Growing up I was always obsessed with doll houses. They weren't as fantasy based like the play sets from He-Man and She-Ra, but they allowed for a whole other world of imaginative play. Doll houses (and the families that lived in them) gave me the chance to act out my own vivid soap operas like the ones on television. Playskool People was a line of figures meant to go with their own line of doll house products. These were great, pure and simple.

The figures in this line were nameless, left up to the endless possibilities of the owner. I picked this item up on eBay. I don't come by them very often still in the package. Most of the time these figures are loose and in bad shape with paint scrapes and plastic discoloration. I have no idea who this figure should be, but she represents an important memory in my toy collecting ways. This figure was released in 1993, a rather interesting time as I was getting older and this toy line was aimed at a much younger crowd. It's a time where I was trying to understand my own thoughts about toy collecting. Could it be something I'd have to give up or would I find a way to make these items an acceptable part of my growing life? The answer was pretty apparent huh?

Here is one last image of the item, from the back. It shows a nice line up of the figures available as well as the play sets. 

This was a fun item to get in 2015. Who doesn't like the Care Bears? In the early 80's Kenner had a great line of Care Bear products. Fans could collect stuffed animals, miniature pvc figures, and the poseable figures like the one above. I have always been interested in rounding my collection out of all the Care Bear figures including the Care Bear Cousins. Baby Hugs may have been one of the more annoying characters from the cartoons and movies, but there's a fun charm from the Care Bear babies. It might have something to do with all the pink.

2015 was a great year for finding loose Kenner Alien figures at the local comic book store. I had planned on featuring all the Alien figures I snagged, but this one was by far my favorite. It's just horrific looking. The tail can bend while the mouth has a spring loaded action feature. The gimmick with that old Alien line was that the Xenomorphs were animal hybrids. It was such a cool idea and one that had me hooked with that first series of figures.

The line got more inventive with later waves, but I had only collected those first original figures. This snake alien was always one I had admired. The detail looks fantastic and truly terrifying. Xenomorphs freak me out. Snakes freak me out. Combine them both to make a snake alien and I am very happily horrified. 

I'm still amazed that this line was made. There just weren't toy lines mass marketed like Kenner's Aliens at the time. It seemed like the 80's and 90's was an adventurous time for toy lines. This line was based off of a rated R movie franchise; talk about paving the way for future toy lines! 

We're all a little loony. At least I was during my hunt for Tiny Toons toys in 2015. I appear on a podcast called Eclectic Mayhem with three dear friends, Derek (The Goodwill Geek), Brian (The Trash Man), and Jason (of a very Nerdy Life.) One of the episodes we recorded in 2015 was about creating our perfect Saturday morning cartoon lineup. Tiny Toons was one of the shows we discussed and after that episode I wanted more Tiny Toons products. This little pvc Babs Bunny figure was the reward for my efforts. I would love to see Tiny Toons get a comeback, or at least for a major toy company to make new items. There just wasn't enough Tiny Toons merchandise back then.

The Toxic Crusaders by Playmates was another one of those toy lines that I can't believe got the green light based on the original source material. I am sure glad it did though. The Toxic Crusaders was an animated romp based from the cult smash and bash Toxic Avengers franchise. I never had these growing up as I thought they were too grody for me. I made terrible decisions as a kid. Troma films would eventually become regular viewing in high school and during 2015 I wanted to do a combo toy tribute to this line while also sharing my love for all things Troma. I wrote a two part toy story extravaganza with Toxie as the star. The first half was far better than the second half. It was nice to snag this figure up though. Everyone needs a bit of Toxie in their lives.

While toxic sludge may have seeped into my dorky heart in 2015, it was my hair that was lovely and long. The addition of a Lady Lovely Locks doll was a big deal for me. My cousin Ashley had a ton of these dolls in the 80's. 

The long hair and clip on colorful extensions (Pixietails) for these Mattel dolls were certainly a precursor to my generation's obsession with real hair extensions, but it was all so much fun. The pastels and fashions made this a whimsical doll line. 

Getting the chance to add one to my collection was an instant throwback to my times hanging out with Ashley and longing for a head full of pastel animals with tails made of the finest hued synthetic. 

I'm always collecting She-Ra items. I once believed that the She-Ra items from my childhood would be all I'd ever need. I quickly escaped those delusions of grandeur and went about adding as much as I could possibly get my hands on. Through the years I have found myself picking up all kinds of She-Ra action dolls, play sets, and other merchandise. 2015 would be the year that I finally got my hands on a Sea Harp. 

This was a big deal for me. Mermista has always been my favorite figure from the vintage She-Ra line and the Sea Harp was technically her "vehicle" which makes this an exciting item. As a child the idea of aquatic fantasy themed toys was just pure magic.

It's a nice sized vehicle for She-Ra and her friends from the Great rebellion. The cushion was still clean with a metallic gold still bright after all these years. The musical harp feature still worked. Paint was perfect. It was perfectly designed for the She-Ra line. 

Biker Mice From Mars. What an interesting toy line. My brother collected these toys. I was mildly interested at the time, mostly for Charley. Many times were spent stalking the local K-Mart for a Charley figure. I always came up empty, which was fine. If Yoda taught me anything it was to embrace patience. I was able to find a loose Charley figure at a comic convention this past summer. While most people were clamoring to meet their favorite comic artists or actors, I immediately made a beeline for the toy vendors. One guy had a box with a sign that read, "Every figure three dollars." How could I resist? The moment I spotted Charley I completely freaked out. She was my first purchase that day and I was so thrilled to find her. It took me a little over twenty years, but she is now a part of my collection. It's a nice relief.

My dad was not used to having a daughter. Most of my female peers would subject their fathers to tea parties or a jacked mani/pedi. My dad was not into that stuff. I tried having a tea party once and he was so clearly bored that we ended up watching television. As a result of this parenting style I got to watch movies I probably shouldn't have, and I got to see a lot of 80's wrestling. As an adult, I am perfectly fine with how that all turned out. I loved the era of wrestling with Miss Elizabeth, her Macho Man, and the Sensational Sherri. Or "Scary Sherri" as I remember her being dubbed. When LJN made a Miss Elizabeth figure to their WWE Superstars line, my dad and I had a bonding moment that was pure perfection. We both went on toy hunts together looking for her. He actually had a vested interest in finding her for me. Wrestling was his thing and knowing that I was hooked, he wanted to make sure I had a piece of that bonding experience. One day he found a Miss Elizabeth WWE Superstar figure and came home with such glee over this development. It was so cool. That was one of many moments that I realized I had a really cool dad.

I don't know how it happened, but I eventually lost that original Miss Elizabeth. She's lost in the time space continuum. As luck would have it though, I bought an incomplete (missing her gold skirt) Miss Elizabeth in 2015. Having this figure again was a big deal. There was already a brand new one in my collection, but I really wanted a loose one as well. (I've always been nervous about opening the mint one.) Either way, this is a very special retro toy for me. 

We've finally reached the top spot. Krang's Android Body! He's missing a few parts but I don't care. It is Krang and an Android Body! I don't know how anything could be cooler. This is a massive figure full of equal parts sci-fi wonder and goofy charm. I never thought I'd ever get the chance to have this figure in my collection.

He was given to me as a gift early on in 2015 and I am super thrilled for it. Krang fits nicely in his compartment. Everything has held up pretty well. This was one of those items that seemed like such a fun and crazy thing to have as part of a toy line. Again this is another reason that I firmly believe some of the best toys in history were made during the 80's and 90's. Many memories are wrapped in these items so it is always exciting to pick them up through the year.

That's my top ten favorite retro toys of 2015. Did anyone else pick up any fun vintage toys over the past year? Let me know. There's a lot of fun in sharing some toy talk. I hope you have all been doing well and Happy New Year!