The one that started it all - Superman

Superman has always been my childhood hero. Before anyone or anything, Superman would always come on top and for me He will always be the best and my all-time favorite. I guess most of us if not everyone had their days of putting the towel as a cape or wearing their underwear upfront their pajamas, running, jumping and pretending to fly.


Somehow, as a child I was always fascinated with flight, the thought of soaring up high in the sky and feeling the breeze, seeing the world in different perspective.


I remember when I first bought my eldest son his Superman Costume, I was so happy fragment of my childhood memories would flash in front of me. It was like passing a mantle to my child. Afterwards we watched the Super Friends cartoons on DVD and played in character..... It was awesome!

It was a Superman Toy that I dreamed to own back then when I was a kid. Now that I started collecting Superman is one of my favorite lines. Among the personalities that played Superman, it was Christopher Reeves that stood out. I don't know if anyone would disagree but is you were into comics during the 80's Reeves was like sucked out of the comic pages and came to life.

Everyone might ask why i didn't include Tom Welling's photo playing Superman, its because he doesn't want to. I heard of news, especially during the final season of Smallvile that he doesn't want to wear the suit. For some reason, there is this Superman curse he's been avoiding. Smallville was a show before Clark became Superman, No cape, no flights, no tights....apparently Smallville had to end Clark becoming Superman. Hence, CG and Special effects were made to look ha had the suit. No biggie, for me, Smallville is a long process Superman had to undergo to be the Hero he needs to be.

Superman has always been special for me, the concept of a child from a doomed planet sent to earth to become its savior is synonymous to Christ sent by God to save us. I was quite fascinated with the story made by Mario Puzo in Superman I and II.... " The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son." It is so poetic it reminded me of the bible.


The 2 Superman Movies by Reeves really made an impact on me personally as a child, He was more than just my favorite superhero, He was a role model for me to look up to. It was the opposite of a common alien based movie wherein the aliens are a menace and would rule humanity, in Superman's case, He was here to be the greatest hero of all time.


This time, Lex Luthor who is from Earth is the menace not to mention 3 supervillains also from Krypton led by General Zod. It was a movie that captured my imagination and most of us during those time. It was the epitome of having blankets or towels as cape and imagining yourself to fly. It was a generation wherein the term action-figure was not yet known; toys are toys - that's it. Apparently, toys from Kenner before were a child's dream toy, aside from being poor, we also lived in the province and had a hard-time going to the city and see these wonderful toys back then.

It was a lifelong dream to own a Superman toy. I remember myself going through my Lola's "Chikadees" (local cheezecurls snack back in the days with free toys in it) in her store. I was choosing the parts of a build a figure toy inside a cheezecurls pack. It was a long and tedious wait, a lot of scolding and a lot of saving money to buy colored pen to replicate Superman's uniform. These were defining moments in my childhood that led me to be a toy lover - a collector. I guess I owe a big part of my values and passion for toys from Superman.


I started by small business at 2004, it was Family, Shop and Toy Collection as a motto. This is for my family, for a better tomorrow for my kids, for the shop to grow and be stable and to; start my Toy Collection. It's now 8 years from that start, Its not a perfect dream come true, but I could say that everything is falling into place. My collection is not only a marketing factor for my shop but also a bonding element for me and my kids.


It is also in the Superman movies and Smallville series that I learned how to be a father, A father to be respected and earn the respect of his kids and not imply respect. I learned that more that just kids, they should also be my friend. Yes, with boundaries but someone whom they could freely open-up and express themselves. I had a hardtime because I did not have a father figure to look up to, but I found my inspiration in Superman when I was a kid, I still found an inspiration to this day.

I know, Superman is not your perfect superhero as most of us idolizes a lot of other heroes or are fascinated with other characters from DC or Marvel or even Transformers and other Super Robots but I would like to ask, "Why do you collect?" Is it for passion? Is it for the thrill and the hunt? Is it powerplay a status quo on who gets the most awesome figure or the most expensive ones?


For me, Superman paved the way for this passion and values. The reason why I collect; he is my foundation. Not because I could, but because I love to. Yes, It will always be a part of my hobby and business to trade, buy and sell but to sum it all up; the Toys I have for keeps are the toys I loved and had influenced me over the years no amount of money can top.


My collection will be my legacy to my kids, a passion we all share, a bond we will always treasure. This is the reason "WHY SUPERMAN?" This is why I collect, this is me sharing my heart you!


Some pictures of Me and my Superman Collection:

I'm updating the pictures please bear with me. Thanks!

Copyright njvelasquez 2012

All characters mentioned and shown are owned by their respective company.

Superman and related character is copyrighted and owned by DC Comics and its subsidiaries.

No copyright infringement intended in the creation of this review.