G.I. Joe is for real men

Since 1982, when he was 9, Roger Taft of Winchester has read about the missions of G.I. Joe.

And he's been on a mission of his own: Collect every comic, action figure and other tie-in.

His collection now boasts about 3,000 figures, tracing as far back as the toys he played with as a child during the '80s.

"I kept better care of my toys as a kid than anyone else I know," he said. "Most of the 1982 G.I. Joe figures I've got in my collection are my original ones."

Taft represents what's become a sea change in the toy industry over the past decade and a half. Of the roughly $1.5 billion spent on action figures last year, industry data suggest, more than a third of that amount was spent by people older than 15.

"What I think has happened is we've been unable to let our childhood go," said Jeremy Padawer, an executive at the Jakks Pacific toy company, which counts among its brands World Wrestling Entertainment and PokŽmon.

Driven by nostalgia in some cases, like Taft, or an appreciation of how detailed toys can be, a group predominantly composed of men has supported the launch of a multitude of niche-oriented toy companies.

Those companies and their penetration of the market, observers say, have the world's top two toy companies scratching their heads, wanting to appeal not just to the children of the present, but also to the children of the past.

No one definitive moment marked the beginning of the adult collector era.

Some say it was the variety of the Star Wars figures issued in the 1980s.

For Kevin Forbes, owner of Lexington's Comic Interlude, it was the emergence of McFarlane Toys in the mid-1990s.

The founder, Todd McFarlane, gained famed as creator of the comic book character Spawn and as one of the minds behind Spider-Man's nemesis Venom. His company distinguished itself with vividly realistic action figures.

"A lot of the quality toy collectors had been into buying vinyl model kits and some of the specialty model kits," Forbes said. "That was the only way you could get detailed figures prior to somebody like McFarlane Toys."

Rising companies

The past decade has seen companies such as the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, commonly called NECA, and Mezco Toyz rise to prominence in the collector community.

Among NECA's many action figure brands are Pirates of the Caribbean and Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as hordes of musicians and even horror movie characters. Mezco Toyz has had major success with its Family Guy line of action figures.

"The variety of the toys is somewhat phenomenal," said Forbes, whose store offers the largest selection of collector toys in the area. "I think one of the biggest reactions of people coming in is they're amazed at the number of figures done and the detail. They had no idea they did action figures for a certain TV show or movie."

Smaller companies have snapped up lesser known brands and licenses, but the biggest ones -- the Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Transformers of the world -- are controlled by toy industry titans Mattel and Hasbro.

The two companies have made strides, observers say, but have yet to fully embrace the growing adult collector segment of the market.

Forbes said Hasbro has gotten mixed reviews since it took over the license to produce Marvel Legends action figures. Focused on Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, the line was previously made by the Toy Biz company, which offered greater detail and articulation, or movable parts.

"Hasbro puts out a lot of good stuff, but it's just one of those things where they could be taking a pretty big bite out of the specialty market if they really listened to what their consumers want," Forbes said.

The Marvel Legends issues are characteristic of "the balancing act" between appealing to adult collectors and other buyers, said Derryl DePriest, senior director of marketing for boys' toys at Hasbro.

"That's the challenge and nature of the business," he said.

Third of potential buyers

Reaching out to the adult collector community can bring great success, no doubt.

Without it, you start off losing a third of your potential buyers, said Padawer of Jakks Pacific.

Before joining Jakks in 2003, Padawer worked at toy giant Mattel, managing the Masters of the Universe line, relaunched in 2002.

It was a line that, although aimed at children, also brought in the adults who grew up watching the original He-Man cartoons during the 1980s.

When he made the jump, Padawer decided more of the focus on certain lines should shift to adults.

"When I took over the WWE brand in 2003, it was very much geared toward the kid mentality," he said.

Jakks had focused on releasing figures of just the biggest current names in professional wrestling.

Padawer, vice president of entertainment brand marketing, led the company to look back at WWE's roots and its legions of fans from prior decades.

A classic move

The result: WWE Classic Superstars.

Entering its fifth year, the action figure line is now in its 16th series, each with multiple figures. Rather than focusing on just the superstars, it includes even obscure wrestlers, such as Johnny Rodz or Akeem.

To reach out to collectors, the company has offered exclusives through online retailers, toy collector magazines and at wrestling fan conventions.

"By reaching into the heart of the collector community, I think the collector community responds in kind," he said.

Padawer also runs his own blog, jeremy.com, where he posts news about the line for fans, who respond with comments by the hundreds.

It's an intimate style of interaction that's not lost on the major companies. Hasbro answers roughly 45 to 60 questions every two weeks from a group of Star Wars fan Web sites, DePriest said.

The company also looks to sustain interest in its Transformers and G.I. Joe lines with fan conventions. The 2006 Transformers convention -- BotCon -- was held in Lexington and attracted more than 2,000 visitors.

The company's G.I. Joe line might have one of its biggest fans in Taft, who fell in love with the brand as a child when his father bought a G.I. Joe comic, looking for a "gritty military comic."

"It turned out it was a little low-brow for him, so he gave it to me," he said. "From that point, I was hooked."

Now, in addition to the action figures, he has mini-busts, posters, magazines, advertising, standups and more.

DePriest, 42, of Hasbro called Taft "a kindred spirit." After all, the executive said he, too, easily has 3,000 Joes.

"I've never actually counted them," he said of his collection of both the smaller Joes and the original 12-inch figures. "I've got the run of the attic and the basement."

Both he and Taft never stopped collecting as they aged, but will other adult collectors do likewise?

Padawer says he sees the success continuing but does expect an evolution.

"Don't be surprised if, 20 years from now, a Power Rangers or PokŽmon is reaching out to 30-year-old people who were fans when they were 10," he said.

Forbes, of Comic Interlude, said the community must face some of its problems, though.

"There's almost too much selection," he said. "I think some collectors get overwhelmed. A true collector wants it all. It's so hard to really get your head around it when you can't have it all.

"How many people out there really have one of every Star Wars figure, even the modern-day ones?"

Action figures