Cardboard Cars and Wheeled Toys

Had a hard time parting with this.

Who knows what lies inside the mind of a collector?  In some ways I actually can relate, because I have my own (few, and small) collections. I used to collect a lot of different things, and have whittled away almost all of it, except for the things that are usable (some kitchenware for example, that I still use), and even fewer things that are just for looking at.  Having been a prolific collector myself in the past, I do understand part of the thought process, just not all of it.

Sold at Garage Sale

For me, when it came time to pare down (to move), it wasn't all that hard to clear out the things I no longer used, no longer had on display, and no longer had room for. There were a very few pieces that I had a problem getting rid of, but I did. There is a time and place for everything, and when it gets to the point that there isn't (a time and place), it's time to start emptying out.

The Toyman has a harder time with that, but as much as I want to just grab stuff "I" don't think he needs ... that really doesn't work.  He'd be annoyed if I did that, but he'd also get over the annoyance. The problem is that he would eventually (slowly) replace that stuff. You can't change another person, but you can push or nudge them towards making that change, and you can support them as they go through it.

Donate - several hundred cars & trucks

Like not trying to make them get rid of everything. He's been doing fairly well. Whittled down two large totes full of hot wheels, corgi, majorette, and matchbox toys to two small shoe boxes. That's pretty good if you ask me.

When I tossed some things into the Sally-Ann box (oh, donations to Salvation Army) and he asked to see them, I let him. There were a few he wanted to keep - some because he had other collected items (like Shell Oil) in the toyroom that he was planning to sell off and thought all the Shell stuff belonged together so he could sell them as a collection. I get that, so I passed on causing an argument and moved on with the purge.

The keepers (for now).

A few of the things he just wanted, without reason but that's okay too. Forcing someone to give up more than they're really ready to give up is not helpful - it doesn't help change their mindset and may in fact, backfire. They could become resentful and simply decide to keep everything. That isn't the point either.

As I look back and what I've already written, I've gone way off track but it serves a little to explain why we have these things below - cardboard vehicles (restaurant give-aways), toys on wheels that aren't really cars or trucks, and even some figures ... I mean seriously, who wants just one of the California Raisins (remember those?), or a figure of Goofy dressed as a viking? I dunno. That I don't get, but hopefully when the time comes, those things will go into the donate box.



The cardboard ones I think we might keep - they are both at least 10 years old, and in awfully good shape for cardboard, given that they've been on display for almost as long. Both came from restaurants (not fast-food types), and I haven't seen either of these in any collections that I know of.

A cardboard truck from Montana's Cookhouse.

The Montana's cardboard truck is typically Canadian, with the driver and passengers being deer and moose.

A cardboard Thunderbird, which I think came from Golden Coral, around 2005(ish).

These are the only 3-dimensional cardboard vehicles he has, or that I've seen. They aren't "tiny" either. The red one is 12" long, and the blue is 11".

Then we have these other "odd" wheeled things - some might have come from fast-food places, but I really don't know where they all came from.

The Snoopy toy is singular, but the Hot Wheels one appears to link with others.

Mickey Mouse in a metal Fire Engine, and Goofy on a plastic car.

I have no idea why this Goofy toy would be on wheels.

Donald Duck in a blue windup car (works too!), but I don't know who the fox and boy character are in the other.

A vintage green metal truck with Pinnochio as the driver, and a puppet show in the back.

Huckleberry Hound in a plastic race car.

Disney Dalmation and the Swamp Rat. This is a double vehicle. This came from a fast-food outlet (McDonald's).

Minnie Mouse wind up toy (still works).

And just for good measure, a few non-vehicle, non-wheeled things I found in his stash of toys.

A surfer-dude California Raisin wearing running shoes and sunglasses.

Goofy Viking

Felix the Cat Trophy (with changeable sayings)

I have to say ... I simply have no clue about these three mini figures, and no clue why he has them.

Beyond the few images I posted above, there a lot more of this type of miscellany in his collection. I'm hoping we won't be keeping most of them, and that I can help to get him focusing on the things that he really wants, and get rid of (in one way or another - either donation or sell) the stuff like the ones above.