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Monday, November 8, 2021

On the Road: Pasadena Toy Expo in Maryland

The first official adventure for Mr. and Mrs. Brooks (AKA Friend of the Show Laurie) was a trip to Maryland for the Pasadena Toy Expo, so named because--I have no idea why. It has nothing to do with the Rose Bowl; imagine my embarrassment when I showed up in Pasadena, California expecting to see a toy show.

Fortunately, we were able to turn around and head all the way back across the country to the actual site in Maryland, where over 70 vendors sold toys in all varieties of condition: unopened, new, old, used, and downright gross (Hey, I bought some of those). Fresh off my reading of Rack Toys, I was hoping to find some of the cool 1970s/1980s items pictured in there, or at least similar things. 

We were surprised that there weren't quite as many 1970s/1980s TV/movie toys as we expected. In approximate order of abundance, here are the most common toy categories we found: 1) Funkos 2) Star Wars 3) GI Joe 4) He-Man.  Beyond that, there were a lot of newer wrestling and Marvel Legends, and Lego was popular as well.

There was a lot to see, though, and it was a friendly, inviting atmosphere--crowded but not so packed you couldn't browse with comfort. As far as BOTNS-era TV items, there were more big-ticket items than the loose, affordable ones I would hope to find. Now, I did buy some cool items and will reveal some of those in future posts, but today I want to list some of what was there that I did not buy. 

First, I repeat that we had a fantastic time. Unfortunately, now that we have discovered and appreciated the event, it is moving to a different location next year. It is doubling in size, though, so we might have to try to make it even if it is a longer trip!

Yesterday in the Top 10, I mentioned the Welcome Back Kotter paper dolls, so I won't repeat them here. What follows are some of the cool things that stand out, with pictures taken of similar items from the net and not actual items from the show:

Little Rascals Porky and Buckwheat (Mego)





The Waltons Grandma and Grandpa (Mego)



Charlie's Angels lunchbox



Six Million Dollar Man doll (this one was autographed by Lee Majors)



Bionic Woman doll


The A-Team lunchbox



LJN Hart Foundation



Police Woman doll


MASH action figure (saw several of these at one table):


Welcome Back Kotter Barbarino doll



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