Toys and Nostalgia: Creepiest Dolls and Coolest Collectibles From Toy & Doll Supershow

The Toy & Doll Supershow was back from pandemic hiatus on Sunday, April 3, just in time to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. And the remodeled Delta Hotel Marriott on 120th Avenue was packed with both purveyors and purchasers, and tables stocked with memories, no matter your age. It had an impressive turnout, and a deserved one for a show that's been around since 1991, often running more than one event per year.

This year, we wanted to give some love to this long-running Denver institution by spotlighting some of the most remarkable toys and collectible ephemera. Some of these things got bought as we were taking the photos; some might have survived until next time. For now, enjoy these blasts from the past.
Most Expensive: Batman Pin-Up Original Production Art
The most expensive thing at the Toy & Doll show wasn't even a toy or a doll — but it's hard to argue the appeal of this '70s Batman pin-up. It's production art, which means it was created as part of the original printing process, but is not original art. If this were the original art from Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson, this piece would be going for at least ten times the asking price here, which is already impressively high. This piece of Bat-history will set some lucky collector $2,500. Holy pocket change, Batman!
Most Surprising: Motion Sensing Disembodied Deadpool Head
Just like everyone's favorite Merc-with-a-Mouth from Marvel Comics (not to mention your local theaters), this guy would just not shut up. He had something to say to everyone passing by the Time Warp Comics booth (that's Wayne Winsett back behind good ol' Wade Wilson). We stood and listened for a while, and Deadpool here never repeated himself...so his belt-pouches must be stuffed with one-liners as well as bullets. Sadly, that's not Ryan Reynolds' voice—but then again, it's not really his head either.

Most Educational: Superman Official 8-Piece Junior Quoit Set
Apparently, back in the day, people commonly referred to "ring toss" as "quoit." Who knew? It pays to enrich your word power, kids. Just look at Superman encouraging those two kids to play his game. It's 1956, and her name is definitely Betty. He looks sort of like a Phil. Superman must have been big on these types of games—you can see the box for the suspiciously similar "Superman Official Junior Rubber Horseshoe Set" right above it, where it looks like Supes is using the same sets of bases and pegs. Phil and Betty think Superman is keen, but he's also sort of a cheapskate.

Most Nostalgic: Fisher-Price Play Family Farm
If you were one of the millions of kids that had this toy back in the '70s, then you definitely remember the "moooooo" sound when you open those barn doors. You may also recall that there's a chicken on some straw up behind those loft doors. Just one of the many ways that Fisher Price was essentially just printing money back in the 60s and 70s.
Most Awesome Functional Item: The Six Million Dollar Man Metal Wastebasket
America had a great concern with trash back in the 1970s. Ecology was big, and there were Italian actors paid to be crying American Indians on the TV. And we had pop-culture trashcans in all the catalogues. This one is Steve Austin, from 1976, who will use his bionic eye to spot any trash, and then his bionic arm to help you toss it in the can. Here's an excuse to use that bionic "tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch-tsch" sound all the time.
Most Interesting Combo of Vintage and Modern: Star Wars
Okay, in the foreground, you have the ginormous Millennium Falcon, which came out in 2008 as part of the Legacy Collection. Its size isn't its only selling point, though it was cool to finally be able to see Han and Chewie both in the cockpit, where they belong as a team. But it was also the detail, from the audio to the sculpting and the paint, that made this a classic. If you zoom in, you can see the equally enormous price: $638, which is actually not bad for an aftermarket item that often sells in the $750 range. But the booth also held a vintage Star Wars curtain from 1978, when there was only the one movie. A pair of these curtains were selling for $30. There's probably a lesson in there somewhere, but we're too busy wanting it all to concentrate.
Most Out-of-Place Vendor: Renewal by Andersen
When we saw this table, we wondered if they maybe went to the wrong show... but it turns out that the rep for Renewal by Andersen is just a fellow fan. And from the look of the stack of filled-out forms in front of her, it looked like there were more than a few toy and doll aficionados who also have some replacement window and door needs.
Most Niche Item: Video-Man
One of the tables had window clings with various nerd-related connections. This one is interesting because it really takes some in-depth knowledge of '80s Saturday morning cartoons to know who in the heck this is. But those of us who loved us some Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (Iceman and Firestar, natch) also remember this guy, who was inexplicably in more than one episode. Video-Man was a take on the early-'80s arcade game craze, and was a game-playing nerd named Francis who got transformed when a coin-op he was playing exploded. So was born Video-Man, who would eventually become one of the X-Men. Sort of.
Most Unintentionally Sad Display: G.I.Joes
Maybe it's that all these heroes and villains of syndicated cartoon magic back in the 1980s look like they've gotten the Han-Solo-in-Carbonite treatment. Or maybe it's that some look like they're posed so as to look as forlorn as possible. Maybe it's best to just remember that these toys were all played with, and hopefully will be again. And like G.I. Joe always said, "Knowing is half the battle."
Most Creepy Doll: Regan
Some dolls are creepy just because their glassy-eyed stares seem to bore into your soul. Others have an unsettling smile, or look in some way off. But this Regan doll from The Exorcist wasn't made to sit around any tea parties or be rocked in a miniature cradle. She's all pea soup and nightmares.
Most Eclectic Collection: The Whole Darn Show
In the end, there was almost too much to look at. One table was full of old tin-toys, another of die-cast cars, another of vintage stuff and another of re-creations that could be had on the cheap. It was games, it was toys, it was cards, it was comics — it was childhood joy becoming adult happiness. Something to think about for the next Toy & Doll Supershow — and a good reason to bring a pocket full of cash.

Get updates on the next scheduled Toy & Doll Supershow at their website.