The Toy That Made Me
This is a story about why collections are important, and how they can change your life.
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There are moments, they say, that shape you. Sometimes they are big, grand, Earth shaking moments. Other times, they are small, at first seeming insignificant in the series of events that shape your life.
One of these such moments was my birthday, I think my 6th or 7th. Birthdays are always fun of course, but this particular birthday now stands out as one that shaped who I would become. It was the birthday on which I was gifted my first Mighty Max playset.
Within this small, roughly 5cm playset lay a world of danger and excitement. I could create my own adventures or act out the “official” story that appeared as a short comic on the reverse of the backing card. Usually, I went for the former. And I absolutely loved it!
My first Mighty Max playset was the Horror Head set Skull Warrior. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I fell in love right away with Max and his exciting world.
Horror in the Palm of Your Hand!: The History of Mighty Max | by Joe Douglas | Oct, 2020 | Medium
As I mentioned, I was around seven at the time when I received my first Max toy, and probably around nine or ten when the cartoon series began to air in Australia. It’s an impressionable age, an age when you start to view people as role models and look up to those who inspire you most. Max was one of those people.
I vividly remember watching the Adventures of Mighty Max cartoon and hoping I’d be as cool as Max when I grew up. Of course I had my father and grandfather whom I looked to as examples of wonderful men, but they were a lot older than me. Max was almost my age, only a few years older. Being as heroic and adventurous and awesome as him was within my grasp!
Mighty Max made me want to be a hero, and Mighty Max made me a collector.
On the reverse of the backing card along with the comic were photos of the other Max sets that were available. I longed for each of these, to be able to go on further adventures with Max.
