玩具收藏家的執著 / The Dedication of Toy Collectors

在我小的時候，玩具就很單純的，就是玩具，是種用來玩的物品，可能是種消耗品，孩童的破壞力大，反正玩具也不算貴，萬一玩壞了，就丟掉，算是一種消耗品，對於嬰孩，玩具可能是種安撫和安慰的泉源，幫助他們建立安全感，稍大的孩童們注重的是玩具娛樂及放鬆的目的，家長們則較在乎玩具教育和學習的價值。

從食玩開始談起，食玩就是以食品本身為主，附贈的玩具，鎖定的都是經濟能力沒有很強的小朋友客群，只要幾十元零用錢，就可以入手，盒玩可以解釋為沒有食品的盒裝玩具，一系列的食玩或盒玩中，通常會推出數種玩具讓消費者收集，但大部分都不會標明是哪種，也就是盲抽，隨著時代進步，玩具越來越精美，價錢也越來越貴。

似乎近年，手辦、潮玩、改娃這些新鮮的名詞出現在年輕人的世界，而且除了年輕人外，也受到越來越多成年人的喜愛，有些逸品還有收藏及投資價值，手辦是收藏模型的一種，指的是未塗裝的樹脂模件套件（Garage Kits），後來泛指收藏性人物模型，也可能指汽車、建築物、視頻、植物、昆蟲、古生物或空想事物的模型，我記得小時候的勞作課，就有老師要求我們的作業，是做一個自己喜歡的模型，那時候，我和同學們不知道為何，就跑到學校附近的文具行，居然給我們找到未組裝的盒裝模型，像是飛機或汽車等，為求較高的分數，我們還用水彩上色，專業的噴漆不是學生的我們可以負擔的起的，所以，我們就用最便宜的方式，來完成學校作業，這算是我與收藏模型的第一次接觸。

潮玩的全名是潮流玩具，顧名思義，它是由藝術家和設計師創造的玩具和收藏品，通常被認為是成年人的收藏品，改娃是消費者在購買盲盒後，對盒內玩偶所進行的一種改造行為，主要是消費者希望自己擁有的潮玩變得更精緻、更獨一無二，我身邊真的有在收集玩具的朋友不多，只有一位朋友是靠低買高賣潮玩，賺點午餐錢，不像藝術品，消費者對玩具的喜好變動較快，也讓玩具收藏品的價錢波動較大，不過，有句名言是「錢沒有不見，只是變成您喜歡的樣子」，假如真的喜歡的話，不管多貴，對會心動想買。

還好我對於玩具沒有入迷，我小時候，只有單純玩玩具罷了，雖然有些喜歡的玩具角色，像是卡通角色中的《變形金剛》或是《七龍珠》的公仔，當時為了買《變形金剛》，還被我媽打了一頓，總之，長大後，我並沒有想過要收集玩具，我有位童年好友，他就不一樣了，小時候，無法擁有的玩具，他長大後，就把它們慢慢收集回來，真是一股說不出的執著啊。

When I was young, toys were simple—just things to play with, often considered consumables because kids can be quite destructive. Anyway, toys weren't that expensive, so if something got broken, you could just throw it away. It was like a disposable item. For infants, toys served as a source of comfort and soothing, helping them establish a sense of security. As kids grew a bit older, they focused more on the entertainment and relaxation aspects of toys, while parents started caring more about the educational and learning value of toys.

Let's talk about "食玩" (food toys) first. These were primarily aimed at kids with limited spending power. For just a few bucks of allowance, you could get a food item with a bonus toy. "盒玩" (box toys) could be explained as toys in a box without the actual food. In a series of food toys or box toys, there were usually several types of toys to collect, often distributed randomly. With time, toys became more intricate and expensive.

In recent years, terms like "手辦" (action figures), "潮玩" (trendy toys), and "改娃" (customizing dolls) have emerged, captivating not only the younger generation but also gaining popularity among adults. Some collectibles even hold investment value. "手辦" refers to unpainted resin model kits, originally "Garage Kits," but now it broadly signifies collectible figurines. I remember in my craft class back in the day, the teacher asked us to make a model of something we liked. We ended up finding unassembled box models at a nearby stationery store, like airplanes or cars. To get higher scores, we even used watercolors since professional spray paint was too expensive for students like us.

"Trendy toys" literally refers to toys created by artists and designers, often considered collectibles for adults. "改娃" involves modifying dolls obtained from blind boxes to make them more refined and unique. I don't have many friends who collect toys, but I do have one who makes a bit of lunch money by buying and selling trendy toys at low prices.

Fortunately, I didn't get carried away with toys. In my childhood, I simply played with them for fun. Although there were some toy characters I liked, such as Transformers or Dragon Ball figures, it was all just about enjoying the playtime. I even got a good scolding from my mom for wanting to buy Transformers back then. Anyway, as I grew up, the idea of collecting toys never crossed my mind. However, I have this childhood friend who took a completely different path. When he couldn't have certain toys as a kid, he made a promise to himself to collect them all when he grew up. It's an indescribable level of dedication, slowly gathering those once-unattainable toys.

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