimes One or two of my family members who

didn't understand why children play with toys

Oh Mikey's gonna go home and play with these

dolls now Dolls great. My grandma didn't do this,

but it's not dolls grandma their actions, you

know, that'll right right old things like Good

guys or girls or bad guys or girls, which were

your favorites to play with the most? Hmm while

with my brother with he man I was both I was

Shira and I was What's her name Tila? So, or

Tila's the same one. What's the evil one? Tila

is a different hero, but Evil Anne is the bad

side. There we go. Yeah. So yeah, with my brother,

I played with both, so it didn't matter. Very

cool, very cool. What is or was your favorite

toy vehicle or play set? I mean, toy vehicle,

I guess, would have to be like my Barbie... Convertible,

you know, of course always like, you know back

in the 80s. That's what we all played with right?

Yeah playset My grandpa actually built me a three

-story Barbie house So I'd have to say that as

my playset So that was definitely something cool,

you know, I had carpet and it had all kinds of

cool stuff in it So it was it was it was impressive

That's awesome Did you and your friends ever

pretend with your toys that you had by this?

I mean did you say I'm gonna be this toy and

you can be that toy like John can be the Piece

of glass and Joanna can be the water bottle or

whatever. Yep. Oh, yeah, of course Always. Yep

So, I mean we had quite the imagination. So of

course, yeah Yeah, absolutely. It's I asked,

you know, I when I get to that question sometimes

people don't understand it They're like, what

are you talking? I'm like technically it's what

LARPing is today But it's it was better back

then because we were using our imaginations and

we didn't necessarily have to dress up as the

character Yep. Yep, exactly What features define

a good toy to you how true does the item feel

in comparison to the source material likeness

I mean If we're talking about like nowadays like

the sodas per se I mean The sodas there's some

that lack detail but then there's others that

are just like it completely brings you back to

you know childhood or from Whenever you watch

it or whatnot. So yeah, it's it's it's definitely

cool Yeah What does toy packaging have to have

to draw you in? So you go into whatever store

it is because I can't say it's a toy store now

because those don't exist anymore unless you

live in Canada, right? But you know you go into

a store you see a pop a soda Transformer a GI

Joe Barbie like what does the packaging have

to have to be for you to say? Oh, I want this

I Mean, it doesn't have to say anything Usually

like the first sodas and pops if there's a certain

one that I want then I'll pick up Or or same

with sodas if I need it I'll buy it if I don't

need it. I don't usually buy it As for like action

figures and stuff, I mean I haven't bought a

lot of action figures, but if it's something

that I collect or somebody that I know collects

or something like that, then it doesn't have

to have any type of packaging. It can just be

the figure and I would probably buy it. Very

cool. Very cool. Do you open your toys or do

you leave them packaged? If you keep toys packaged,

do you have any specific criteria for that? So

it depends on the toy. Obviously, so does I open

right? Yeah pops. I usually keep them packaged

I do have a couple action figures and yes, they're

still in the package. I don't have necessarily

a criteria for that. It's just you know, like

Should I open it should I not yeah, it's cool

to open But I kind of like the package too. So

maybe I'll keep it together. I don't know. We'll

see So, and then I never usually open it, so.

If as a kid or an adult, you were only allowed

to choose one toy franchise to collect from,

which one would you choose and why? Twelve questions

in, folks. It only gets more difficult after

this. Right. So as a kid, I mean, I'd probably

say Cabbage Patches just because, like, Every

one of them were different. Everyone had their

own personality per se they had different clothes.

They were never the same As an adult, I mean

obviously and have to be Funko, right? So Because

that's pretty much what my my main collection

is nowadays. So I would definitely have to say

Funko soon As an adult, do you prefer vintage

toys or modern toys? Aha, it depends It depends

on what it is. So if I'm out and about Guard

sailing or an antique shop or something like

that. There's there's some that'll like, you

know, they make you Intrigued because of like

the history that that toy has So, you know, I

mean, I guess it depends You know, I do a little

bit of both, you know, I'll buy A vintage one,

not a problem. 1950s, 1940s. Something like that.

Thinking of something my parents played with

or my grandparents played with. That's definitely

cool. I have nieces and nephews and stuff like

that. I buy modern toys all the time. Very cool,

Oracle. What is one toy you always gravitate

to more than the rest? So, in your entire collection,

what's the one toy you'll go and pick up and,

you know, look at or put on your desk or whatever?

Oh, boy. Um... Hmm. I don't know. Good question.

That I don't know. Yeah, we had to re -actually,

in a couple episodes ago, I actually did it live

on the air. I had to rewrite that question to

what it is currently because we would get all

kinds of dirty looks and dirty thoughts because

originally that question was, what is one toy

you can always play with? Everybody I know, including

me, has a dirty mind. I had to change that question

just a little bit. Take it just a little bit.

Yeah. I mean, any of my sodas, you know, I'll

pick up and look at or play with. I mean, not

really play with, but yeah. Yeah, no, it's not

really like, but it's like, oh, I'm going to

have like. I am that man. Not technically a soda,

because it's a pop, but you have that on your

desk, or you have, let's say, Bedtime Bear, or

Marty McFly, or it's just the one that you gravitate

to more than most of the others. I mean, I don't

really have a lot on my desk, except for all

the new sodas that I still have to put away,

to be honest. So and then when I get when I put

them away then I don't really have anything on

my desk so I can't really say that there's something

like that like Has to be pulled off the shelf

or whatever to just sit here and play with or

look at or anything like that but I mean I would

it would have to be probably something Wonder

Woman because or Harley Quinn Both of those are

my favorites. So Yeah, I need to get the Harley

soda I need to get that chase isn't the chase

metallic it depends. Well, we have both of them

are Wait, the common and the chase are metallic.

I thought only one of them was metallic. No,

there's two Harleys. I Mean the animated series

one. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's hard. Yeah, or

it's metallic. Yeah Even though there are always

toy lines that people never purchase, are there

any that you specifically and purposefully avoid?

This can be a toy line, character, etc. So again,

you're going into the store, you see all the

toys, you see something and you're just like,

nope, that ain't for me. No, not really. I was

never restricted growing up or anything like

that. That kind of stuff doesn't bother me or

whatnot. I think my my family feels the same

sentiment. So there's nothing too Absurd per

se to not buy or want to buy Are there any toys

in the past or currently you wish you had not

bought them Or are there any toys that you may

have sold that you regret letting them go? I'd

have to say well letting go I'd have to say like

my strawberry shortcakes, I got rid of those

when I first got them or whatever because it

just brought up some bad memories from childhood

and stuff like that. And so, you know, I didn't

want them. But, you know, now I kind of regret

not having them because, you know, they're just

nostalgia, right? But then again, I mean, maybe

I don't, I don't know. That would be the only

thing that I would regret getting rid of and

not having now. So very cool. Very cool. How

large or small is your toy collection? Do your

toys take up the whole house or are they really

get into one room shelf or something like that?

Well, my Funko's are currently in one room and

I actually I have not. Gone outside the one room

for my Funkos But like I said, I still have my

cabbage patches, right? So my cabbage patches

have kind of they're they're they're a little

bit here and a little bit there and a little

bit everywhere and so And it's like easy access

for like the kids if the kids come over or want

to play or whatnot Not that I have kids come

over or anything But you know, I mean they're

they're readily available and they're not coming

in here and messing around with my Funkos. So

I guess they're a little bit everywhere. So all

my collectibles are. Yep. Very cool. Very cool.

How do you keep track of your collection if you

do? Well, I mean, obviously there's Hobby DB,

right? Or there's the Funko app or any of those

stuff. I also have a list of the chases and the

sodas that I need because yes, I am a completionist.

However, I have yet to a bunch of that stuff

off the list. So, yeah, it's a laundry list of

the items that I want, so for sure. Nice, nice.

How do you display your toys? I mean, you've

seen it, so out of the box, right? Or in my case,

out of the can, so. Yeah, out of the can on the

shelf, I've got lights around it. You know, it

looks phenomenal. I like it. You know, I display

both the common and the chase next to each other.

So in some instances, you'll see the holes in

my collection that where I'm missing the chase

or whatnot. So you can definitely tell which

items I need. Now, if you could only keep one

toy from your entire collection, what would it

be and why? Like, the house is on fire, everybody

is safe, humans, pets, whatever is safe, but

what's the one thing you'd run in to save? It

would probably be my pink Batman soda. The Adam

West one, the new one? No, the old one, the all

pink one. All right, right, right. Yep. Yep,

yep, yep. All right. Well, folks, I think we're

just going to move on with the questions because,

wow, this has been the fastest. Usually by now,

we're at two hours. Oh, really? I usually tell

people it's going to be like a two or three hour

recording. So as long as you can make the time

for that, that's fine and great. So here's the

flip side to that. Kind of question. Here's the

toy box challenge and I assume this is inches.

I don't know you get one 18 by 18 by 18 box The

only toys you can keep have to fit in the box.

What can you pack into it? Oh boy Well, I'd have

to take my jada toy, um wonder woman, um, and

probably the harley too, so um, and then I mean,

probably just my DC sodas if I had to, if hopefully

I have room for those. And then obviously like,

the Pops, I mean, I'd have to keep some of my

chases, right? Some of my OG DC chases that I

have. So the OG Wonder Woman chase, the OG Batman

chase, the OG Superman chase the og flash chase

robin chase two -face penguin So i'm sure i'm

at 18 by 18 now Yeah, it depends on you know,

I mean funko's sodas and pops are not exactly

Large things i'm sure you could pack a lot into

it So it's kind of obvious folks, but we still

have to ask the question are you a funko fan?

Well, I'm not a huge fan, just a little one.

Says the woman that goes to HQ like every other

week. That's only because I'm up there for work

anyways. Excuses. I lived out there for almost

four years. I was a three hour drive away and

I never got to go. Oh well. Can't drive and when

you know the person that drives doesn't isn't

around anymore then That's a problem. Yeah. Anyway,

hey, no it yeah, so funko fan When did you first

find funko like what how did you discover them?

How did you discover the pops or the sodas or

whatever? So Gosh, it's been forever in a day

I'm gonna say like Probably 2016 ish My cousins

my cousins actually live up there by the way,

so I have some cousins that live up there and

They were talking about it at a family get -together

or something like that probably in Montana or

somewhere and so That's where I first discovered

it And then and then I was actually out there

for work And so they asked me if I wanted to

go to Funko HQ. And I'm like, sure. I don't know

what these are. Like, show me. And then I was

completely intrigued. Like I. Yeah. And so that's

what kind of opened the door. So what was your

first pop? Do you remember? I do. And I still

have it, actually, believe it or not. It was

the Wonder Woman bombshell bombshell pop. So.

I actually bought two of them at the same time,

so both of them are still in my collection. And

so yeah, that's what started the whole thing.

Very cool, very cool. So you're more into the

sodas than the pops nowadays, huh? Yes, but I

still have pops. You still have them, but you're

buying pretty much every soda at this point.

Yes, yes. I buy every soda. Yeah, ladies and

gentlemen, she is the soda queen because, you

know, she'll buy them all. She doesn't care what

character it is. If I need it, I'll buy it. Well,

so what was the first soda you got? Oh gosh.

I don't remember. My goodness. I mean, It would

probably be a DC character. I'll have to say

but I don't know which one Maybe Superman. I

don't remember. I really don't remember Wow So

what is it about the sodas that you like so much?

I Love a lot of them. I love the detail, right?

Each individual one has a different detail, you

know But it reminds me of like childhood like

growing up like, you know, like all the hannah

-barbera ones or all the The cartoons that we

used to watch growing up or like the motu or

Masters at Universe I mean we all grew up watching

that stuff And so it's it's just it's phenomenal,

right? So I love I love the detail And the nostalgia

of it I guess so Yeah, I wasn't I wasn't really

on the soda train because I'm like They're in

cans. You can't leave them in the can because

then you can't see the dang thing So you got

to take them out and you got to find a way to

display them properly and luckily We know people

that have actually created display pieces. Hello,

Jim Yeah, like I think I have like 24 25 so it

is I've bought 25 soda decks from him easy Absolutely.

Oh, yeah. I mean when I first started oh I had

soda decks left and right I still do I still

have them. I just don't I don't display them

that way. Yeah, I asked him when I first got

my first said I'm like wait Where's the name?

He's like they wanted to charge me an extra dollar

So I said screw it because originally soda decks

came with the name soda deck on the on the thing

It was black It was in it was lettered in black

But those were just stickers, you know that right

like we put those stickers on there That wasn't

a sticker. It was yes. It was wasn't really yes.

It was I did not know that So when I because

I went back to visit Slapshots a Few years ago

and I literally sat there and had to put the

sticker on every single one of them for him So

yeah, I did not know it was a sticker. I thought

it was embossed like the rest of the stuff Yeah,

no, it was a sticker That's that's interesting

So when did you first find John and Joanna who

are Slapshot Pops on YouTube and and whatnot

folks? Yes, it's the same Slapshot Pops, but

how did you first find them? Oh, man I don't

know. I was I had I Just gotten into like watching

the YouTube videos and stuff and I Got on a live

stream somehow And I ran across them And this

is before I would knew what live streams were

really, you know, like I mean we do live streams

every week, right? Yeah but No, this was something

that like it was new to me and so like they were

on with somebody else and I was just like oh

like these are cool people and then I had just

recently bought like a mystery box And it was

something that I knew that he was wanting so

I just reached out to him on Instagram I'm like,

hey, can I send this to you like just randomly?

So, I mean, yeah It was it was cool. Yeah, very

cool. Very cool Yeah, folks, if you don't know

the Slapshot Pops funko community is is amazing

$10 every month gets you a puck gets you in on

the group chats and whatever else and make sure

you have them add you to blue team because that's

the best team as we all know Although she's biased

because she's a moderator and she's on all three

teams. That's right. Yes. I am bias. Yes We all

know the true answer. It's true blue. Come on

I'm not gonna say. Sure you're not. We all know

the truth, folks. We all know the truth. Honestly,

I would have to say no. Oh, come on. No, because

I have to say, one of the other chats has a lot

of the OG people, so the people that I got very

familiar with. And it's just kind of weird how

they all ended up in that chat. It really is

but like it just it's it's it's kind of like

going home if that makes sense after being shuffled

up and into all the other chats and all that

stuff and then them, you know putting all these

chats back in it it really was like, you know,

you're really familiar with it because like We've

really got to know each other and like that was

like our little community right there in that

group chat Back in the day long time ago. I would

have to say probably two years ago now But we

really got to know each other and like what each

other collects and what we're looking for Always

were willing to help each other out. We were

always we weren't like charging people for stuff

We were doing trades and that kind of thing Yes,

and like it's just it's They're good people,

good genuine people, and if they know that you're

looking for something, they'll reach out to you

and be like, hey, I picked up an extra one of

these for you. Or if they know that I'm looking

for something, or if they're looking for something

and they know I'm going to HQ, they're like,

hey, I'm looking for this. Okay, cool, perfect,

I'll see what I can do. You guys don't understand,

I don't walk out of Funko without spending less

than three to $600. Yeah Yeah But it's not all

for me. So oh, yeah, I mean no because there

aren't that many sodas yet But there is well,

I mean there there are a lot of sodas but Not

three hundred and three hundred to six hundred

dollars each time you go. Come on now There's

not that they haven't gotten to that like the

soda catalog isn't hell The overall catalog isn't

even that large yet. The overall catalog is like

twenty seven thousand items or something All

right. Well think about it this way. I buy two

to three sodas a time out of time of each character

to try to pull the chase right and so if they

have ten different sodas there. Mm -hmm. And

they're 15 bucks a pop. Yep. And I'm buying 30

of them. That's 450 bucks right there, right?

Yeah. She's crazy, folks, but we love her. Yeah,

yeah. Just a little. Anything else about Funko

you want to talk about before we move on? I mean,

they're in the news a lot lately. Supposedly,

I heard some guy at one of the comic cons that

I went to, he was like, oh, Funko's going broke.

They're filing bankruptcy. I'm like, that's not

true. How is that true when they're coming out

with these products and everybody's buying them?

How is that true? They can't be filing bankruptcy.

So hopefully not. Hopefully that's just false

news. If it is, it'll be a crying shame for sure.

Yeah. Yeah, I can't. I can't stand when people

that don't know about the stuff with Funco where

it's like, oh, they're going to go out in a couple

of years just like Beanie Babies. I'm like, it's

not the same thing. Yeah, I mean, you've got

to think about it. So they've been around since,

what, early 2000s. And this is 20 years later.

Beanie Babies only lost it like eight or nine

years. They didn't even last a whole decade.

Yeah. So, I mean, obviously Funko's doing something,

right? Yeah, exactly. What is the most money

you spent on a toy? Single item, not chase. It

could be a chase, but not like you emptied the

store, but one toy. What is the most money you

spent on it? What kind of toy? Any toy. It doesn't

matter. I'm so I'm really cheap when it comes

to buying things for myself So I can justify

buying a $15 soda But when it comes to big ticket

items, I can't justify it, right? So I Mean probably

$200 if that Oh, okay So if that I don't even

think I've spent that much on one item yet. I

just can't pull the trigger on it Yeah, it depends

on what it is. I mean, you know, obviously it's

just that's just the way the question is written

but like back in the day when I had a fairly

decent job they were paying me good money for

what I was doing and whatever else I would go

on eBay and I would spend 100 200 bucks to get

old transformers. This is 2006 2007 and then

in 2008 the BotCon 2008 shattered glass set came

out and the whole set to get everything from

this guy uh complete you know not not opened

not whatever like 800 bucks i was like okay fine

i mean the box set itself was 500 and then the

three additional figures i just recently spent

Three hundred dollars because I finally got and

I'm sure this is a horrible deal now considering

what they're supposedly valued at I needed the

yugioh Egyptian god pops and those couple months

ago were not cheap and Originally a slifer was

I think slifer is still at 135 but the other

two which surprises me Obelisk is at 70 and the

Winged Dragon of Ra, which is supposedly the

most powerful one in the cartoon and in the cards

or whatever else, 41 bucks. So I spent just over

300 for all three. That's not too bad. It's not

too bad, but still, I don't know. Glad I have

them now, obviously. I have yet to pick up some

of those bigger bigger Freddy's, you know I've

had in my cart or whatever and I've really wanted

them and whatnot, but I Just I can't do it. Yeah,

I mean I'll spend Hundreds of thousands of dollars

on other people but when it comes to myself,

absolutely not. No, I Just can't do it. I had

so far. I've had one chance because I'm not and

I figured this out the other day and this is

so crazy and You know, I know you're not a person

that will easily get offended. Thank God, but

I Realized I don't know how I realized this but

it was either in the blue team chat or on one

of the slap shot lives or Whatever it was. I

finally realized why for the most part. I don't

give a crap about Freddy Funko And it was because

we ended up talking about the Barbie movie. And

I realized that essentially, Freddy is just Ken

in disguise. That's all Freddy Funko is, is a

Ken doll. Okay. I mean, okay. And I mean it's

not that I despise Ken or anything else, but

I just never could when I first started collecting

Funkos I never could understand why everybody

was so fascinated with their mascot because At

first I thought he was a big boy knockoff Yeah,

he kind of is yeah, and I and I know technically

you're right like I know that he's Because big

boy was one of their first things that they ever

did they ever worked with and whatever else but

I've come around I like certain ones of Freddy.

I think officer Freddy is cool from NYCC Yeah,

I do have the HQ with whatever the Freddy is

that's on and I thought I had no I Forget who

it was in the in the in the blue team chat I

died triple dog dared somebody to open their

HQ and I said if you do it I'll do it so I opened

it and not realizing that the Freddy Funko it

comes with is not glued on or molded on. No,

that's a pop that just falls right off. I opened

the box, I pulled the thing out, and Freddy just

went flying across the room. For what? The HQ

town. Oh, the HQ town. Oh, got you. Yeah, the

HQ town. Yeah. Oh, OK. I was thinking the HQ

pop, and I'm like, No, it's your town. No, the

pop town. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I was like, yeah.

Well, yeah. Between it and Wayne Manor, my pop

town is pretty much sick. So on the flip side,

what is the cheapest toy you bought or what was

the best deal you ever got for a toy or a figure

that may have been worth quite a bit more than

what you paid for it? I mean, free is always

good, right? I Mean I've won stuff. I mean I'd

have to say that you know like getting stuff

Given to you for free. I think I still have I

Mean I probably still have some of the the pops

and sodas and stuff that I've won throughout

the years So I don't win very often though For

sure no, I don't either and Right now the Not

counting shipping the two best deals I ever got

was I did the little sweet mail away So you spend

five dollars and soda you're not gonna drink

because dr. Pepper and diet dr. Pepper are the

devil But you know you buy the bottles you send

the UPCs in you get a free pop 46 weeks later

and then recently the box was a little dinged

up, but it wasn't too bad, but I got a Gamerverse

white spider white symbol spider -man from the

spider -man game. I finally got that pop I think

I paid not counting shipping. I paid like under

ten bucks So those are my my two best deals I've

gotten I'll have to say I won a free nft batman

pop So I'm waiting for that to nice. I'm excited

for that one for sure That's very cool. Uh -huh.

Yeah How into or out of the NFTs are you? Are

you a fan of the NFTs? Not a fan? I haven't even

tried to dabble in it. I just I feel like it's

a good way for Funko to make more money off of

one pop. Yeah. So I just I struggle with it for

sure. Yeah. I mean, my only struggle is it's.

Essentially gambling and whether you get it or

you don't get it and I'm just like But I just

want the dang pop like stop hiding the transformers

behind NFTs, please Right. Oh, yeah, like come

on. Yeah Like I okay, I understand why gold optimist

prime was an NFT because gold optimist prime

has always been that super special thing in the

transformer world and everything else, but Hot

Rod, Devastator, Rumble, and Sideswipe? I think...

And... Freddy can go dress himself up somewhere

else. Oh, stop! Oh my god. I don't like Freddy

and Rumble. It looks just... It looks really

cartoony, for sure. Very cartoony. And the sad

thing is, from what I know, or from what I've...

From what I understand and I haven't gotten a

confirmation from Funko or anybody or Hasbro

But the way I understand the Transformers license

because I have a lot of the Transformers pops

That the license that they have with them for

the retro toys is basically at least for Transformers.

You can use the toy design not necessarily the

animation, you know the the Show accurate design

kind of thing, which is fine. I mean the toys

look great like my optimus prime funko pops They

look great. They just look like the old toy from

generation one, which is fine. That's not I'm

not complaining about that, but I just find it

interesting that Whatever the deal is with funko

and Hasbro on those is that it's like toy designs

only Okay, right Hey, we got a we got a generation

one cartoon sort of accurate thing with the the

GameStop lunchbox thing because The Optimus had

the orange axe and the Megatron had the purple

mace which was in the very first episode of the

cartoon So I'm happy. Yeah. Yeah, that was definitely

that that lunchbox was really cool. Yeah, it

was What modern and or vintage toy lines are

you collecting right now? Mean modern obviously

is The sodas yeah, right like when it comes to

comics and that kind of thing like it's it's

DC hands down like Whatever but action figures

and stuff. I don't really collect a lot of action

figures I do have some but it's usually from

gifts and stuff. Yeah So it's not not a not a

lot if that makes sense So I'm not really collecting

a lot. I mean, I guess besides Legos. I mean

Legos are the best right so I have to say You

know, I I love Lego and the probably the line

that I collect the most Yeah, this is probably

like the city the city stuff. So like the cars

and the Buildings and like that, you know the

police, you know Stations and the fire stations

and all that stuff stuff, right? Yeah That's

that's always been so cool about Lego where you

can get the city stuff and you can actually make

an actual city in your you know room or Whatever

kind of thing always love that Of course for

me as a kid. I would be as a kid. I was like

Lego screw that I want my Lincoln logs. Damn

it We had Lego everywhere, everywhere. Yep. Between

Lego and Micro Machines, nobody's foot was safe.

That's right. Do not run barefoot in the house

if there are Legos or Micro Machines around because

you're either going to go flying or you're going

to slip and fall. Yep. You know that Joanna didn't

know what Micro Machines were and I bought her

some and sent them to her and she's like, oh

my god, these are cute. I don't want to get into

the whole thing but you and I are of a certain

age where we've been around for let's say four

decades maybe. They are babies at this point

and I don't mean that as in like to be insulting

to them but he just turned 30 and I'm like oh

god damn youngsters with your hipping and your

hopping and your tick and your talking get off

my lawn. Right? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yep. They're

babies. They don't understand, like, what we

did when we were kids, because, I mean, like,

you know, again, it's just like, you know, how

everybody says that if the streetlights come

on, it's time to come home. That's right. You

know, that was that that really was it. So, yeah.

You're you're out all day long and whatever else

you're riding your bike or you're playing baseball

or you're doing whatever you're doing outside

Yeah, there's those streetlights. Come on. You

get out you get your ass on your bike and you

get your ass home That's right. Exactly. Yep

So, I mean that's that's pretty much how it was,

you know Like I don't know if there was days

that my grandparents knew where we were So helicopter

so hella like she needed to know where I was

When I was and why I was at every second that

I was like, oh my god Like I love she passed

away back in 2007 So it's been a long -ass time

since it has since she passed but but like oh

my god I'll say okay grandma I'm going over to

uncle pet is my grandma and my uncle Pat lived

basically like literally not across the street,

but like right within the same vicinity of each

other and you're going where how long are you

going to be there when are you coming back you

know like i'm like oh my god but yeah as soon

as the street lights come on folks get your ass

home and you don't come out of the house until

the morning until it's daylight like yeah Do

you visit toy shows or conventions? When you

visit toy shows or conventions, do you have a

certain methodology? Do you bring a certain amount

of money for what you're searching for, et cetera,

et cetera? So I went to my first Comic Con this

year. Awesome. So I didn't really know what to

expect. I mean, yes, there was a lot of money

spent, but it wasn't on toys. It was on comics

mostly. You know, I mean Yeah, I've got a problem,

right I've got a podcast for that 30 questions

all about comic books. So But yeah, definitely

It was it was a lot of fun no methodology. I

really didn't know what to expect. So yeah, we're

cool. We're cool What do you think it is about

our generation that causes our childhood toys

to mean so much more to us than say for instance

our parents generation You know, I don't know

You know, I was never around my parents to know

anything about their childhood or anything like

that. So I really don't know why It brings us

so much more joy, I guess per se But it is. It's

just cool. Maybe we've learned to appreciate

them now because we played with them when we

were younger, but we've learned more of an appreciation

for those things or the G .I. Joes or the Transformers

or the characters that played them or anything

like that. I think we've learned... I don't know.

I guess it's kind of a tough one, but I really

think it's just that we've learned to appreciate

what we had. Most of the time we joke on the

show and say, oh, it's because we actually had

toys and they didn't. Technically, a bicycle

is not a toy. But I mean our grandparents had

toys too. I mean, yeah, you know, they had dolls

and trucks and you know, I mean they had stuff

too So I mean like it's not it's just not that

I think it's just we've learned to appreciate

more. I think there's a big difference in Say

something like and I had one of these when I

was a kid But like you're talking about how your

you know parents and grandparents had like dolls

and trucks and whatever else There's a huge difference

in a truck that just kind of rolls along and

you can roll it along the perimeter of the yard

or the house or whatever. And then there's a

truck that debuts in 1984 that turns into this

robot that's really freaking cool. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, technically the 80s were the genesis

of the toy boom that we've had for the last almost

40 years. Yeah. What is your motivation for purchasing

toys to display, play, fiddle? Describe your

collecting style. I don't even have to ask this

part of the question, folks, because I already

know the answer, but I'm going to say it backwards.

Are you a cherry picker storyteller or a completionist?

I think I've already hit on this a little bit.

Oh, yeah Yeah, I'm definitely completionist.

So I've got to have them all so yep Boy, yep

Have you ever purchased a toy for a child with

the ulterior motive of playing with it yourself?

Oh, yeah always, of course What kind of question

is that? Hey, so some people don't do it. Some

people have never done it I've had like one or

two guests and we've been doing Origins here

on the show for, well, it's been about two years

or so now. And only like one or two people have

said that they don't do that. Oh man, that's

unfortunate. So you gotta be kidding sometimes.

Yeah, absolutely. Have you ever purchased a vintage

toy for a child because you thought it would

be fun based on their own preferences, based

on your own preferences? No, I haven't. No, I

don't. I don't buy a lot of toys for the kids

because I'm just not around them enough to know

what they would like. Right, yeah. Very cool.

Do you do any toy modifications or customs? Painting,

building, building dioramas or anything like

that? I mean, besides Lego, no. No. No, I don't.

I'm kind of generic when it comes to that, but

I just don't have a lot of time. Well, not everybody

has the time and not everybody wants to do it.

It is what it is and that's fine. I'd rather

work with wood out in the garage than paint something

small and minute. There you go. Very cool. Do

you think toy companies should specifically have

adult collector toys, child toys, or find a way

to mix both? both. They're going to mix both.

Even now, as an adult, I still want to play with

toys. They need to mix it up a little bit, for

sure. It's funny. This has only ever happened

to me once, but I was in a Walmart somewhere,

I forget where I was, and I was getting ready

to get to the pop section. There was this whole

family just standing around, and it was two adults.

kids and I'm just like damn kids get away from

my pops I didn't say anything I didn't do anything

but like really funko pops are not for children

no not really because they destroy them they

destroy the boxes and then you go to shop for

them and you're just like oh man they're all

trashed like ah I mean you can't find a decent

one sometimes nope Yeah, I'm trying to see if

there is I'm looking at Barnes and not Barnes

books a million neo in the matrix I'm trying

to see if there's like a like, you know ages

six and up on here and I don't see any age limit

on the pop boxes which Sometimes there is so

sometimes there's a a 17 and up I want to say

those are on the horror ones. Oh, yeah, that's

that's true, but Do you have a my parents got

rid of my toys story No Because again, I was

raised by my grandparents and my grandma liked

to save everything so She saved all of it for

us luckily. So I mean she saved all of it for

us. Yeah We've pretty much had to go through

our stuff, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, yeah. Yeah, I always ask that question. And

it doesn't necessarily have to be parents. It

could be grandparents. It could be whatever,

whoever was in your childhood. Because my mom

was always super supportive. My dad just kind

of, I don't know what was going on. He just didn't

get it. He wanted me to grow up at six years

old. And he ended up selling all of the Motu

figures I had at his house, including Snake Mountain.

And I was like, why? I'm six. Like, come on.

Right. Yeah. That's unfortunate. Yeah. And the

one thing I don't understand with Funko Pops,

and specifically to Masters of the Universe,

they have all these characters and they have

all this stuff. They did a Skeletor with Snake

Mountain Pop Town, but there is no He -Man with

Castle Grayskull Pop Town. No, not yet. Not yet.

That is for sure. We had all that. We had Castle

Grayskull. We had Snake Mountain. I mean, we

had, we had all those, all those. The only thing

I never had was the, the Palace of Power. The,

uh, the, uh, the attorney, the attorney. Palace

of Eternia the old appellate the they just announced

a brand new one that's coming supposedly If the

funding gets funded, I guess but yeah the Palace

of Eternia was one of the thing I didn't have

but I had almost everything else Masters back

in the day. Oh Yeah. Yeah, we we have it all

and We were spoiled for sure. Oh, yeah Do you

feel you are coming to an end of your active

collecting? If so, what has signified this phase

for you? Was there ever a moment when you were

done with toys all together and have you ever

considered stopping as a collector or even selling

your whole collection? I mean, yes, there has

been times. Yeah, there has been times. Absolutely.

I'm working on moving probably across country.

And so I've kind of got to come up with a thing

or a thought or something of how I'm going to

move all these, because am I going to move them

all or am I going to sell them and start new?

So I've really got to kind of I don't know. It's

going to be difficult to make that decision for

sure. Yeah. So when Karen and I moved from Chicago

to Washington, we were in Vancouver, Washington.

most of my pops that I had a whole, there's pictures

online, I can send one to you so you can see

it. I think you might have seen it already, but

I had a whole office filled with pops. I had

like three or four shelves in there, three or

four bookcases, just filled with pops. And all

of that went into storage with my dad, and I

told Karen at the time, I said, I said, look,

wifey, at the time, I said, I don't wanna put

these in boxes, they gotta be in totes, so we

gotta go, but we bought like, 10 or 12 of the

black and yellow totes. And I just put them all

in there and I said, here you go, dad. You know,

thank you so much for storing them. We went out

to Washington and I started buying more. And

that's when I finally got the, I got the little

sweet in the mail and whatever else and all that.

And by the time I had to move from Washington

here to Indiana, I think I had another, so there's

10 or 12, there were, I got most of them out,

but There were 10 or 12 totes in my dad's storage,

but from Washington to here, I had to buy another

seven or eight totes because from 2019 to 2022,

I was still buying pops. I was still collecting.

I was still building my collection. So use the

black and yellow totes if you're moving. You

may have to use a lot of them, but use those.

Yeah, it's it's. Yeah, it's gonna be difficult

for sure, so. Absolutely. What is something that

does not have a toy of it that you'd love to

have in toy form? So it can't be anything that

they've already made, but what is something you

want in toy form that has never been done before?

Oh God, I don't... I don't know. I don't know.

See? Told you they just get more difficult as

we go along. I couldn't think of anything because

I mean like most of everything that we We've

I mean Most everything's been covered I guess

most everything Funko still hasn't revived the

elf license yet though because we have an elf

pop yet But that's been a toy right back in the

day. Well, it has yes it was but like And then

I won't funko pop out. Yeah, yeah As long as

he's fluffy or furry or fuzzy or yeah, yeah With

a cat Just make sure it's not in his mouth, right

exactly. Oh Boy that would be hilarious What

is a toy that you'd love to have scaled up and

functional for real people? So a toy that you'd

love to have scaled up and functional for the

real world. I mean, I don't know. I mean, obviously

a car or something, right? So like maybe like

the Batmobile or something. That would be freaking

cool. Yeah, that would be awesome. Or like the

Stitch, the little red rocket ship. Yeah, the

big red. Battle Cruiser, that's what it is. How

did I remember that? Probably because I just

watched those movies again recently. And I will

name him Leroy. And I'm like, really? Really?

Yep. Oh, hamster veal. Oh, Lord. All right, folks.

Well, question 37 is not in a row. It's kind

of null and void. So we're going to just hop,

skip, and then jump right over it. Toy collecting

can have its struggles. What is one aspect that

you tend to struggle with the most? Not having

enough money when the toys drop Yeah, and People

have told me oh, he'll still be there by May

1st. I'm like, okay sure fine It's only two weeks,

but and I was really really like I've never so

I only have The Lights and Sounds Batman. I did

not get the Lights and Sounds Vader because I

figured they would not get James Earl Jones to

do any of his classic lines because he's retired

from being Vader. They announced the Lights and

Sounds Optimus Prime. I freak out and then I

think to myself, wait, we need more information.

Because if Peter Cullen is not in this I'm not

buying it even though it's only $18 You you can't

do a lights and sounds optimus prime Generation

one and not have the voice of a and I finally

saw diss trackers of course by the time this

episode is out folks This is all null and void,

but I saw diss trackers post a video and i heard

the voice and i i know peter cullen's voice like

the back of my hand and people on diss trackers

instagram were like is it really is it is it

really peter cullen i'm like One if it's not

Peter Cullen, I will know off my right arm and

I have cerebral palsy So my right arm is the

cerebral palsy arm, which is the one I can't

like I will know off my arm if I'm wrong But

I'm pretty damn sure it's Peter Cullen as the

voice of Optimus Prime saying Autobots roll out

But like you were saying about not having you

know enough money at the time when they drop

I'm like Oh, damn it, it dropped and I'm not

getting paid for another two weeks. Oh, well.

I'm at the point in my life where if I can't

get it right away, if I can get it eventually,

fine, sure, whatever. But if I can't, if I don't

end up getting it, it's whatever. Water under

the bridge, I guess. Yep. I guess, I don't know.

What is one positive or one negative memory you

have with buying toys? None. None. I don't have

any negative whatsoever. Well, positive or negative.

Nothing, really? Okay, that's fine. All right,

so Fun Co gives you the keys to the kingdom.

If you could create any toy, what would you want

to create? Oh, gosh. Like, unlimited budget,

unlimited everything. You can make whatever you

want. I don't know. I mean, I'd have to say...

So like in regards to sodas and stuff, I mean

I don't think a lot of like the DC women and

stuff get the recognition that they deserve in

sodas like yet so, I mean obviously it would

have to be like Hot Girl and Black Canary and

Zatanna and Huntress and all of them I think

I definitely think that they need to be made

and they need to be made soon I don't know why

they haven't been made yet. I mean, we have Batgirl

sodas. We have Harley sodas. We have Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman. We have Supergirl questions. No,

no. I don't have Supergirl. Yeah. Huh. Interesting.

And with the new Supergirl movie coming out,

you'd think that that would be something that

they'd want to do, you know? I mean, maybe they

will once it gets closer. Hopefully. Who knows?

Yeah, what is the one piece of advice you would

give the toy collecting fandom in general? Collect

what you like so Definitely definitely collects

what you like and not what anybody else likes

or don't fall into the FOMO of Having to get

it today You can wait and the prices will come

down So definitely, definitely collect what you

like. Very true, folks. And don't be like her

and buy everything. How do you have the space

for all of that? Oh, that's crazy. I mean, I

have I have my room. Yep. for the sodas. So if

I lose that room, then I've got to rethink about

it. Well, if you're moving, you got to think

about a whole new adventure with them. You got

to think about how they're going to be displayed

in the next place, because the next place isn't

going to be anything like what you currently

have, probably most likely, because every place

is different. So it's always interesting having

to move a toy collection, because Every new place

you have to think up a whole new way like I still

haven't displayed there I I move everything around

half the time Mm -hmm. Although once that Wayne

Manor and once that bat wing get opened I highly

doubt those are ever leaving that top shelf because

Well, they're not heavy but they're they're they're

larger things What is advice you give to kids

who enjoy toys? Enjoy them like you know play

with them even if they've even if your parents

tell you that you're too old to play with them

Who cares like just enjoy them, you know, so

Absolutely. Absolutely Alright folks, that's

going to do it. We're going to take a quick ad

break. We're going to hear some ads and some

other stuff and we're going to come back and

we're going to see what Teresa has to promote

and all that good stuff. We'll close the show

right after this. Last big party of the summer,

folks. Let's go out with a bang! Hey everybody,

it's Jason with 7 Bucks a Pop in Mystery Grill.

In case you didn't know, 7 Bucks a Pop is your

number one stop for buying Funko Pops online.

In addition to the thousands of Funko Pops that

you could purchase right now, we have our popular

Pop Shields and Pop Shield Armors. Plus our signature

series collection featuring authenticated signatures

on Funko Pops. And join us on mysterygrail .com

for your weekly Funko Mystery Box. We have our

Sunday drops every week at 3 p .m. Eastern and

our theme Thursday drops every Thursday at 6

p .m. Eastern. What a time to be a mystery grailer.

Check us out on sevenbucksapop .com and mysterygrail

.com. Plus on social media on Facebook, Instagram,

Twitter, and YouTube. That's sevenbucksapop .com.

Hey, that was fun! The Geekcast Radio Network

presents for your listening pleasure, The Cinema

Geeks. Hosted by Amanda, Kevin, Matt, and Dan.

Each week we dive head first in the landscape

of movies as we discuss movie news, play movie

games, go in depth on reviews, and even have

a top ten countdown or two. Also, don't miss

our director retrospective series where we review

line is, if you love movies and love podcasts,

you need to experience The Cinema Geeks. You

can find us on iTunes, Hi everyone. I'm here

to tell you about the DC Comics News Podcast.

Here every week to talk everything DC. Movies,

TV, comics and everything in between. But don't

just take my word for it. Here are a couple of

our sponsors. Listen to the DC Comics News Podcast.

it's audio justice no no no it's audio chaos

these wackos are crazier than i am well maybe

you're both right regardless you can catch us

on every kind of podcast platform apple podcasts

google play spotify stitcher and everywhere you

find great podcasts so um can i go now let him

go He did everything you asked. No. 5916 charlotte

pike and for the rest of us popping off toys

.com is always open and you can check us out

on facebook twitter instagram and even tiktok

and the name is just simply popping off toys

thank you so much and always keep it popping

One of the primary themes of Toycast is that

we focus on throwing it back to the past. We

are who we are today because of the nostalgic

memories and experiences from our childhood.

Obviously, we wouldn't be doing this show if

it weren't for the toys that made us so addicted

to nostalgia. Throwback Toys Chicago is your

primary go -to collectible store to reclaim the

toys that drove those memories and experiences.

Specializing in action figures from all of your

favorite toy lines like Star Wars, G .I. Joe,

He -Man, Transformers, Silverhawks, Ghostbusters,

TMNT, Mask, and more, get your dose of nostalgia

with a shop run by collectors for collectors.

Whether you are looking for a loose G .I. Joe

ice cream soldier, a packaged Leonardo, recent

Star Wars Black series, figures or an AFA -graded

Boba Fett, Throwback Toys Chicago is all about

throwing you back into your geeky obsession with

toys. Visit the shop at 1450 North Ashland Avenue

in Chicago, Illinois, just two blocks south of

Ashland and North Ave. Call the shop at 847 -830

-1031 or email them at tbtchicago .gmail .com.

Visit them and give Throwback Toys Chicago a

chance to throw you back to your childhood. Hello

all sentient beings! Want the latest on everything

going on in the Transformers multiverse? Check

out the Transmissions podcast network. We've

got weekly podcasts covering everything from

Alpha Trion to Omega Supreme, from Old School

G1 all the way up to Cyberverse and beyond. And

you don't want to miss Empire of Rust, the world's

first and only Transformers Live Play Role Playing

Game Podcast. If you love Transformers, there's

something for everyone at transmissionspodcast

.com. Discover a world of vintage and modern

toys that's more than meets the eye with the

Triple Takeover Toycast. Hosted by toy writers

and photographers Toybox Sobox, Sixo and TF Square

One, this informal and chilled out series of

discussions cover everything from vintage Transformers

to Mask, Diaclone, Microman and more, be it nostalgic

or current. Whether you're a seasoned collector

or a casual robot enthusiast, all are welcome.

Triple Takeover Toycast. All right, we are back

here on toy cast with Teresa the soda queen What

would you like to promote? You know go give Slapshot

pops a follow on YouTube Instagram Whatnot same

with rock and roll? So John and Joanna, I've

mentioned them. Jim, obviously we've mentioned

him with the soda decks and stuff. Go give him

a follow on YouTube and whatnot and Instagram.

They're always selling some great stuff. Professor

Josh, gotta give him a shout out, definitely.

So go give him a follow on Instagram, YouTube,

and whatnot. And then of course the pop and duo.

I mean you got to give Vince and brewery kudos

They're they're hilarious They're crazy. They

are So go give them a follow on Instagram YouTube

and whatnot as well go so go support all of pop

force one members You know, I'm I'm kind of getting

I'm more into the comics right now than I am

anything else, but you know, I'm still collecting

sodas and all that fun stuff. So You know, I

do have a YouTube as well. So you guys could

check me out. It's just Teresa Newell So go give

me a sub. I also have an Instagram. So it's T

Newell 2244 on Instagram But yeah, so so come

check us out give me a follow and you know, check

out my my videos. I'm actually will be having

a video dropping here soon. So keep an eye out

for that. Hopefully by the time this episode

is out, folks in mid to late May, she'll have

at least four new videos. I challenge you. I

don't know about that. Twenty five K by Monday.

Damn it. Let's go. Yeah, no, then get 25k by

Monday. You can have four videos out by the middle

of May. Yeah, well 300 subs so that yeah, that's

not gonna happen It's not it's not all about

the sub count. So yeah. Yeah, not all of hey

I only have like six I've been on YouTube for

15 years and I'm more of a podcaster than a youtuber.

So I don't really But I still have like 680 -something

subs, I think. I don't know. I just don't advertise

my channel much, so. Go check her out on YouTube,

folks. The link will be in the show notes on

geekcastradio .com. Anything else you want to

say about toys, toy collecting, or anything before

I run through the closing? Keep collecting. That's

right. Alright folks just interrupting before

I run through my closing here since the recording

of this episode with Teresa Slapshot pops has

reached 25 K on YouTube 25 ,000 subscribers on

YouTube. Congratulations to them I have gone

from 680 subscribers to 700 subscribers on YouTube.

So thank you to everyone who watches my Wacky

whatever I put on my YouTube channel now Time

to close the show. Thank you for joining us here

on Toycast. If you'd like to get in contact with

us and leave feedback for the show, there are

several ways to do so. Visit the website geekcastradio

.com where you can listen to and comment on all

of our content. Send an email to feedback at

geekcastradio .com. Here are all the ways you

can listen to us. Nowadays, the Apple Google

Podcast. Leave us reviews, please. Spotify and

any other podcasting client you choose to use.

Follow us on twitter at geek cast radio for the

network at tf toy cast for the show I am at tf2

and mike. You're not on twitter. Are you? No

She's smart folks Become a fan on facebook out

of facebook .com slash geek cast radio network

and also check out tf toy cast or toy cast over

there as well Next time on toy cast. I have no

idea because I don't remember what episode number

this is. This is why I don't do unnumbered episodes,

folks. Because if it's unnumbered, it doesn't

matter. Right? That's right. That's right. For

now, I'm TF2 and Mike with Teresa. Join us next

time. We'll be talking more toys here on Toycast.