I'm not saying this. Just a little smoke up your butt but I realize I was a toy collector when I started watching secret galaxy and pixel Dan. I was 41 years old. I was buying my first house. I had kept a lot of the toys from my childhood, but I wasn't buying new toys. I started watching these videos and realized how much I loved and missed that world and now I have what my wife calls the toy museum in my house. So that is the moment that I realized I was a toy collector.

My very important figure is the vintage collection Darth maul. Me and my mom would drive around to countless targets, Walmarts, and toys r us’ looking for it. We eventually found it at a target on my actual birthday. The thrill of the hunt and spending time with her made it special

This is the kinda video I love to see the most from toy channels. Sure, hunts and reviews of new stuff are nice, but nothing beats the passion you get from someone's personal story as it relates to a toy.

Awesome video! Glad to see Dan Larson make an appearance. Although I had a few Star Wars figures as a kid in the early to mid 80s, the Power of the Force Boba Fett was also my first Boba Fett figure. I kept him mint on card until recent years. Still have another I got later on card.

Great story! I was born in the early 70s so I was able to know Star Wars from the beginning. I too bought the crap out of those 90s toys. I just knew they'd be worth something ;) I remember hunting for the POTF 2 Boba Fett with the half circles on the hands. I also have all the Star Wars magazines, toy magazines as well. Fun times. I turned 50 this year, and still have all my original toys. I'm still picking up some original things every so often to this day. Luckily I was able to meet Jeremy Bulloch at a con in Mississippi the year before his death. He signed my DH Wizard #1/2 Boba Fett comic book. His wife was with him, and told me the story of when Tim Bradstreet gave him the original artwork of that cover. Thanks for the video and bringing up old and newer memories.

Wow, my story is pretty much the same as yours and POTF2 Boba Fett was the figure that propelled my passion. I remember back then I wrote a letter to Jeremy Bulloch and he replied and signed a few items I sent to him! Thank you so much for sharing your story and passion!

I was about 25 when this line launched & IT WAS MONUMENTAL! Such good times collecting these figures. I got my Boba at a local comic store, oh happy day. Still have him (half circle gloves version)on card. Loved this video🤘

I made a very similar video about how I started collecting. For me, it was the POTF2 Froot Loops Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise. We're about the same age, so we transitioned from playing to collecting at the same time. I wonder where toy collecting would be today without POTF2 bringing so many of us into the hobby.

What a fantastic video! Seriously Dan thank you so much for sharing this story! ❤

As a now 36 year old i have been tracking down the Real Ghostbusters toys i had as a kid. I bought the Hasbro re-release of the ecto-1 and was proud of it but a couple of weeks ago i was in a store in AL and finally found the original Ecto-2 helicopter and its proudly displayed in my dining room

Nice, Dan! For me, it’s my vintage Mer-Man, Rumble & Ravage, and Destro (v1). Stories I should also share soon. Thanks for the kickstart!

1989 is when I knew I was an action figure collector. I was 10 years old and I bought 2 ToyBiz 89 Batman figures with the intention of keeping one on card. Still got him. 🦇👍

For me, it's the 2007 Mezco Hellboy. I fell in love with that thing in 2009 through pictures on Flickr which had a big toy community at the time, and I had to order it from the US because it was never sold here. I ended up having to pay extra customs charges on it, and I didn't care. That wasn't the first figure on my collectors journey, but it was definitely the one that cemented it. Even now, 14 years later, with a wall of shelves full of marvel legends and power rangers lightning collection and star wars black series, I'm still collecting that original Mezco Hellboy line, with only two figures left to go-but I'm in no rush to get them. Something about that chase in particular is really special to me.

As a lad I had the honour of meeting Jeremy. It was my first convention and it was a small local one, I still have a photo of us together, my dad had to do the talking on my behalf because of just how starstruck I was. It’s one of my most dear childhood memories

I was 13-14 when POTF2 was released. I remember going toy hunting with my older brother who was in his 20s. He had all the originals from when he was a kid, and I finally got to experience Star Wars like he did. Seeing the movies at the theater in 1997 was life changing.

Love it! The first toy in my collection was a POTF2 Stormtrooper! I was 11 years old. I still have a full red and green card run that I bought as a kid. sealed in package!

Such an awesome video, epic crossover, and a great promo! 😊 Star Wars was also my way in, through my dad (I'm a second generation superst... I mean, toy collector).

I want you to know that this figure being that important to you has been important to us and to the toy industry itself, having set you on the path that has brought you to where you are today, in front of us, and having legitimately affected entire toy lines in one fashion or another (MOTUC would not have been what it ultimately became without your passion for it shining a light upon it.) Thank you for all the wonderful things you've done on this channel due to that Boba Fett.

This was awesome! I love videos like this telling a personal story about a hobby, and here I can really see where your enthusiasm for this hobby started in your adult years, and it helps me appreciate where you're coming from. I never met anyone to have something signed, except once. I had been watching you for a few years, and in 2018 I traveled to Texas for Retropalooza, bringing with me my beloved copy of TMNT 4: Turtles in Time, and with very similar butterflies as you're describing, I went up to you (while you were still setting up!), bought a pin, and then asked you to sign my game. Never had anything signed before or since, but I wanted you to sign that because you were one of the reasons why my love of TMNT revived in my adult years, and your infectious enthusiasm is part of what made me love toys again. To this day you're still one of the most positive, uplifting figures in this hobby, and next to some who would rather drag everyone down, that's something I've always really appreciated!

I had all the great toys from the 80s, still have some star wars, gi joe, d&d, transformers, M.A.S.K., etc.. But in my late teens when X-men, & POTF came out, is when I was on the path to full blown toy collector.. then toss in Spawn.. and so it goes toy collecting has been part of my life ever since. 👍

My first ever convention was Multicon 98 in Blackpool, England. It was mostly the smaller role actors and behind the mask actors there, and i got autoraphs from most if them. I remember my Mum suggesting that I get a photo with Jeremy Bulloch as Fett was always my favourite. That was my first ever photo with a celebrity. In the 25 years since I've met and had photos with thousands of actors from small scale actors to Stallone, Schwarzenegger etc. Some of my proudest are the ones i got with Jeremy includig an in costume photo he did. I met him and his other behind the mask actors at least half a dozen times, so it was very sad when they started passing away and theres very few of those old school actors left.

Potf2 Boba Fett was my first star wars figure he's One of my All time favorites!

Great video. When I was a kid, I collected all the standards: Star Wars, GI Joe, MASK, Transformers...but when I got to college, got far more interested in girls and parties, and sold off pretty much everything...so interestingly, what made me a toy Collector was Beast Wars Transformers when I got my first job and had disposable income. From there it expanded to Marvel Legends...and then just kept expanding.

I never did MOC but that figure that meant a lot and gave me more a collector feel than just a kid buying toys was my hunt for the POTF2 Jedi Luke. Red Card, Green Card, Purple Card, didn't matter to me, I NEEDED this figure. I was about 10 or 11at the time. It wasn't until about a year after it was off shelves that I finally found it at a Antique Mall while on vacation in Williamsburg, VA. I found it at the beginning of the vacation and I had a $100 allowance for the week we were there to spend on whatever and it cost $35. I was told if it was still there and I still had the money by the end of the vacation I could get it. My Mom assumed it was an impulse buy, though my Dad knew it wasn't because he had been taking me weekly to like 3 different Toys R Us and other places that carried toys just looking for this figure for a year. So, to my Mom's surprise I held onto my money to the end of the week. So we went to get it and it was still there! But the owner marked it up by $10. I was devastated to say the least, I had made sure to have exactly enough (with tax included) just for the guy selling it to up the price by $10. I wasn't mad at him, I was mad that I was made to wait for it to go up in price because my Mom refused to allow me to get it right away. While my Mom was distracted my Dad slipped me the extra $10 and told me to get it.I still own the figure to this day, he's in awful shape but I've since gotten a new one to keep nice and MOC and the original though it is in rough shape is super sentimental to me and I will forever love it. Would I go back in time to change things now knowing I could just easily get one for under $10? Not a chance, the memories just hunting down that figure and owning it are staggering and priceless.

Very nice video. Thanks for sharing those memories. Yes, the design of the POTF2 series looks kinda goofy in hindsight, but the excitement of seeing *any* Star Wars toys on the shelves again after a long decade of nothing was indeed real. Boba Fett was also the first one I got, and it kept me company in the office as a desk accessory for years.

Dan, I also got into Star Wars when the Special Editions came out. Boba Fett was my first figure, orange carded and I bought him back in 1997. The rest is history for me. POTF2 will always have a special place in my heart.

Loved this video. I remember the Zahn Thrawn trilogy, PofF2 and the Dark Horse comics keeping my Star Wars fandom alive in the early to mid 90s. Good times indeed.

I was born in ‘93. I had two cousins that were 6-8 years older than me. They had all the cool Star Wars toys growing up. My uncle lived in a big city and would bring me home POTF2 figures on weekends. I grew up on POTF2 figures and the 1995 VHS releases. I am now tracking down and collecting the old 90s figures that i either had, and lost, or that i never got. I dont care what anyone says…. POTF2 is better made than what’s out today. New figures are great but the old ones just bring back so many memories. I am glad they are cheap, because I am able to get all the figures i want of that line. Funny enough, I ordered a POTF2 Boba Fett 2 hours before i clicked on this video

I love stories like this! It's so cool to just listen to people chat about the toys that made them so happy on their collecting journey. As for my VIFs, I grew up with not a lot of money, so I was always drawn to the cheap and oddball toys you'd see at dollar stores, Big Lots, or what you might even find dropped and forgotten in the woods behind someone's house. Small plastic dinosaurs, bootlegged Japanese robots, and kit bashed toys were very dear to me as a kid, and my collection is chock full of them today. I always get a kick out of how excited you get when you see those sorts of toys in the wild. It's nice to see there's a community of us out there who love these wonderful weirdos.

Love this collection, more 'toys' than the actual ones.

Awesome story! I still have yet to attend a convention, but Celebration 2 was the first one my best friend ever attended too. POTF2 will always be the most special to me since I was born just after the original Kenner line and my mom only had a few of the figures. I greatly enjoyed them as much as I could, supplemented by the Bend'Ems and MicroMachines, but it was so fantastic when POTF2 came out in 1995.

I started collecting in 1989 (dark age for Star Wars collectors!), it is when I decided to put back all my childhood Star Wars Kenner toys in my bedroom with the idea of finding what I missed as a kid. What saved me was the subscription to the Lucasfilm Fan Club magazine where I could find many ads of people selling vintage toys and that was a big relief! It's also funny to see how Boba Fett's character evolved through the years. When Empire Strikes Back was released back in 1980, Boba Fett was as evil as Darth Vader to my child's eyes. He was part of the trap set for our Heroes and today you have the Mando vibe! Just like you, I love Boba's gears and it became so popular these days that make it a really particular character in the saga.

I was 10 or 11 when my grandmother bought me that Boba Fett figure and I still play with it today.

I also got toys for Easter growing up. I got my first TMNT figures on Easter.

I'm pretty sure Power of The Force is what got me back to buying toys too. In college I found that there were other people my age(and older) that would still collect toys. So I went from looking at what was available to buying again. I remember the removable helmet Vader cemented the fact that I was collecting again, but I had been buying anything I had wanted as a kid. It was such a fun time hunting from store to store, and finding them in unexpected stores like Family Dollar.

POTF2 will always be my favourite line. I love the buff style, it might be nostalgia from the cheap buff Chap mei police figures I played with as a kid, the buff style will always have a special place in my heart.

POTF2 line was it for me and that Boba Fett figure was awesome. I tied a string from his rocket and hung him from the shelving above my desk so he looked like he was flying in the air. The Yoda was also a great figure and the likeness is spot on. Still like those figures.

How did I only just now realize that POTF2 Boba is missing his cod piece?

My first adult collecting action figure was Kenner '89 Batman. It was also in an Easter basket! I also have huge affection for POTF2. Good times those were.

I was a junior in college when POTF2 came out and it was the road to hell for me in terms of collecting. I knew I had a problem when in November 1995 I beat out a fellow collector to get an Obi-Wan figure at a Kay-Bee Toys. I packed those POTF2 figures up many times as I moved from one stage of life to another when finally in 2011, I gave them to my first born as gifts from the tooth fairy. I still have a few carded POTF2 figures and one of them is, you guessed it, Boba Fett. :)

90’s Star Wars was very exciting to me; PotF figures and vehicles, Shadows of the Empire, watching vhs Star Wars on tv repainting duplicate droid figures to look like Imperial versions, the novels to read, a budding internet for more SW info, the trilogy back in theaters, watching everyone mouth Yoda’s soliloquy about the Force together, running to Toys R Us right after the movie. My fandom cooled off quickly after the Phantom Menace, and after Disney’s trilogy, it’s completely gone.

Dude, same. I was born in 82 so I missed Kenner Star Wars and was all about GI Joes. When I was 12ish, my cousin gave me a garage sale find of Kenner Boba Fett (this was pre ebay. garage sales was the best way to find them). I fell in love with that figure and started going back and watched the old movies. I'll never forget seeing the Han in Stormtrooper on the back of my Fruit Loops. Well that made me super curious about the new figures. The POTF 2 line made me realize I was a collector also. Boba Fett especially. I drove around forever looking for the half circle Boba Fett. Now I have thousands of dollars invested in Boba Fett figures and collectibles. Multiple Fett tattoos. Its been all down hill since the orange cards!

I remember being a fan of Star Wars throughout the 80s because of my older brothers. In the late 80s, it seemed the popularity had waned, at least in my area. I was one of the only kids still obsessed with it. When Heir to the Empire kicked off the EU, I was so happy, but it was still hard to find toys (other than those bendies, lol). The new Power of the Force line was such a blessing. I loved them, muscles and all!

That shot is missing Zuckuss and 4-LOM. I'm messing with you. I will love this line forever.

Great story!!! - my first action figure was OG Raf from the 89 line Thanks Dad!!! 😎I will never forget that day!!!💚😋

Great story and thank you for sharing. Found it interesting to find out about the one figure that got you into collecting. For me it was a 12inch Darth Maul with sound effects from The Phantom Mence. Never ever gotten signed or that just asked for it for Christmas as I thought this was the coolest character from the film. Well here is the interesting turn two friends of mys had gone to a concert in London. And just by chance the actor who did the on screen preformance for Maul was doing an autograph signing at a local comicbook store. So they got me a 3 3/4 Darth Maul figure signed by Ray Park. Which was totally great of them.

I got into toy collecting with the Power of the Force 2 as well and had my whole room set up with them. Eventually I did get a full set and then hasbro kept releasing more and more as time went on and I just lost interest and eventually sold off most of them save for some favorites. Started back up with the black series but now that I work from home I don't have a spot for them in the office so now they sit in a box in the closet until I find a home for them.

I had Star Wars figures as a younger kid, the ships and playsets really got me into collecting them, but then a move up the east coast back to NY ended with most of my Star Wars stuff disappearing. Couple kids a grade ahead of me had the new GI Joes that had come out (this was very late 1982, I had seen the figures in a Montgomery Wards in FL and also had seen the early commercials but never paid em much mind. Another kid and I played with his Star Wars figs at recess, and these third graders dissed us because they had Joes and they “moved so much more” than our 5 POA figures. Not much after this my parents came home from the store one night, and as a reward for helping out around the house so much (I was the oldest at 8 years old then) they got me Destro and Snow Job. Destro had that Vac metal chrome head (like R2 sort of) and that pistol which fit into his back pack, and snow job had skis, poles, and a rifle, along with a back pack which could fit the ski equipment in it. I was hooked!

still have my original. it was always my fav

The POTF2 line was definitely the spark that started it for many collectors. I remember Princess Leia was considered the hard to find rare one, so I had 5 of them at one point. Nowadays, you can’t even give that figure away for free 🤣🙃 Had a membership for the Star Wars Insider magazine as well, loved looking at all the merchandise. Still have my Boba Fett the half-circle mint on card, it was the best thing finding a variant out in the wild when these first released.

Awesome. I remember the only star wars toys were the bendems I was 12 years old when the potf2 line came out. I loved the toys. Collected them all. Buff luke and vader were the two i chose at walmart. Glad you were able to meet jeremy bullock Cool story dude. Your awesome pixel dan

Dude! You were in my town when when Boba signed it! Awesome!!🙌🙌

For me the first important figure was Autolycus from Xena. My friends and I had never watched Xena and had no idea Bruce Campbell was in it. We were pretty huge on Evil Dead back in the 90s when it felt a bit more niche back then. One evening after college we were just hanging out in a toy department looking for Star Wars figures when one of my friends spotted it. It blew our minds. This was the closest we'd ever thought you'd get to an Ash figure. (Little did we know, hey Neca ) that followed a year later going to a Xena convention and meeting Bruce and Ted Ramie. To this day I still haven't watched much Xena but I do catch the odd episodes when it's on.

It is so funny that Celebration 2 was your first convention because it was mine too. Good times. 👍

I bought the majority and multiples of the POTF2 figures and ships to replace my vintage toys that I stupidly gave to my nephews who pretty much destroyed them. It fulfilled the need to have a collection of Star Wars toys again. I bought one to keep MOC or MIB and at least one to open. Speaking of Boba Fett, I did find the "half circle" variant at KB Toys one day shopping for figures. In case anybody isn't familiar with what I'm talking about, instead of the black circle on Boba's right hand, the variant has a half circle (or half moon some call it). There's a bunch of variants of things for POF2. I also have a "Tan Vested" Luke Jedi and a 12" Obi-Wan with "brown boots" instead of the standard black boots. Right now, I just have everything in bins in a closet. I should take them out and take an inventory it's been 20 years lol.

Toybiz Spider-man Classics: Spider-man, which included a copy of the first spidey comic. I picked that up at a blockbuster and it jump started my toy and comic collection. Not too long after, also at the blockbuster, I bought the spider-man movie box set which included a DVD of Kevin Smith interviewing Stan Lee. And that ignited my interest in the people who made the comics. After that interview, Stan Lee became the top person I wanted to meet. He was already pretty old in 2001, and our city's comic con hadn't been created yet, so I wasnt sure if I'd ever get the chance to meet him. But, a decade later, I finally got meet him, several times.

That's a cool story. I met Jeremy myself at a convention in '97. So I as well have a POTF2 Boba signed figure.

A Pixel Dan/Dan Larson crossover! Awesome!!!!!

Similar story with star wars toys. Just no convention or autograph. Having flashbacks of my mom taking me to get the first releases. Great video

POTF2 is also what led me down this rabbit hole. My lab partner brought me on one of his toy runs. Ironically we spotted a Boba and he said “oooh this one’s rare, you should grab it” I did and here I am. God knows what happened to him tho

This was a wonderful video, Dan! Thank you so much

wow. what a great story!!! that same boba fett was my absolute favorite figure as a kid.

I have a huge soft spot for the POTF2. I used to get up early every Saturday to take a bus and walk to get the Toys R Us 30 minutes before they opened. These figures were my target and even though they’re fugly by modern standards and not as valuable as the vintage stuff, but these will always be special to me.

What a great story!

Man, I still distinctly remember when I found that Boba Fett figure. It was at a grocery store we had in town, called Skaggs (I forget if it'd turned into Albertson's by that point? But it eventually became Albertson's). But Skaggs always had a pretty awesome toy section for a grocery store. I remember seeing Spawn figures there for the first time, too... But yeah, I was grocery shopping with my mom, and there was Boba Fett and I think Lando. I didn't know new figures were coming, so it was that thrill of something new, and thankfully, actually being able to get it (thanks to pestering my mom. :P).

Oh my friend, love your story. Mine with MOTU, my first figure was Thunder Punch He-Man, oh my god !!! Just writing this comment brought a lot of memories playing in my parent’s house. Sadly I don’t have it anymore. That’s one of my goals, buy a vintage on card a open it to play with it. Best regards. Saludos desde Guayaquil, 🇪🇨 Ecuador.

I love when you guys “act”! SOO FUN!!

It was the same for me!!!! There were variations of that Boba Fett, and I was seeking out every version. I wanted the half circles, full circles, I heard rumors of other variations that apparently weren't a thing. But boy howdy, I suddenly wanted to collect Boba Fetts not because he was just cool, but because it was neat to have a COLLECTION of these rare versions.

Great story, tks!

That was a good one Dan. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing

Love the story! PotF2 restarted collecting for me as well, Happy May the 4th 💚

This was tremendous, man. Thanks for sharing.

I have a 1990s Kenner boba with green gauntlets like ESB. Since childhood, I've never seen another one like it. All of them have red gauntlets

Great video! Thank you! Up until I 1982, I didn't really "collect" toys. I would just pick out something random in the toy aisles that caught my eye, be it a wind-up toy, or a dinosaur, or a Hot Wheels or Matchbox car. And then I got a cool-looking alien called Greedo for Christmas in 1982, so I started collecting "Star Wars" figures. And then I got "Man-E-Weapons" for my birthday in 1983, so I started collecting MOTU. Those few months then shaped the rest of my life.

I had this figure mint on card, and realized it wasn’t necessary, because its value was lower than what I paid for it. It was important to me only because I realized things are only worth a lot if the kids who became adults would have nostalgia for them. So now, I open every package, play with everything inside, and enjoy it.

It was the POTF2 Boba that got me into collecting too, I think it was my 20th birthday and a friend of mine bought it for me as a joke, little did we realise at the time what that figure would lead to...... 😂

Toy biz marvel legends punisher was the one that got me started into collecting. I remember being amazed by the details and getting so much for just under $10

Star Wars was for me also the first collecting I did, was an awesome time.

Episode 1 toys got me into collecting, and those made me go back and get POTF 2, I forget when power off the Jedi came out but I was looking for those too, and then I continued to get E2 and E3 and stuff beyond that, now he man is my favorite property like yourself and classics got me back into that even tho I had some 2000x figures

That Dan Larson reaction moment seems so out of character for him, it was HILARIOUS!

Two of my favorite Dans!

POTF 2 is really what put me off Star Wars figure collecting for a long time. I was SUPER hyped when the figures came out, but I was already bridging that gap from kid to collector and I wasn't interested in super heroic proportions for Star Wars. I dabbled of course but never really got into collecting Star Wars figures until Black Series came out.

Amazing, i got my PoTF Boba Fett for easter in 96 too!

Lol that boba is the one I have in Vintage collection bobas ship. I just couldn’t allow myself to pay the Boba “tax”Hasbro started doing

PotF II is a hugely important line to me because it came out when I was in 4th grade and bridged the last years when I actually played with action figures and my first years as a "collector".

I still see POTF2 figures collecting dust at flea markets.

Original Kenner Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight with cloak, no accessories. The figure at the top of my wish list when I decided to collect toys as an adult and the first figure I bought, it remains the favourite figure in my collection.

2nd favorite Boba figure behind the original!

Such a good story!

Great story Dan

Yes i have the in package: Epic Force Boba Fett Statue - signed by him. ☺

I was 18 at the time and had lots of toys from the 80s including the Star Wars line, but the rest of the tale pretty much applies to me. I was not interested in the buff figures so Boba being a bit more believable in proportion and being my favourite character was a no brainer. I was embarrassed about buying and getting them as presents for a couple of years...i think it was because i was in that weird period of not quite being a man but not a child anymore. After a few years though i became a bit more comfortable with the idea of collecting them, but I've never been a mint on card guy and always opened them to put them on display.

The R5-D4? I see you too are a man of culture.

Great stuff. What collecting is all about.

In a few years Dan Larson will have all the Boba Fett figures....

Thank you for sharing man!

Thank you for this great story time video~ ✌ I didn't know that your history with STAR WARS goes a little deeper. Wow~ you even visited Celebration II and it kinda made you the convention-"goer" you are today. Visiting my first SW Celebration in 2013 has totally changed me into the STAR WARS fan I am today. But my toy collecting journey stared wirh My Little Pony... soooo that's a different story😅

All the original Star Wars fans and recently the Prequel Trilogy kids have had their day in the sun. The 90's Star Wars Revival Generation's time is now!

I had a bunch of 80s figures as a kid, but I think the first toy I bought for myself was POTF Han Solo in Carbonite, which I displayed with my vintage Jabba and Bib Fortuna.

I had the Slave 1 but no Boba Fett every time I went to Toys R’ Us or KB Toys he was never there, so I would use Dengar to pilot the ship unfortunately. My first ever Boba Fett figure was a Jango Fett figure from Attack Of The Clones lol.