Art…. Nostalgia… Time Machine… It’s what the Toy Box IS and will continue to BE.

 

For this trip I figured I should get comfortable. It's a long ride back to the past.
For this trip I figured I should get comfortable. It’s a long ride back to the past.

Greetings Dear Readers! First let me say thank you for keeping the my toy box alive for all so many years now and I hope you all have enjoyed the reviews, articles and goofy stuff that I’ve shared with you since the beginnings of the site. It’s been a lot of fun and now I’m looking forward to a whole lot of new stuff for 2016 that I think you’ll really enjoy.

For the New Year and beyond I’m opening the boMe carrying RA1x up to some new ideas that I know I for one am truly going to enjoy. While the reviews will still be a big part of the site the perspective and content is going to get freshened up by some of my friends. Be sure to stay on the look out for guest reviewers coming soon. This line of thinking also ot me listening, thinking and learning.

Bet you didn't know the Dr. could also rock it out. For this shot he borrowed Scott Ian's guitar (also from BBP btw).

A podcast is in the very early stages of pre production. Being an old radio guy I’m a slave to the concept of format and theme and as such I’m wanting to make sure that whatever we bring you will be worth your time to listen to. And in thinking about that I had to ask myself; “What IS IT about these little playthings that keeps ME entertained?” The answer came in three parts; Nostalgia is obvious, the mental time travel to childhood aspect and the deepest of them all; the art.

Only a mother or a comic book artist could love this mug. Or your old but Jimbo!
Only a mother or a comic book artist could love this mug. Or your old but Jimbo!

From the design and sculpts to paint and graphics, toys are truly my preferred form of art to stare at, contemplate and be inspired by. Even more so than the characters that may be represented, the artistic skills that go into a particular toy has always amazed and entertained me. It’s also why when something catches my eye, I prefer to have two. One packaged and one for display. Each form is a separate piece of art that deserves appreciation. It’s not about “Mint in Box or on the Card” it’s about maintaining the integrity of the piece. Which just so happens to be equally enjoyable in or out of its casing. I’ve been wanting to explain that for a long time now so thank you for humoring me.

me on floorAnd that brings up another point that I would like to make, this one pointed at the non toy collector who doesn’t “get it”. So many believe that it’s a childish hobby or a fools errand in trying to secure a financial investment. And while the later could be true, it’s not in my opinion, enough of a motivating force to maintain such a thriving market (the collectors market). Enough preaching. Plus none of us really need to justify our passion. Just do it. I say it now only after lots of introspection and planning for the future and felt the need to share. So I did.

Mini Me 1Concluding this rambling I again want to sincerely say thank you to each and every one of you. Your continued support and readership has allowed me to accomplish the two initial goals I set out for myself. The first being learning HOW to blog and the second to be a professional toy reviewer. Without you, your input and your following those couldn’t have happened. So now I want to give back by way of offering you more entertainment, information and fun in 2016. As a matter of fact I’m working on the first article as soon as I finish this paragraph. Well lookie there! I’m done.

Now, Go Play!

Jim 12/29/15

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Author: Jim Bumgardner

Jim's Toy Box features programming that is inspirational, uplifting and motivational all the while offering encouragement to those who wish to make the most of this life in preparation for the next.

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