Oh god, this thread is back. I actually laughed out loud when I read the title. I thought, what better time to join a new action figure forum?
Seriously, though, this is always one of my favorite threads to read and participate in. I like reading about the circumstances around people's collections. Ordinarily, I'd feel like I was being left behind. Like I was the last fan of something fading into obscurity. I've felt that way when coworkers left a job I didn't like or friends moved out of the state I was living in. (I'm sure that comes from a deep, unresolved part of my psyche.) Here, I feel like we can offer guidance and help you regain your joy.
I've told this story at least four or five times over the years, so I'll forgive you for skipping it.
As a kid, several circumstances forced me to grow up a lot faster than I should have. I started collecting action figures when I was about 10. By that point, it already felt like I was regressing or going back for something I'd outgrown. That's a feeling I've never been able to shed. I've always felt a lot of shame around collecting. Part of it was because many of the adults in my life mocked me for collecting dolls, even at that age. I'm not sure if I started collecting to connect to the childhood I missed, or, if, to quote Marge Simpson, because I just think they're neat.
In any case, my childhood collection grew out of control. I had basically every Toy Biz Marvel Legend and subsidiary line figure. The shelves were jam-packed. The idea of not displaying everything you own was foreign to me, so I had a complete team of X-Men, but it featured five Cyclops, three Rogues, 10 Wolverines, etc., all on the same shelf. By the time I sold it off as a teenager, I hated my collection.
I picked up the hobby again in college when Hasbro got their act together and solicited the SDCC exclusive Coipel Thor. I couldn't resist. When I bought Thor, I intended to keep my new collection under 25 figures. As an X-Men fan first, that was never realistic. (My current X-Men display alone is ~20 figures.) Then Hasbro solicited the Black Series and my collection spun out of control again. 25 became 50 and then that became 200. It wasn't sustainable in a one-bedroom apartment, even one where only a handful of figures were ever on display.
As my future wife and I moved from apartment to apartment, I never had the space to display more than that. I vowed to keep my collection small enough to fit into two Detolf display cases for when we eventually owned a house. A decade later, we bought the house. I bought my Detolf cabinets (since upgraded to
Coaster Curio Cabinets). I love my collection now. I rarely pose, play with, or photograph my figures, but I love looking at them. They're stationed next to me in my office and bring me a tremendous amount of joy.
I imagine I have one of the smallest collections on the board. I own about 100 figures with plans for ~20 more. I still buy a lot, but like Pancha and several others, I sell stuff
all the time. It's constant pruning. If I want Mondo's Adventure Time figures but my pop culture shelf is full, I better sell something that means less to me to make room.
My secret advantage is that my parents are hoarders. For a long time, I lived in constant fear of becoming them. Sometimes when I get too much stuff in at once, I get a sick feeling in my stomach that it's too late and I've become a hoarder. Then my brain tells me it's time to purge half of my collection. I've been better at curtailing that lately, but it still lives with me in a real way.
My advice for folks who think they've amassed too much: get rid of it. Sell it on eBay, donate it, give it to a friend's kid. It'll be a huge burden off your shoulders and you'll appreciate what you have even more.
Fuck yeah, the oversharing and trauma dumping is back!
