Dan | Take Me Home Toys

From dedicated vintage-toy shops and multi-dealer treasure hunts to Wisconsin toy shows and museums, these are places worth putting on a collector’s map. Inventory, event dates and hours can change, so check each official page before making the drive.

Affordable lighting, backdrops, stands and small tools for photographing vintage toys clearly for collection records, articles and eBay listings. These are practical options and reference guides—not a claim that every item is part of my personal setup.

Reference sites, checklists, books and practical tools I use to identify vintage figures, accessories, variants, dates and makers’ marks.

Gentle tools and storage-safe materials for careful vintage-toy care. Start dry, use the least aggressive method, test an inconspicuous area and stop if paint, stickers, flocking, hair or old plastic reacts.

Practical cases, stands, protective storage and organization tools for keeping vintage figures, dolls, vehicles and accessories visible, stable and easy to find. Measure first and check every material before long-term contact.

I’ve spent years researching and photographing the vintage toys that shaped the 1980s and 1990s. This follow-up list pairs my collector guides with independent identification resources and carefully selected original-era finds for five memorable lines: The Real Ghostbusters, M.A.S.K., ThunderCats, Dino-Riders and Polly Pocket. Some links are affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

I run Take Me Home Toys and spend my time researching, photographing and finding new homes for vintage toys. This list pairs collector-friendly histories with carefully chosen examples from eight classic lines, focusing on original-era figures, variants and identifying details rather than modern reproductions. Some links are affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.