This week in the PopCult Toybox we’re going to look at a rare treat. Over the weekend I was in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania visiting my sister and niece and nephew. When in Canonsburg, we like to stop in a store called “Where The Toys Are.” I’ve written about this place before, back in 2007, and I brought you two photo essays two-and-a-half years ago. This is a great store. The owner, Phil McEntee, knows his stuff and has great deals on vintage toys, and Lil, the Border Collie, is a fun bonus for folks visiting the store.
Captain Action as Batman.
Luck was with me on this visit. Phil had just acquired a fantastic collection of vintage Captain Action and Major Matt Mason items. I got to see things in person that I had only seen in books or on the internet before. Today I’m going to bring you photos of this new collection. These items are in great condition and are available for sale. You can call Where The Toys Are from noon to five, Thursday through Sunday, or contact them through their website.
We’re also going to see some vintage GI Joe stuff today, but you need to return to PopCult on Friday, as we take a look at the rest of the cool stuff we saw on this visit. I’m not just using the editorial “we” here. With me on this visit was Melanie Larch, of course, and my nephew, Gino, who can be seen in this video with Lil, the Border Collie.
Where noted, some of the photos below were taken by Gino. On with the essay…
A cool view of the shop, looking at the front door. Photo by Gino Scarsellato
A heart-stopping sight: my first in-person viewing of the ultra rare Captain Action Silver Streak
Action Boy and Captain Action with The Silver Streak and hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of rare accessories.
The weapons arsenal, something else I’d never seen in person
An amazing assortment of rare, vintage toys.
Dr. Evil with the Silver Streak. Longtime PopCult readers know my history with Dr. Evil.
Then we move over to the Major Matt Mason section of the display case…
The box for the centerpiece of the MMM collection…
The condition of this Major Matt Mason stuff was insane. Much of it looked brand-new.
Toy collectors are probably slack-jawed by now.
Loads more rare stuff. Something in this photo came home with me.
Scorpio, an alien buddy of the Major
At this point, Mark Wolfe is just going nuts
More rare MMM goodies
The Space Bubble, surrounded by lots of rare stuff in great condition
It was not all Captain Action and Major Matt Mason at Where The Toys Are. We’re leaving you today with some cool GI Joe stuff and some randomness. Friday we will bring you more.
Vintage GI Joe MP and Green Beret
A wall of cooleness
The lizard enemy of Super Joe, Terrax. Photo by Gino Scarsellato
The classic Adventure Team ATV
The legendary Iron Knight Tank
Just a couple of Joes hanging out
A cool Sentry Post/Carrying case from the 1960s.
We have much more coming Friday, with shots of Barbie, Marx Toys, very cool toy trucks from Phil’s own collection and all kinds of other stuff. Here’s two more shots to tease you…
Fred Flintstone in a pedal car. Photo by Gino Scarsellato
A cool toy airplane
WOW…just WOW. That is the kind of place you plan a holiday around. I want to see those toys…maybe touch one or two???
Thanks for the wonderful post, Rudy…hope to hear from you and your blog friends in the near future!!