big Jim, Grendizer, Superman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk. Are the toys from the 1970s and 1980s that Federico Ghiso, an advertiser, had in his bedroom. And that about twenty years ago you began to buy it again, out of passion. To them, to their stories and to the stories of those who collect them, he has dedicated a book, Toystellers (can be purchased on the site) which, however, he immediately explains, is not a nostalgia operation.
Big Jim presented at the New York Toy Fair in 1972. From the book by Federico Ghiso Toystellers.
«This book was born from the need to share my passion for toys and look to the future. When I tell my grandchildren the stories behind the toys, I capture them». Two guidelines were followed in drafting Toystellers: «The first is to tell the emotion that a toy can give. That’s why I asked the greatest Italian collectors to confide in me their most precious moment, the joy of having finally found a certain piece, the enthusiasm that drives them in their search, what drives them to keep going. The second is to want to project this passion into the future. Toys change, passion remains».
Federico Ghiso, 50 years old, grew up at the time of Big Jim. But the only character that he still keeps from his childhood is Grendizer. Growing up, all the dolls of his childhood have disappeared. When he reached 30, however, Ghiso started to bring them back. «It was the early days of social media, the dematerialization of social relationships was being perceived, I wanted to recover this playful and, at the same time, physical dimension».
The cover of Toystellers, Federico Ghiso’s book on toys.
From there began a search that has led him today to have the entire Ledraplastic collection, rubber puppets from the seventies with characters such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Pluto. «The Big Jim collection is almost complete and I also have many super heroes, all in their original packaging». The collectible value of a toy, he explains, depends precisely on being kept in the original box and never been used. «But I also care about the emotional value, so I have some Big Jim maybe without a piece, for me it’s more exciting».
The book is aimed at three different audiences: «To collectors, who find in-depth research. To those who are my age, and are intrigued. And to a wider audience, because we’ve all played with superheroes or, the girls, with Barbie, using that fantasy that as adults we would like to recover».
Among the many stories in the book, Ghiso chooses to tell us two. «In Brooklyn there is a shop, Brooklyn Superhero Supplywhere you can buy as many superpowers as you like: courage, x-ray vision, invincibility, in sprays or in $11 or $14 cans. Choose them, pay, then the cashier opens a small back door and shows you a school room full of children. He explains that your money will be used to buy desks, sheets and markers for them to study. For them, you become a superhero. A nice non-profit project, one of the creators is also Dave Eggers».
The story of the sale of kryptonite is told in Federico Ghiso’s book Toystellers.
The other story is that of kryptonite. «In 1978, an advertisement for a company that sold kryptonite came out» explains Ghiso. «The material, the only one that would have stripped Superman of his superpowers, had been recovered from the planet Krypton, which had exploded to pieces. By buying kryptonite fragments, you could become friends with superman. The child paid 2 and a half dollars, then a stone painted in phosphorescent green arrived at his house». But the happiness of helping Superman was priceless.
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