When I was a teenager and in my early twenties, I did... now; as I approach 40 in a few months. Nope... not in the slightest.

 

Haven't really been conscious about it since I was a teenager.

In fact, I had a funny situation a couple of years ago, when I went shopping with a friend of mine who's never been into toys/collectibles. We went into Disney Store to check out their stuff, and he was very weirded out by the fact we were in a children's store - I think the little fancy dress costumes got to him the most.

It was funny to me because I just go in these kinds of shops to browse without even thinking - it's been years since I've been squeamish about "what people might think" when I go into toy stores.

If it worries you, the best way to think about it is to think about how often YOU observe other shoppers when you're out and about. Chances are, you don't very often. And that applies to everyone - everyone's so absorbed in their own little worlds that they don't care about much around them.

 

It’s trying to justify 3rd party and MP prices for me!  

 

I certainly don't care if a friend comes over and thinks it's odd or whatever, if that's what you mean. My humble little apartment has been called "the museum" by at least one friend of mine due to all of the toys I have on shelves, stuck to the walls, etc. They may or may not have meant it in a nice way, but so what? Most people, plus or minus five years of my age seem to love it (too much so, sometimes, particularly when a cable guy or other service person comes over and is a bit too excited about my stuff). If I lived in a larger space, I probably wouldn't have the toys so front and center... my goal would to be to have a room devoted to them... but it's what I like to collect and I'm not apologetic about it. I'm lucky that my wife likes toys, too.

Now, do I feel weird in a "is this worth it" sense? That comes and goes. Sometimes I think to myself that I wish life was like a Sim City game, where you could just hover a mouse over something and convert it to cash. Vintage toys, I'll probably always have some level of affection for.

 

The last service person I had in my house looked at my collection and asked if I liked to watch Thew lol.

 

I've had people be complimentary to the point where I think they're casing the joint!   Then some folks want, like a curated tour or something. Listen, thanks for the nice words but I'm not taking you on a tour.  

 

I’m a little self-conscious about it. I always have been. But I haven’t bought any toys in-person for well over a year.

 

In my mid 20s til my early 30s a bit.... But now I'm 40 and have lost whatever last bit of shame I once had.

 

This same thing has been posted numerous times.

If you are under 45, the 1980s were really the first time that there were things like what we would call toys today. Action figures really only got started in the 1970s. Yes, I am aware that GI Joe and Barbie came out decades before, but they were really dolls. The 1980s was the golden age to be a kid. Which is why so many middle aged people today are collecting what they had when they were younger. There is no point in collecting a tin toy from 1940, because you didn't play with that stuff.

Plus the 1980s was when there was a full on marketing blitz and cartoons targeted at kids. No kid would miss Saturday morning. People forget that cartoons of the 1940s and 50s really weren't made for kids.
Huge toy stores popped up everywhere. Toys R Us, Children's Palace, KB, and many others. That isn't nostalgic for someone who is in their 60s or older.

Nobody thought anything was weird when a middle age guy in the 1970s bought plastic models or train sets. My grandfather had a massive spread he built in his basement with eight different trains. He also built models all the time to put with them. It was his hobby. He did it because when he was a kid, those were the toys that were available. Look at the number of people over the age of 75 that collect pre-1950 bicycles and pedal cars.

A middle aged person buying Transformers, GI Joe, or other toys is simply doing the same thing as any other generation. Buying stuff form their childhood. Kids today see some guy with a massive train set in his basement as weird. They don't think anything is weird when they walk into one of the man caves at their friends house and see some toys on a shelf.

What is really different about today, is that the young kids are still playing with the exact same toys as their parents. Same with the music.

I was driving my son and his friend in my car one time and my mp3 mix switched to The Sweater Song. The friend of my son says, "Whoa, this sounds like Weezer. Is this from a new album?" I said, "No this is from their first album in 1994." He had this shocked look on his face.

 

Awkward teen phase right now, hopefully as I get older, it'll dissipate.

 

In order to hide my drinking from my wife, I resorted to buying alcohol in small, easily hidden quantities. That meant I had to hit the liquor store pretty much every day to sustain my habit. To do this, I used to rotate between three different local stores. I did that because I was embarrassed about being seen by the same cashier at the same liquor store day after day after day . . .

I’m sober now. The last time I had a drink was over 7 years ago, and that was the last time I felt ashamed of what I was buying.

Recovery is about standing up, practicing acceptance, taking responsibility, and leaving shame behind. So no, I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about my toy purchases. It’s my hobby, it’s my money, it’s my life, and I’ve got nothing to hide anymore.

 

My collection is prominently displayed in my house. My wife sends me pictures of the transformer shelves when out shopping. Its how i have managed to pick up some harder to get items like Netflix Bumblebee, and clearance stuff.

 

We are oooooold  

 

It's cool to have a partner who aids and abets you.

 

I got more looks trying on heels and skirts as a man than buying toys. Don't care about either myself. Gotta be comfortable with the things you do.  

 

Those who would berate you aren't worth listening to in the first place.

This world's priorities don't make sense. It's considered ok for people to recreationally ingest poisons but adults are frowned upon for liking a well crafted, art form traditionally aimed at children.

Freedom to enjoy this and other hobbies are the right of intelligent, sentient beings.

 

When I first got into collecting 20 years ago I definitely felt weird, and the feeling lasted probably about five years. Then I realized I don’t give a shit about what people think about me and stopped caring.

 

I sorta did in my late 20s a decade ago when I got into Transformers.

Now I could care less about what others think.

 

Hang in there, you'll get through it!  

 

I'm not shy about it at all! I feel like some of my fellow collectors I pass glances at in the store that are obviously collecting, feel a little embarrassed and I can see them trying to play it cool, but come on man! Don't be ashamed!

Some of my co-workers/friends collect Transformers or other brands/items so its always nice to talk about what we collect. We look out for one another and if we spot something they may like, we share it with them. I have great friends that also support my hobby and we will all go into the store together to go "hunting."

Now I HAVE had a few instances where I have thought to myself: Do I really need to be collecting all of these material things? Do you really need to buy toys that you will open up and just display on the shelf? You're an adult, maybe its time to clean house...

But then I come to my senses. If I'm not hurting anyone and it makes me happy or gives me self-fulfillment, I see no reason to feel weird or otherwise embarassed.