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JORDAN: It's time to restock at the ToyMan toy show.
What the hell is that?
TODD SR.: All toys.
Hold on. Whoo-hoo! [ Giggles ]
JORDAN: I also need to unearth rare figures
for deluxe toy company Gentle Giant.
Anything new coming out?
We're gonna see what Jordan brought us.
If I don't keep my eyes open, I might miss something amazing.
JIM: Tell me what you think.
Oh!
I'm Jordan Hembrough.
For over 25 years, toys have been my life.
Found something I want.
My mission is to explore the globe...
Do you know how much I can get for this?
...finding fortunes buried in your toy chests,
at flea markets, auctions, and mega conventions.
I just touched a $17,000 toy?
[ Laughing ]
They call me the Toy Hunter.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Since I've opened the store, business has been really good.
With customers coming in all day to buy and sell toys,
I'm actually having trouble keeping my cases filled.
I want to get out of here...
I know.
...'cause we got a long trip to ToyMan toy show tomorrow.
ToyMan toy show in St. Louis, Missouri,
is one of the biggest shows in the St. Louis area.
I go every year to stock up on inventory,
and I need to now, more than ever,
to fill my shelves.
Hey, guys. How are you?
I'm so sorry, we're actually closed.
Aw, come on!
I know.
I got to leave tomorrow for a big show.
You know how far we came from?
I mean, what have you got in there?
All toys.
I'm Jordan, by the way.
Hey, Jordan.
Todd.
Todd.
TODD JR: I'm Todd.
Todd and Todd.
That's pretty easy -- Todd squared. All right.
Bring it in. Bring it in. I'll help.
We got a lot more.
I got a lot more.
Go ahead. Go ahead. Bring it in.
All right.
This is heavy.
STEVE: Maybe there's something good in this.
Here he comes.
It's like Santa Claus.
Sweet. What's that?
This is crazy now.
The first thing I want to know
is why are you guys storing these in garbage bags?
It's been stored in a crawl space in a closet.
They were given to us by my father,
who's a commercial illustrator.
So he did advertising, too, and everything?
Oh, yeah, many years ago.
Does he have original artwork and original stuff?
You know, I'd have to ask him.
There might be stuff of that in here.
You know, I really don't know.
He came to the house with these bags and said, "Here, Todd.
This might be worth money for you one day."
JORDAN: Noncollectors can be -- excuse the pun -- a mixed bag.
Look, here's Thing 1. You got Thing 2?
I don't know. I don't know what's in there.
They often overvalue their stuff
and don't always keep things in the best condition.
But if you're patient and keep looking,
you can sift out good pieces.
Since this collection came from a commercial artist,
I might find some valuable advertising collectibles.
This stuff I go for.
Yeah!
Vintage Mego Comic Action Heroes -- 1975.
Mego was mostly known for seven-inch figures.
I've got some up there in the showcase.
They also did a line which was smaller --
3 3/4 inch.
They're good pieces when you can find them.
Robin was the more common one.
Robin has been Batman's ward
since his first appearance in 1940.
Since then, he's been portrayed by actors
like Burt Ward and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
But even more interesting
are the actors who almost play Robin,
including a young Michael J. Fox
and Marlon Wayans from the "Scary Movie" franchise.
Robin's not in the best condition,
but he's still worth $50 on the card to a Mego collector,
so I don't want to pay more than $30.
If you'll take 30 bucks...
We could do $30.
We could do $30 for that.
[ Sneezes ]
God bless you.
Must be the bag.
JORDAN: Yeah, there's dust in the bags --
on some of the toys, too --
but the Mego Robin gave me hope I'll find more good pieces.
Hey, look! Found him.
That's toy hunting.
You'll never know what you'll find.
What the hell is that?
I don't know. It's Tweety Bird.
There's something you don't see every day.
I think it's almost like a fan-made type of thing that they did.
You can tell that it's Sylvester.
You can tell it's Tweety Bird.
Tweety Bird and Sylvester the cat may be lifelong enemies,
but they were voiced by the same man -- Mel Blanc.
Known as the man of 1,000 voices,
he performed most of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters.
Blanc was such a hard worker,
after being in a near-fatal car accident,
he had the sound studio come to him,
recording his lines from shows like "The Flintstones"
from his hospital bed.
Yeah, there's no dates or nothing on the figure
or anything saying...
That can't be a licensed piece.
It's too rough around the edges,
and it doesn't look enough like Tweety Bird and Sylvester
to actually go through licensing.
JORDAN: Non-licensed material is basically bootleg merchandise.
There are examples,
like the Turkish line of Star Wars
that collectors will go nuts for,
but that's the exception, not the rule.
It can be worth a shot to buy one
as long as you don't overpay.
How much are you looking for this?
$75?
I'm looking at least 25 bucks.
Nah, can't do it for $25.
Yeah, I'm gonna, you know, pass on it.
Okay. Okay. Okay.
Keep digging.
This is you. This is baby Steve.
[ As Steve ] Jordan, Jordan!
[ Laughs ]
What'd you say your father did again?
He was in advertising?
Yes.
Did he do stuff for the Disney Channel?
This was a mug that was given out to employees
of the Disney Channel.
That logo was used early on in the Disney Channel.
JORDAN: In 1989, Disney Channel revived "The Mickey Mouse Club."
The show was a hit and started the careers
of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake
but also Keri Russell from "The Americans"
and film heartthrob Ryan Gosling.
It's a cool piece because you couldn't buy them at retail.
They were industry-only.
And employee Disney stuff always sells,
because Disney doesn't let any of their stuff go.
Okay, so with all this excitement, how much?
It's probably worth about 30 bucks.
I mean, I know I'm getting all excited about it,
but it's really cool.
I'll bite the bullet and give you 20 bucks for it
if you want it.
20 bucks.
20 bucks.
20 bucks. Thank you.
JORDAN: I really should be getting ready for my trip to ToyMan,
but once I start digging, I just can't resist the feeling
that there might be something amazing in the next bag.
[ Grunts ]
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Aw, come on!
It's all PVCs.
What do you mean by "PVC"?
They're called "PVC" 'cause they're hard plastic rubber.
Applause made 'em.
They made all different characters back then --
Disney, Sesame Street, Muppets stuff.
JORDAN: Well, Applause Corporation was one of the largest manufacturers
of, like, novelty-and-gift type merchandise.
So is there a price for the PVC stuff?
Those are the type of things that you want to hold on to.
You got to let them go through that gestation period for toys
where they start becoming worth a lot more money.
The PVC stuff we'll hold on to.
You got to be kidding me!
He's going crazy.
Check this out!
Hey, it's a Mighty Mouse bobblehead from Funko.
Signed by the creator.
Howard...what was his name?
Beckerman?
Mighty Mouse was created in 1942
by a team of animators working at Terrytoons Studios.
A parody of the hugely popular Superman,
Mighty began life as an insect named Superfly,
but the team worried it would be difficult
to animate something bug-size,
so they bumped Mighty up to a mouse.
This brings me back to my childhood,
watching the cartoons.
Do you want it?
Yeah, I think I want to buy this one.
Make us an offer.
Be like 15 bucks.
$25.
20 bucks.
All right.
Okay, $20.
All right, 20 bucks.
JORDAN: I didn't find any gold in the Todds' bags,
but I still got a few interesting pieces,
like a Robin Comic Action Hero for 30 bucks.
I'll put it out here at the store for $50.
A classic Disney Channel mug for 20 bucks,
and it should be worth $30 to the right collector.
And Steve got an autographed Mighty Mouse bobblehead
for 20 bucks, and he'll sell it for $45.
These, along with some other items I bought,
should fill out my shelves nicely
when I get back from my annual trip to the ToyMan toy show.
[ Telephone Rings ]
Every time I try and get out on time, it doesn't work.
Hollywood Heroes. Can I help you?
GREG: Hey, buddy!
Hey, Greg. How's it going?
Greg is a sales coordinator for Gentle Giant,
a toy manufacturer
that specializes in high-end collectibles.
I know you've been so busy with all your other clients.
Maybe you can help me out with something.
I've bought toys from Gentle Giant before,
but they've never called me for help.
What do you need?
We need you, man.
I got something for you.
JORDAN: I'm having a late night at the New Jersey store
when I get a call from Greg
at high-end toy company Gentle Giant.
Now, Greg has never called me as a client before,
and he sounds desperate.
GREG: I know you've been so busy with all your other clients.
Maybe you can help me out with something.
We are in the middle of developing
a whole bunch of stuff for our Kenner line.
Of course.
Gentle Giant recently made toy history
by releasing some classic Kenner Star Wars figures
as reproductions...
but blown up to a foot in size.
They want to eventually release all the classic Kenner figures
from Star Wars and beyond,
and that has collectors talking.
What do you need?
We need a 1980 Cloud City playset
from "The Empire Strikes Back"
with packaging in as best condition as possible.
Got it.
Number two,
we need the 1979 18-inch-tall Kenner Alien figure,
and not only do I need the packaging,
I need the poster, too.
We'll crack it open, scan it, and then use it to blow up.
It's recapturing the magic that this had when we were kids,
and now these figures have actually grown up with the collectors.
That's the main selling point of our entire Kenner Jumbo line.
These Kenner toys were hard to find even when new.
Cloud City was only available through Sears,
and the Alien was pulled off the shelves early
because it was deemed too scary for kids.
Bye.
That was Greg from Gentle Giant.
He wants me to go and find a vintage Cloud City playset
and...Alien.
Remember how it was like 18 inches?
Okay, yeah.
They're doing like 24 inches, he says.
Same mold, same kind of, like, retro packaging
and everything like that.
So we got to find one that's, like, really mint in the box.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay.
It'll be a challenge, but if I succeed,
not only will I be part of toy history,
Gentle Giant will rely on me to find
some of their rarer items for their Kenner Jumbo line.
Let's help these guys get out of here.
There are almost 100 figures in Star Wars alone.
That means a lot of business.
And having a high-end toy company like Gentle Giant
as your client is pretty good, too.
My annual stop at the ToyMan toy show in St. Louis, Missouri,
may have come at the perfect time.
Because it's in the Midwest, it's removed
from the bigger East Coast and West Coast markets,
and deals can be easier to find.
WOMAN: Hi, guys.
Hey. How are you?
Two -- one adult, one child.
I was counting on stocking up on lots of items
to help me fill up the store.
STEVE: I'm in Heaven. Look at this!
But with around 180 tables on the floor,
many of the Midwest's top dealers
have their best pieces out for sale,
so there's also a chance I can find the Kenner Alien figure
or the Cloud City playset for Gentle Giant.
Jordan?
What's up, Spike?
Stevie.
Yeah, how's it going?
How long have you been doing this?
About 30 years.
You really are a machine.
I mean, I got here -- what was it? --
a quarter to 5:00 this morning.
I'm still sleeping at quarter to 5:00.
Tell me about that, because that is, like -- It caught my eye.
Back in the day, they made a series of six of these,
and these were shirt transfers.
Iron-ons.
Correct.
Iron-ons.
Yeah.
1964 -- It's like a store display.
Exactly.
But that never even hit the store shelf
because it's still unpunched.
"The Creature From The Black Lagoon"
was released in 1954,
and following the wet lothario's success,
other classic Universal movie monsters
like Dracula and Frankenstein
were rereleased,
gaining a new generation of fans.
You can make me an offer.
I'm never gonna iron it, so...
I really like how the iron-on
is displayed against a mini t-shirt,
and I bet I can get $400 for it back at the store,
so I can't spend more than $250.
Can you take $200?
Sure. Let's do it.
Oh, my God.
STEVE: Promo piece.
This is cool. The Hall of Justice by Mego.
Mego, it's 1976.
This was the Hall of Justice.
This is for, like, their big, super hangout.
The Hall of Justice has been the base of Superman and friends
in several toy lines,
like this Mego playset and Kenner's Super Powers version,
but it was originally based off the architectural design
of Union Terminal,
built in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1933.
What's missing on this, just so I know?
I think there was a chair or a table...
Oh, the table, with the maps on it, with the maps on it.
Yeah, yeah.
I don't know. What have you got on this?
I've got $100 on it.
It's, like, missing a lot of stuff, though.
That's the problem.
I can't do $100.
What are you thinking?
It is nice and clean, though.
60 bucks?
Let's do it.
No matter how hard I look,
I haven't found the Kenner toys I need for Gentle Giant.
Can I see that?
Certainly.
That's the Star Trek Enterprise bridge
from "The Motion Picture."
All right, what do you want on it?
$250.
I'm finding lots of great inventory for the store,
but if I don't also find the Cloud City playset
or Alien figure,
then I'll never convince Gentle Giant to hire me
to dig up the rest of the toys they'll need
for the Kenner Jumbo line.
Oh, this is cool, man.
Hey, man.
What's happening?
How are you?
Hey, Mike.
I'm Stevie.
Hold on. Hold on.
It looks like Steve found something good.
Whoo-hoo! [ Giggles ]
Hey, toy fans.
Check out travelchannel.com
for the latest in my toy tricks and tips.
JORDAN: I'm in St. Louis, Missouri, at ToyMan,
one of the premiere toy shows in the Midwest.
I'm trying to find the rare Cloud City playset
and 18-inch Alien figure
for high-end toy company Gentle Giant.
Steve is supposed to be helping me,
but I guess he's got other plans.
Now, here's something I really like.
1965 Universal monsters.
This is the Wolf Man PEZ.
This is, you know, footless PEZ,
and this is what everybody looks for.
In 1987, they started adding feet so they could stand better.
This is, like, coming back to Lon Chaney,
right from the movie.
And fun fact -- They used yak hair for the Wolf Man's mask.
When I get a Wolf Man PEZ --
I don't really see them that much --
I make sure that the teeth are not cracked.
These teeth look decent.
I got PEZ collectors at home that are gonna go nuts for this.
How much for the PEZ?
I've got $100 on him.
I'll definitely do $100 on this.
Appreciate it.
Yeah. Thank you.
Anything else you like, let me know.
Nice stuff, but nothing for Gentle Giant.
Time to move on.
Here's another great piece --
the mummy from "The Groovie Goolies."
No more time for monsters.
I've got to get back on the hunt for Gentle Giant.
Thanks a lot, man.
Thanks.
Yeah, thank you.
I appreciate it.
I pulled Steve away just in time,
because this place has gotten packed.
I feel like a salmon struggling upstream.
Hey, Jordan, man.
Oh!
Made the show.
I was just saying,
"This guy's got a good both," 'cause it's Jim.
JIM: My name is Jim.
As I travel for work, I try to find the toys
that you can't just log on to the Internet and find.
How's the show going?
Show's going great.
JORDAN: When I first met Jim,
he had never shown his collection to anyone.
He's worth anywhere between $350 to $400.
No kidding!
It's my first piece I think I've ever sold.
Since then, he's become a new dealer,
and somehow, Jim keeps popping up with amazing finds.
I'm looking at your booth,
and you're like a professional toy dealer.
You've really blossomed.
I had something on my table. I took it off.
Everyone was asking me about it. I wanted to show it to you.
Okay.
STEVE: [ Laughs ]
What do you think, man?
Tell me what you think.
Oh!
JORDAN: It's the classic Kenner Alien from 1979.
You saved my butt.
I gave Jim a heads-up that I'd be in town
and an idea of what I needed for Gentle Giant.
It looks like Jim really came through.
I've got to get this for Gentle Giant.
They want to take out the contents, scan them in.
Okay. Well, you know what?
I do remember the mouth opening when I bought it.
There's a mouth you could kiss.
The front of the head
was actually casted from a real human skull.
I remember loving the movie --
Sigourney Weaver's first starring role.
Everyone remembers Sigourney Weaver
in her breakout role as Ellen Ripley,
but she almost lost the part.
In her first scene with Jones the cat,
Weaver broke out in an awful rash.
Fearing she was allergic, the young actress thought
she'd be easier to replace than a trained cat.
It turned out Sigourney was reacting
to the glycerin sprayed on her skin to make her look sweaty.
And Ripley went on to appear in four Alien movies...
even if she was a clone in the last one.
Well, I remember when I was working in a department store
many, many moons ago,
they were coming back left and right in returns.
Oh. In what way? For why?
Parents didn't like them for the kids.
It is a little bit scary, yeah.
Yeah.
JORDAN: The Alien figure's in good shape,
but the box has seen better days.
Finding these anywhere is tough,
so I'm willing to pay as much as $550
to get this for Gentle Giant.
It's a pretty cool toy.
What do you want on the Alien?
$700?
Come on, you can do better.
$600?
$575?
I could do that.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
JORDAN: Our trip to ToyMan was worth it.
I got at least one of the items I needed for Gentle Giant,
along with other pieces to go in the store
like a Creature iron-on transfer for $200.
It should swim away for $400.
And the Mego Hall of Justice playset for 60 bucks.
If I can replace the missing pieces,
I can put it on the shelf for as high as $200.
Steve got a Wolf Man PEZ for $100,
and, if he can part with it, should sell it for $200.
And I got the elusive 18-inch Alien for $575.
These are hard to come by in any condition,
and hopefully, it'll be good enough
to meet Gentle Giant's high standards.
It's off to L.A. to see the folks at Gentle Giant.
Now, I know they're anxious to see what I found,
and I'm anxious the Alien will get bashed around in shipping,
so we're delivering it personally.
We made it.
Yeah, but you know what?
When did you ever hear of a Gentle Giant?
You're a Gentle Giant.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Gentle Giant's secret headquarters!
I am totally geeking out about being here.
Wow, people really work hard for toys around here.
I am here to see Dev and Greg.
They're actually right through those doors.
[ Laughing ] Greg!
Hey, guys! How are you?
How you doing, guys?
What's up, man? How are you? Hey, Dev. How you doing?
DEV: Dev Gilmore, vice president of product development and design.
I've been with Gentle Giant for about 15 years now.
So what you doing?
Working on stuff.
We got the Kenner stuff we're working on.
Man, we're just keeping really, really busy.
JORDAN: Gentle Giant began as a simple toy company,
but when they started using 3-D scanning technology
to make their toys look as lifelike as the real thing,
that's when they broke away from the rest of the pack.
We were working on Star Wars Episode II,
and we were scanning just for toys.
I.L.M. walked in, and they saw what we were doing.
They said, "This is great.
Can we get this for production, too?"
That's where everything snowballed.
We'll scan actors, we'll scan props, we'll scan cars.
We recently scanned the lobby of the Bellagio
for the "The Hangover."
You can't put a whole lobby in a scanner, though.
No, you can't, but you take portable scanners,
and you just move it very slowly across the whole thing.
Anything new coming out?
Well, we're gonna see what Jordan brought us.
Let's take a look.
All right. Hang on.
Okay.
Be careful. I need that box.
Hello.
Wow, look at that.
Now, that's what you needed.
The box is not in the best condition.
Yeah, that's a little rough.
Think you would want it?
It's gonna take a lot of work to get that into something useable.
Be careful. I need that box.
GREG: Hello.
Wow, look at that.
JORDAN: Now, that's what you needed.
This is the classic Kenner 18-inch Alien
from the vintage movie line.
Just so you know, the toy inside is beautiful.
The box is not in the best condition.
Yeah, that's a little rough.
Think you would want it?
Okay.
JORDAN: I paid $575 for the Alien.
I don't want to lose money,
but I have to make this sale to get Gentle Giant as a client.
So, let's just make it an even 600 bucks.
Is this something you need?
The box is rough.
Man, you got the poster, and I can make that box work.
We got to have it. This is what I'm looking for.
GREG: Yep.
Yes.
Speaking of bigger picture, I got some figures that I need.
I need 'em pretty soon.
If you think you can find it for me...
Mm-hmm.
...we got a deal.
I'm on it!
Jordan's definitely gonna be a hired gun for us in the future.
The stuff he can go find for us, it's gonna save a lot of time.
We'll do $600 here, but you find me those figures.
Oh, my God, so corporate. Thank you.
No worries, man. Thank you.
Thank you.
JORDAN: And now I know that Gentle Giant will give me a call
whenever they need something for their Kenner Jumbo line,
which will mean a lot of business down the road.
And I helped bring a little-known Kenner toy
back into the spotlight.
Being a part of toy history like that is priceless.
Do you have a toy that you think should be featured on our show?
Go to toyhunter@travelchannel.com
to submit your toy today.
You never know. We might take the hunt to you.