Margaret Mak | Tin Toys

Tin Toys

Besides from collecting cameras, repairing cameras, collecting z-scale model trains, taking photos and designing...I also like collecting tin toys.

Tin toy collection became my obsession after buying a UFO space wind-up toy from Japan as a souvenir for my coworker. I wasn't born in an era where tin toys were popular and largely manufactured, but I like the nostalgic/retro look and the feel of tin. Nowadays, reproductions of vintage tin toys are mainly manufactured in China and Japan, occasionally you'll see some from Czech Republic. The mainstream of tin toys that are reproduced are robots which can do a bunch of tricks when wound up like walking and bursting sparks in the eyes.

Me at Kitahara's Tin Toy Museum, Yokohama Teruhisa Kitahara is a famous tin toy collector that is very active in sharing his collection and knowledge to the public. This is one of the many tin toy museums/shops he maintains in Japan.	Robby & Oliver Sleeping on the floors of the Tin Toy Museum
My Tin Toy Collection My collection mainly consists of items that are made in Japan and usually smaller scale figures (under 6").	Closeup of Collection Although I do have a couple that were made in China, but I prefer the Japanese made ones because they are usually more detailed and colorful.
Newsboys The most recent acquisition I made was a tin newsboy which I first laid my eyes on at the Kitahara Tin Toy Museum Yokohoma, Japan but at that time it was too expensive so I didn't end up buying it. Until a year or so later, I was moping on eBay (oh yeah, I forgot to add on my extensive list of hobbies above "moping on eBay") and did a search for "tin newsboy" and found the exact same one I saw in Yokohama but much cheaper. The newsboy on the right is a collaborated effort by Kitahara and Fossil. Only a limited quantity of 5,000 were made. Video clip: Watch the newsboy in action! File Size: 2.5MB, requires QuickTime	Meiji Kitahara Collection: Tin Toy Museum Another "Candy Toy" collaboration by Meiji and Kitahara, a set comes in 5 boxes, randomly packed and each box comes with a toy and candy. Awesome package design!
Bandai Kitahara Collection 1 This is the first collection of the Bandai/Kitahara tin toy + candy toy. These toys were made of plastic but the level of detail and the miniature size makes it worth collecting.	Bandai Kitahara Collection 2 Kitahara had collaborated with Meiji and Bandai to produce mini scale figures of tin toys to sell in a "Candy Toy" (a box with candy and a toy).