dvandom | Toy Karma

In less controversial news, I stopped off at a local "toys for tots" sort of deal in town that takes opened toys. I was there to drop off a Power Rangers toy I'd opened, messed with, become disappointed in, and put back in the box. While there, I saw they had a couple of "mY LifE is PAiN" mistransformed TFs, so I pitched in and helped them evaluate 'em. Transmetal Megatron was missing his tail, but otherwise okay in robot mode, plenty of play value left in it. Ultra BMac Cyclonus, however, was a total combat loss. No legs, thrashed gears and springs...the light-up feature still worked, miraculously, but it otherwise looked like it had been used to thresh wheat. There was more chrome damage than chrome. I wouldn't even want it for kitbashing materials, so I advised 'em to pitch it. And I gave them my "geek card" and said to drop me an email if they came across any other borderline TFs they weren't sure were fit to give anyone.

I'm glad these people run this program. While I usually have a few unopened toys I bought on clearance and decided not to open, for putting in regular Toys for Tots bins, I have a LOT of stuff I get but don't really want anymore after I open it. And I take good care of things that I don't intentionally destroy, so I'd like to see things go to kids more or less intact, which means the local Salvation Army is right out (they toss everything in a bin, it's like a toy blender in there). So when November rolls around, I start bagging up non-Transformers toys I don't really want anymore, and drop 'em off. Sure, I'm giving of my plenty, not of my want (to make a Biblical reference), but I don't think the kids care too much about that. :)

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Awesome...and btw, BMac Cyclonus?? They had a Botcon Exclusive there?

Sorry, Jetstorm. I think. It was so effed up it coulda been either, I suppose. :)

It's as bad as people to try to trade in game discs to game stores that look like they had sandpaper taken to them. How can these jackasses even come close to ruin a CD that bad? Normal use doesn't cut it. Let alone peopel who throw away CD cases and leave their discs out in the open.

Actually, I lent Kingdom Hearts to a cousin and he damn near destroyed the CD. I wanted to just hit him but opted for him to pay the $2 fee for Game Crazy disc buffing. And even then, there's still a few marks, so I may have to buf it again. How can someone even subconsciously do this much damage?

And broken toys to charity? If someone's that willing to ruin a toy and then give it to the poor as if they're doing some "grand favor", then they deserve no toys.

Oh, I don't have a problem with giving lightly damaged/missing parts toys to charity. As a kid, while my family wasn't poor, we were pretty much scraping the bottom of the middle class bracket, and I generally had fewer toys than any of my friends. I would have been happy with a hand-me-down that was missing a piece or two, or had some scratches. For instance, the tailless Megatron would have been cool.

Yeah, the Ultra Jetstorm was totally thrashed, but there's two things to consider. One, most parents have no idea how a lot of these toys work, and it's not immediately obvious when they're missing parts. Two, I expect a lot of donations consisted of parents telling their kids to put all the toys they don't want anymore into a box, and then hauling the box to the donation location without sorting through it. Or even just using the old threat, "if you don't pick up your room, any toys I find on the floor are going to charity!"

In any case, I doubt anyone donating broken or parts-missing toys thought they were doing a "grand favor". More likely it was, "Well, it's not TOO bad, and it'd be a shame to throw it away if some kid might get some joy out of it."

I saw someone donate a box full of broken GI Joes to Goodwill once. Looked like they'd had a hammer taken to them, and possibly just tossed into the air.

I've given a lot of toys to charity, though it's generally ones I buy new for said purpose. Any loose toys I give to family members.

Toy Karma

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