I think all of my toy collecting and toy dealing career I've wanted to see a show revolving around my world. The characters, the interactions, the friendships, the enemies, the conventions and everything in between is a prime breeding ground for a hell of a show. Closest they got in the last 2 decades was Storage Wars and the assorted pawn shop shows, it's relatable but not as close as I'd like. They made one step closer to making good on my wildest dreams with Comic Book Men, but I have to say it falls flat of being a viable show to keep my interests outside of a couple of random 10 minute viewings. I hate to say it but without Kevin Smith's name attached to it the show would have fallen flat before the end of the first season. Then the light at the end of the tunnel, a show that would finally accomplish what other's couldn't (especially in this land of reality TV); Toy Hunter.
(and this is supposed to be the representative to my world?)
While at first I was excited to hear about it but certain things just didn't bode well for the show. I will admit I might be a hard person to please but doing what I've done for as long as I've done it, I'm their hardest sell in the market. The host is the owner of Hollywood Heroes, Jordan Hemborough. Jordan is a travelling toy dealer who I hadn't really heard of before 2008 and someone who should seriously put a little money into updating the company's website. The premise revolved around him and his assistant collecting an assortment of toys and collectibles to sell at upcoming shows. The premise is dry and predictable, the buying scenarios are set ups which is fine because it's not really reality TV and the finds (while they are astounding) are not really followed up by much of any background on the treasures he finds. So the show is barely a surface representation of what makes the hobby as interesting as it is. The star of the show I've met on two occasions, I can't say much about him that would be fit to print; I'll just say I'm not a fan of him on a personal or professional level and leave it at that.
(yeah, don't handle them by the bubble you f*cking savage)
I could go into great detail on how I would improve the show or how I would pitch a show of my own for network TV but I'd hate to see my ideas used without credit. I'm a writer by trade and profession and have seen my work plagiarized enough in one lifetime. While the Toy Hunter show has a good skeleton but it could use a different flair. The hosts/stars are boring, there's no explanation to the average "joe" why these treasures are so desirable, the buying / hunting scenarios are set ups (and not very good ones at that) and the constant chase for money (while it is a motivation to do what we do) makes the show just kind of dry. There's no appreciation for the "how" and the "why", it's just assumed people know why it's rare and how much it's worth. I feel the money chasing aspect of the show alone has greatly damaged the fun of toy collecting.
(I now understand why Elvis shot his TV)
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