A TOY STORY
9:45 PM
I smiled to myself as I held this piece of breakable figure in my hands. I was staring at my favorite character from Final Fantasy, Tifa Lockhart. Despite the fact that these collectibles are not as inexpensive as you might think and are rare to find, I missed my childhood. I miss my toy collections, my dolls, and the thought of being my imaginative self just by looking at this action figure. But do we really have to be kids to still be able to play with these toys?
One afternoon, I paid a visit to the house of my good friend, Kristoffer Liao, who was kind enough to introduce me to his world of toy collecting.
One afternoon, I paid a visit to the house of my good friend, Kristoffer Liao, who was kind enough to introduce me to his world of toy collecting.
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| From L-R: Charles Lee, Kristoffer Liao and Marc Labadan |
Would you just look at that wide array of boxes (still mostly sealed) behind us? That's just some of the collections of these three guys who actually share the same love for scale figures. Is it really all just because of fanaticism? Let's scroll down to find out.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Kris Liao shares that his passion started since he was in his elementary years. "As a kid, I wasn't always allowed to go outdoors so I was stuck with just watching movies and playing with my PlayStation and the fancied Final Fantasy video games. In 1999, toys were getting more expensive but I was really persuasive and determined to have them. I used to bug my Mom to buy me one. That was when I found my love for collecting toys." he said. Everything he has achieved now followed eventually.
It's not hard to tell that Kris obsesses over Final Fantasy just by looking at the first few characters he showed me during our talk. A few years after, he went to Manila to join a Toy Convention held there in 2013. His love for his toys only grew and his collection piled up too. This gave him the idea to introduce the beauty of toy collection to his own hometown.
HOW THE TRIO CAME TOGETHER
In 2014, Kris discovered that there are actually "lowkey" toy collectors in Cagayan de Oro City. And that's how he met Charles Lee, who now happens to be one of his closest pals. It's really cool how the same passion for things bring people together a lot. Charles has always been an avid fan of anime since the time of Ghost Fighter, Flame of Recca -- some of the earliest anime shows introduced in the Philippines. It didn't take long for him to be captivated with toy figures too.
At first, Charles was hesitant about sharing his passion but was later on convinced by Kris to own this passion, in the hopes of being able to inspire people to not lose their love for art and youth. To complete the trio, Marc Labadan comes into the scene and thus, their friendship even became stronger and tighter over the years.
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| Another one of my favorites! CHUN-LI ❤ |
STRUGGLE COMES WITH SUCCESS
In 2015, they've decided that it was time to take everything to a whole new level. Kris decided to spearhead the CDO Toy Show 2015 with the help of his friends who believed in his passion. It was an event where people could showcase their toy collections and display them for the public to view. He was able to pull it through and the result was that a lot of people are now appreciating the beauty of these toys. Sure, they might just look like figures to some but if you come to look at it and learn about it, they've been carefully designed and painted to perfection by artists, each with a story to tell. No wonder you can't always find them anywhere and most of them have to be purchased from Japan.
Success doesn't always come easy as they've also experienced struggles along the way. The toy-collecting world has been so competitive lately that sometimes, people seem to care more about how much a toy costs rather than the thought of just being able to appreciate one and the joy it gives you. "It's not about the price of the toys, it's not even about the brand of the toy. It's about the extent of happiness these toys give you. The important thing is that you are passionate about what you have and what you do." Kris says.
This spirited team is all about encouraging toy lovers, especially those who have just developed their passion for it, to favor quality over quantity. They want others to look past the price tag because toy-collecting is not about who has the most toys or who has the most expensive ones either, it's being able to share your love for it.
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| Ugh! So mean this guy. Hahaha! |
A DIFFERENT KIND OF HAPPINESS
What are the many things you can do with these toys? Basically, you can play with them, assemble them, be creative with their poses and outfits or weapons, and even do toy photography. Each part of them is just as important as any other. The older ones become more expensive because they're harder to find nowadays. These toys were bought out of hard-earned money for some, so I was really amazed at how intense toy-collecting must be.
There was really something so special about these three that I couldn't help but ask them what's it about toys that makes them so passionate about. "With every toy figure I collect, there are personalities which I admire about that certain character. If other people idolize singers, it's different on my part. I admire toy characters. Take it from a character who is a fighter, it reminds me that I can be strong like it too." Marc explains. People can really draw strength and inspiration from these items too and I guess that is the best part.
I'm really thankful for the opportunity to be able to grasp a lot of toy lessons that can relate to life lessons from these guys. Their determination is inspiring! Precisely, you don't have to be a kid to play or collect toys. If it's something that you're passionate about, then don't be afraid to show it. You never know who you could inspire.
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