True Believers: Going Where No Man Has Gone Before
Toy R’Us, the famed Toy King retail chain is dead……Murdered by Amazon….
As Target, Walmart and a host of many other retail mega chains try to grab the remains of the toy throne…. One lone knight has emerged….and he is gaining traction.
Last time I wrote about him, he just opened a toy store in Verona, NJ by the name of Wize Guys Collectibles and as I’m now coming out of my hermitic lifestyle from CoVID-19, I took it upon myself to explore what the famed prince of toys was up to…..
This time my journey led me to Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ.
The last time I entered this mall was in 2019, way before the pandemic hit. Coming here now, post CoVID, has sent a chill under my spine. What about the infected? What about the social distancing, vaccinations, mask regulations? I had a host of questions that I was asking myself, but I had to see what the Toy knight was up too….so I had to go….. After all, I got vaccinated so I was ready to brave the wilderness again, safely.
When I entered Menlo Park Mall, I must say, it resembled this huge “Bio dome”, filled with natural light in a 4-dimensional setting, similar to an Earth Bio-Dome. As their CoViD strategies consisted of sanitizer stations, masked mall security, daily cleaners, and long lines of patrons waiting to get into their favorite stores; I trekked along the second floor as I said hi to my favorite stores: SPENCER’s GameStop, and FYE to see what pop culture was up to. As I marched on, I started to remember AnimeNYC and how the Toy knight’s booth was one of the most popular attractions of the convention as it was laced with Dragonball Z, Naruto and other popular anime characters at the time…..
True Believers
I needed to see his new kingdom and as I approached the store, I was amazed by what I saw……
In the early 90s, stores like KB Toys, F.A.O. Schwarz and the legendary Toys R’ Us kept our childhoods alive as we shared our love for toys and collectibles with our children, passing down the very love we felt for the action figures, super soft plush dolls and the theme songs that went along with them. And now, with the birth of the internet, those actions have gone extinct followed by the very corporations who birthed them as they were killed by the internet as well as online 2-day shipping.
God of War: Kratos
This extinction, however, has brought about the rebirth of the mom and pop collectible stores, and with that, the birth of a new toy kingdom known as True Believers.
As I went inside, I saw my childhood on repeat many times over. The store was laced with memorabilia in the form of Star Wars, Ninja Turtles, Funko Pops, Marvel and DC figures, retro video games and many other ‘pop culture’ collectibles. The term ‘shut up and take my money’ seems to be the mantra of 2021 for this store and I love it.
After entering, I was greeted by both Funko Batman, the 18-inch Funko edition and to my immediate right, the God of War Himself, Kratos. A fitting combination of both the Dark Knight and the Raging Spartan, whose eyes were ready to take anyone out if they left without paying. As I did my 360 survey of the establishment, there were 4 areas of the store that grabbed my attention.
The Wall (Like Game of Throne, but with Funkos)
The first area I noticed was “The Wall”, laced with Funko Pops from various specialties, ranging from moderate to very expensive. As I looked at the baubles on the wall, I was especially star struck when I saw the Destro Funko pop….who knew? Retro in design, this exclusive big-headed bauble was definitely one I needed for my collection.
‘The Wall’
Turtle Power
TMNT
Behind me was Ninja Turtle Way. The alpha and omega of all things TMNT. It was definitely a sight to see as True Believers had those nostalgic turtles in every toy design. One of my personal favorites was the legendary samurai rabbit created by Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo. A legend in its own right, he’s currently selling at $100. So many areas of interest, I was lost in my TMNT nostalgia, until I saw the Justice League encased in Silicon Dioxide (Glass).
Silicon Dioxide Heroes
As a kid, I’ll never forget that moment when I was 8 and I had my Justice League Batman, it was my favorite action figure and had that ‘clip around the neck’ cape. As the figure resembled the Batman of old, with Adam West as the protagonist, battling evil all over Gotham, I saw, hovering 4 feet above the ground, within eye view…. My childhood toy again… Batman…reborn and for my viewing pleasure. Back then, it was selling for $9-$10, now, it’s moving between $350 - $400 and that’s cheap compared to what Cyborg was selling for: in its packaging - $2299.99, without, its $749.99.
The Staff
No store can be great without its staff and at True Believers, they are definitely knowledgeable about their products. Offering services that extend beyond what the staff provides at Target and Walmart; they eat, breathe, and sleep collectibles. For example, I was looking for Red Son Superman for a colleague of mine and within seconds I was not only led to the figure, I was also able to get a small back story about the character as well.
In my opinion, True Believers is more than just a store in the mall, it’s a portal to your favorite childhood memory with your favorite toy and if you go there, it’s a possibility that you could be there for hours as you search for your favorite figure, buy it and go back again and again for the accessories, the figures’ allies, enemies and play set…..
True Believers is one of those stores that has brought back that magical feeling of attending the Toy Store in the mall either by yourself or with your family, but with an added twist. To the staff there, it’s more than just a job, ‘it’s a way of life’ for them.
As plastic and plush items continue to be shuffled and sold in various forms in multiple stores, True Believers owner, Jesse Cohen has created a specialized store that brings back the feeling of what it’s like to be a kid again. Laced with reasonable to expensively priced baubles, True Believers is a place you don’t want to ignore or forget.
