Random Happenstance

2007 Year in Toys, that's an easy post...

For the start of the year, I like to look back at last year's total of toy purchases. Here's the the 2006 list for comparison purposes. As usual, the numbers are a little fuzzy: some prices include tax, some don't. Some of the toys I've bought for my sons are included or noted, but I took a lot of them out. Random toys like capsule or gashopons are also included, and this year, I bought more capsule robots than I did McFarlane Toys, which I thought was odd since I usually get at least one in there somewhere.

1-2 First toy of 2007: Luke Cage, ML, $5, Walmart
1-12 Transformers Attacktix, $2, Walmart (Also Scion Skids Alternator for the Oldest's birthday, $7)
1-16 Brainiac, DCSH, $5.43, Walmart.
2-13 Marvel Gashopon, 2 Mystique, $2, got a full set!
2-15 Caretaker, Ghost Rider movie, $9.99; (Nightcrawler Figure Factory for Oldest, $3.50) K-Mart
2-17 King Kong Gashopon, sucky guy, $1
2-21 JLU Supergirl (and Steel for Oldest!) $2.69 each, Shopco
3-10 Sebastian 'the King' Haff, aka Bruce Campbell Elvis from Bubba Ho-Tep, $10.98, Spencers
3-23 Hot Wheels Batmobile, $.99, Fred Mayers
3-26 2 more Batmobiles, $.99 each, Walmart
3-27 WWF Ring, $5, Walmart
3-30 ML Loki, $5.50, Figure Factory Nightcrawler and Blade $1.60 each, total 8.70, K-Mart
4-7 From the Oldest: Mega Man figures (Dollar Tree?)
4-13 HML Yellowjacket and Quicksilver, $21.61, (and Cap/Hawkeye Superhero Squad for youngest, $5.88) Walmart
4-21 Grindhouse Cherry, $14.95, Spencers
4-27 Venom sponge toy, $1, Dollar Tree
5-1 Star Wars Coin Album w/Darth Vader, $4, Walmart
5-23 Minimates Riot Attack Spider-Man/Spider-Woman, $1.24, Target
5-24 First Appearance DC Direct Warlord, $15.99, Comic Book Shop
6-15 Hellboy Animated w/DVD, $17.99, Best Buy
6-15 Transformer, (Beast Wars Lion) for Oldest, $.75, Yard sale
6-21 Robot Heroes Optimus and Ravage for Youngest, $4, Walmart
6-30 Finding Nemo Gil, Toy Story Woody, Disney Mini-Blister gashopon, $2, Azteca restaurant with Wife and Youngest
7-15 Duplicate capsule toys, $1.50, at Pirates 3 with family
7-17 HML Thor, $9.99, Target (Plus 'Ganesh' for the Wife!)
7-18 Nightcrawler lead figure, $12, The Comic Book Shop
7-20 2 Kong Gashopon--the guy again! $2
7-25 Marvel Toys Legendary Heroes Madman, $9.96 Walmart, part of anniversary present! To me, duh.
7-31 Figure Factory Mr. Fantastic, $.70, K-Mart
8-1 Happy Birthday! The Wife got me MTLH Judge Dredd and Witchblade, $19.96 Walmart. 2 Marvel gashopon, $2
8-14? Marvel Select Cloak and Dagger, $4.75, Hastings. Yard Sale toys for youngest, $1
8-30 MTLH SuperPatriot and Savage Dragon, $19.96, two different Walmarts
9-2 Tiny Devil Ducks, $1.08, Boo Radleys
9-14 MTLH Ripclaw, $5.40, Walmart. A-Team Hannibal Smith, $.10, yard sale
9-16 Spongebob Capsule, $.50, Wonderland (go-karting)
9-18 3 capsule Robots, Battletech-style, $1.50
9-21 Fisher Price Toys for Youngest: silo, school, awesome. $1, yard sale
10-1 Disneyland! 2 minipacks, $10 (X-Wing, Mickey as Luke, R2; Star Tours, Darth Maul, Falcon!) and Donald Duck as Han Solo, $8
10-4 through 11-02 12 capsule robots, $6
10-9 Thor and Beast Attacktik, $1.74, Shopco
10-10 S-Mart Ash, $15.99, Hot Topic
10-17 Stargate Vala Mal Doren, $11.24, Hastings
10-18 Transformers High Score 100, $6.83, Target
10-20 DC Direct Blackhawk, $11.24, Hastings
10-20 HML 'Diamond' White Queen, ML Longshot, $9.47, Toys R Us
10-25 HML Marvel Girl (Rachel), $9.96, Walmart
10-31 MTLH Conan and Wrarrl, $19.40, Walmart (misplaced in the little kids aisle, next to the Marvel/DC kids toys. The Body Bags set is still there...)
11-15 DC Direct Booster Gold, $15.99, Comic Book Shop
11-21 DC Direct First Appearances Blue Beetle, $6.99, Suncoast
12-1 HML She-Hulk, $9.99 Fred Mayers
12-3 Superhero Squad Nightcrawler/Juggernaut, $4.74, Walmart
12-14 HML Black Knight, $11.95, Comic Book Shop
12-25 Merry Christmas! The Wife got me the old school "Where No Man Has Gone Before" Captain Kirk with chair!
12-26 DCD Kingdom Come Jade, $3.74, Hastings
12-28 DCSH Lex Luthor, $5.00, Fred Mayers
12-30 Mezco Hellboy's Roger, $8; Stargate Col. Mitchell, $7.50, Hastings
12-31 HFF Invisible Woman $3, HML Cable & Marvel Girl $5, Wal-Mart (plus presents for my sons that I won't mention in case they're reading. They're great!)
Year end total: $426.09

A depressing realization: out of the most expensive toys I bought this year, three have broken parts: S-Mart Ash (the light on the cart), Grindhouse Cherry (the tip of the machine gun leg), and Sebastian Haff (his walker, a total loss). Ash and Cherry were the result of falls (multiple falls, in the case of Cherry) and the Youngest got ahold of the walker.

The total's down a bit this year, probably as a result of less Marvel Legend-style product on the shelves: in 2006, Toy Biz was finishing with the license and put a ton of stuff out. I didn't buy a lot of Transformers either: my oldest has a pretty big set, but we didn't see as many of the movie ones as all that. Same with DC Super Heroes: I would probably have bought a blue-outfit Supergirl, Two-Face, and Catwoman, if only I saw them on the shelves.

I thought I was going to have a hard time finding any, but I bought that Hot Wheels Batmobile for myself, the kids, and my nephews; like seven times.

Next, I should try and figure out which toys I bought for single-panel jokes...