The year was 1977, the era was Star Wars. The franchise created by George Lucas propelled the popularity of action figures. Over 100 unique figures were made, each representing a character from the popular movie series. “Gotta buy 'em all” became the new mantra and children eagerly awaited the release of the newest action figures. The action figures became symbolically similar to what Barbie dolls were to little girls. Music and Video Place (551 Richmond St.) employee Ken Blair was into collecting action figures as a child.

“I used to buy superheroes and Star Trek; I used to play with them when I was six; now I display some of them in a china cabinet.”

Collectors' motivation varies; some want to show their figures off or display them for personal enjoyment. Patrick Bonnamie, a London action figure dealer and collector, said it really depends on the person.

“It's different for everybody; there are children who don't open them and want to keep them in perfect condition, and (adults) who want to rip them open and touch them. People want to get the toys they had when they were children for memory's sake, while others just want bragging rights.”

Bonnamie's reasons for collecting lie in his childhood experiences.

“I collect the superheroes and I stick with the six-inch figurines, and I try to get one of every character. It's because when I was a child, my older brothers who were reading comic books got me interested into the medium and it brings back memories of me playing with my older brothers when I was younger.”

He has seen the popularity of these figures grow over the past three decades as comic book heroes have made their leap to the big screen only to be made into action figures. He said many action figures adapted from comic books have experienced a surge in popularity.

“Batman and related characters have always been popular but are even more so these days because of the movies like Iron Man and Batman.”

Action figures are not reserved for the young; the enjoyment of displaying and sharing them as more than characters in a picture brings them from the world created in the comics to the physical world where children can play with them and adults can display them. Today they are being created for almost any popular television show.