Thoughts on the show Toy Hunters
Just when I thought I was going to scream if I saw another one of those "hunter" or "wars" shows, along comes one what I might actually be interested in. It's called "Toy Hunters" and it chronicles toy dealer Jordan Hembrough as he tries to acquire items to sell at the New York Comic-Con.
If you have never heard of this show, I am not suprised. The show got little promotion and I only caught wind of it through a few blogs I follow. It aired on the History Channel, but there is no mention of it on the site. Apparently this is just a pilot, and if it is well received it might continue.
Toy Hunters first aired Sunday night 1/15/12 at 10pm on the History Channel.
Jordan begins his quest in the land of Kenner, searching out people who used to work for the legendary toy maker. He has meetings with a few, and makes lowball offers on toys from these people's private collections. I found it odd how he simultaneously got very excited about "how much he can get for this", and then turn around and offer an insulting price. This sets the tone for the show and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Rather than Toy Hunters, perhaps they could have called it Toy Scalpers.
While most "finds" were average, a few unique items did come up like a rare Thundercats prototype and a Rocket Firing Boba Fett. Unfortunately most of these scenes seemed so scripted that any genuine excitement was sucked right out. You mean to tell me that the guy who has the oldest collectible shop in Cincinnati has a box full of unpunched 12-back Star Wars figures, and a prototype Boba Fett, and he has no idea about the value? And when Jordan "Has to call a buddy down to make sure it is real" not only is it staged, but it is pretty much line for line what happens in Pawn Stars.
And that brings me to my next point - the reason why I and millions of Americans love shows like Pawn Stars, American Pickers and Storage Wars. Sure, part of it is the lure of making bucks, but the real interest for me is the people. To see other collectors obsess and share their passion with others makes us feel less alone. The people who hunt, and those who are interviewed are genuine characters in their own right. When you focus so much on the money, it makes us feel dirty.
So in the end, when Jordan is lamenting that he was not make enough money to make the Con worth it, I just didn't care. As a rule, dealers don't bring 20k toys to conventions, nor do convention goers spend that kind of cash. Items like that change hands through private collectors or through auctions. The guy who showed up at the last minute and bought the Boba Fett seemed so unenthusiastic, and all too eager to drop 17k on a whim. All too convienent for me.
That's not to say I don't think the show has potential. I think with some tweaks the show could be great. Here are 5 ways I think they could improve the show:
1. Expand to other kinds of toys, from all years. This episode was heavily focused on Action Figures. For the show to grow, it would need to cover toy cars, games, comics, dolls, tin toys and more. Cast the widest net and you will get more viewers.
2. Focus more on the people. Show the passion of the collector, with all their eccentricities on display. Talk about their life, and why they are selling. In the pilot, he basically had to browbeat collectors into parting with their items. Instead, find collectors getting out or moving on.
3. Grow the cast. Find different experts on different genres of collecting, and follow them around. Jordan was OK for action figures, but him every week? Nope.
4. If you are going to script the show, do research. I can accept mistakes with facts off the cuff, but if you aren't sure, just don't say anything. Don't talk to fill space. Make the audience learn with you instead of being talked to.
5. Be original. If you are going to push the buying and selling angle, at least do it differently. Don't call in experts. Don't ask a buddy to come by. Don't do addition on the screen.
In one sense, if the show were successful I would welcome the new audience to the collecting world. More collectors means more visitors to CollectionDX. On the other hand, show the wrong collectors, and it could reinforce negative stereotypes.
Did you watch Toy Hunters? What did you think?
| Posted 19 January, 2012 - 14:49 by JoshB |
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Comments
3 comments postedI saw something a few weeks back that talked about how these shows are becoming less reality but "Modeled After Reality" with staged finds, staged sales. Nothing real ever happens in front of a camera with a break away to a confession booth.
>>>>Confession, I never really watch these shows, but when Josh posted a blog about something I had seen, I had to step in and give my two funhouse tokens on it.
I did not like this show when I caught up with it. Staged seems like an understatement, you get the most physically fit, tattooed dude at Comic-Con to fork out the 5 digit cash for a prototype figure that probably has a few more cousins drifting around Ebay for a few organs less. Then again this was all about.... (We'll be right back after this comercial break).... SUSPENSE! DRAMA! ...and this is on the History Channel? Oh wait, South Park hit that nail with the two ton hammer.
With a name like Toy Hunters, you'd think it have something to do with fans who actually go hunting for things like the man starting with a half sun-bleached Fortress Maximus leg looking for the rest of him on a whirlwind adventure across the United States until he gets into a death defying car chase with the millionare collector... Wait, sorry that's something for Discovery Channel.
As someone who has had to deal with Jordan's Hollywood Heroes before (I used to work at a shop in NJ and they had a prototype a customer wanted) I am pretty disappointed this guy was the guy they chose for this show. He is pretty notorious on the east coast for lowballing folks in a mean way, especially when he knows they're desperate for money. Your worst thoughts are exactly what was going on here. I ended up negotiating over the phone with them for almost a week. It was just ridiculous. It was over $2k overvalue, we know who/where/when/how much they bought it for, and were offering a very fair 110% markup over what they paid. That's more than doubling their money on a pretty obscure toy proto. I know this guy has a love for this stuff but there's a difference between making a profit, and being a jerk and making a little bit more. Don't let them fool you most of their buisness is in new toys & statues, not protos like on the show. That tattoo guy just reeks of "shill buyer" to me too. I have a good friend who works in reality TV and of course what you expect is true: they script a lot of it, re-shoot stuff for drama, and have actors or friends come in to "fill in the holes" to make the show interesting.
I'm afraid that what happened with "pawn stars" and "american pickers" is what will happen to our hobby: lots of newbie people trying to make a quick buck, lowballing old or naive people and offering the items for way, way too high a price when put up for sale. This reeks of the opportunism of 90's comics/baseball cards, and will go the same way of course. I sold a lot of stuff over the years with my very small-ebay buisness (enough to make a good living for 8 years) without lowballing people or being a scumbag, not even once!! And the company I once worked for was passionate about doing the same thing. Sometimes you gotta take your morals put them into practice, and call out others who don't do the right thing. Just because it's legal to rip people off doesn't make it right.
I already see it with older G1 TFs and jumbo machinders. So much opportunism on Y!J to eBay, its gotten way out of hand. I mean, c'mon. Unifive Mazingers for $400+? US box Jumbo Raideens for $500? You know they're just re-listing Y!J buy-it-nows for x2, x3 the price. Like that T-28 that's up right now!!
It's really just sad, get a job! work!
The money I made from all those years of doing it with toys & collectibles came from a lot of hard work, time, and knowledge of the subject. I wasn't sleeping in on the weekends for sure :P You're not going to make a million bucks on toys! if you want to make real money "picking" (a term I despise), try gold or antique furniture. Those are really the only two things you can consistently make money on. Comics, toys, cards: it's for the love of it.
To anyone reading out there, thinking of getting into the buisness of buying/selling toys, remember:
you didn't watch "ER" and walk into a hospital and start operating on someone.
You didn't watch "law & order" and start representing people in court.
Don't watch "American Pickers" or "Toy Hunters" and think your late-to-the-game self can do the same.
I enjoyed seeing the various figures,but the guy did seem really douchey and scheming. He also seemed really aspergery when he started reciting facts about the figures TO THE PEOPLE THAT MADE THEM.