Welcome to another whiz bang week of Wonder WomanWednesday!
This week, we look at one crazed fanatic’s Wonder Woman obsession, specifically my own, as we go behind the collection.
When I joined the Wonder Woman Collector’s Groupon Facebook (moderated by my friend, colleague, and Wonder Woman aficionado Andy Mangels), I was thrilled to see many a WW fan showing off, sharing, and showcasing their varying and diverse Wonder Woman collections.
From dolls, to statues, to fabric and stickers, dishes, and shower curtains, I was thrilled to see such enthusiasm for Wonder Woman and such a wide array of items available! And, I somewhat less than thrilled to realize I would never be able to afford 1/10th of it. But, it is fun to see nonetheless.
Some of said collections are downright awe-inspiring if not dumbfounding, as some are so large it makes you “Wonder” how some of these guys and gals pay their rent.
I absolutely adore seeing people’s passion for Wonder Woman. The passion for WW collectibles is downright infectious . . . if not dangerous as I am constantly being introduced to items that “I just gotta have” for my own collection.
As fun as it is to see the myriad of collections, one can’t help but “Wonder” the origins of these amazing collections. Sure, people tell you whether they acquired their new WW swag from a swap meet, eBay, or other . . . but what inspired their purchase? What drew them to a particular piece? What made that particular piece a must have for their collection? Anyone who watches Antiques Road Show knows a little provenance goes a long way.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, a Wonder Woman collection is worth at least that, if not a whole lot more.
So, for this week’s WWW, I thought it would be fun to share with you my own personal Wonder Woman collection and tell you a little about each piece – where they came from and what they mean to me.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, I want to give you a little backstory. When moving to Los Angeles, I brought very few WW items with me, as moving cross country with all of your belongings in a Toyota Tercel is enough of a pain in the ass without 50 Wonder Woman action figures up your butt!
When you’re as notorious a Wonder Fan as I am, it doesn’t take long for you to acquire new Wonder Woman booty (as in pirate, not Nicki Minaj, so don’t jump all over MY booty thinking I’m disrespecting Diana’s derrière!). People who know you get you little WW trinkets here and there for a holiday, your birthday, or just because they “just had to get if for you” when they saw it! (The best case scenario in my humble opinion!)
Then, of course, there is the worst proponent of influencing one’s borderline WW collectible hoarding tendencies- ME!
After amassing a nice, yet respectable, assortment of figures and dolls, I was pleased with my humble, yet ample, representation of Wonder Stuff.
Sailing right a long, the unthinkable happened. My entire collection was stolen form my apartment. Needless to say, I was devastated. Heartbroken and unable to recover my collection, I couldn’t move on. I decided to give up the hero, become an adult, and take a page from Elsa’s book – letting it go.
You can’t keep a good Amazon down. Some time had passed, some wounds had healed, and my thirst for Wonder Woman returned. Don’t get me wrong, my love of Wonder Woman never wavered, I just needed time to mourn the loss of my beloved collection.
Before long, I realized it was foolish to deny myself my heart’s desire. There were plenty more Wonder Fish in the sea, and the world was my oyster! It was time to once again refurbish my collection and recruit new totems, toys, and trinkets and allow a little Wonder lust back in my life! (Really, was there any doubt?)
You know how it is. Sometimes, when you’re shopping and you see a cute Wonder Woman keepsake, you just have to pick it up! Especially if it is specifically unique or adorable. Although, in my defense, it doesn’t help that my boyfriend Scott is constantly “encouraging/enabling”me to add to my collection with the sage words, “Come on, when are you ever going to see that again?”
It doesn’t take much for me to “drink the Kool-Aid” and before I knew it, my apartment was starting to look a little too much like a shrine to The Amazing Amazon.
With the coffee table, my night stand, and the service window in the kitchen covered with statues, action figures, and various other WW chachkis, methinks Scott was beginning to regret his enthusiasm for my enthusiasm.
How do I know this? Perhaps it was his gentle suggestion to stop making him order stuff from eBay as “We are running out of room!” Not exactly the words I wanted to hear, as there are a few forthcoming items on my Wonder Woman fix list that have yet to be released.
I mean with Batman V Superman yet to be released, not to mention the forthcoming very first full-length Wonder Woman feature film, surely there would be a plethora of Wonder Woman must-have memorabilia coming my way!
What’s a boy to do? So, I put on my thinking tiara – just kidding, there’s no such thing. Is there?!? Any who, inspired by Randy, one of the most prolific WW collectors I know, I needed a showcase! So, I marched over to Target.com and ordered my beautiful Orleans 6 tiered marble laminate shelf and viola! Problem solved! Or was it?
The shelf filled up quickly, and my design had perfect symmetry without clutter. So, what’s the problem? I’ll tell you what the problem is! There’s no room left for anything new!
Worry not, Wonderites! A second shelf from Target is already on its way! I’ll have a new canvass with which to adorn my new found Wonder Woman treasures! And, thanks to the magic of the holiday season, it was twenty bucks cheaper!
So, as promised, without further ado, here is a glimpse at my passion – a look behind the collection.
Please note the numbers correspond with the item’s number in the picture.
1. Wonder Woman Barbie: This is the crown jewel in my book. The be all, end all. When I was little, it wasn’t popular for little boys to play with dolls, and Barbie was on the “no fly” list. For some strange, but thankfully present loophole, I was allowed to play with female dolls as long as they weren’t Barbie.
I had and cherished (at least 2 Mego Wonder Woman dolls and cried my eyes out when her shoddily made feet fell off into her Wonder Boots.)
When I found out that Mattel was releasing a Wonder Woman Barbie in 2001, I knew, I just had to get my grubby mitts on one.
2.) Vinyl Vixens. Barnes & Noble exclusive. Metallic version. Gorgeous. I love it. She is so cute and cool at the same time. A real home run. Ordered on eBay by my BF.
3.) Mini (But decent sized!) Lego WW with light up feet . . . Looking super cute. I cherish this piece . . . because I think it’s cute and well crafted, but more so because my cousin, Christy, personally gifted me with it upon her last visit to me! How Wonder Woman-like!!!
4.) This little gem hails from a Funko mystery box line of minis. I lucked out on this one. I was at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles on Black Friday and someone traded up this WW for a display Harley Quinn right before me.
5.) Giant-sized Funko Batman Figure: I made the score of the century at a Barnes & Noble by spotting this giant-sized Funko Batman in the bargain bin with an orange dot on his head indicating the low down dirty cost of two bucks! How could I pass that up?
6.) Metallic Superman Statue: Inspired by the art and design of Sean “Cheeks” Galloway. I love the style and sculpt of this piece. One of my favorites.
7.) Art of War Statue: George Perez. George Perez is one of my all time favorite artists. With Perez’s hyper attention to detail with several, tiny, inky lines, his art looks amazing on the comic page, I wasn’t sure it translated well into 3D. Alas, Perez has produced my favorite incarnation of Wonder Woman and probably always will be. Honestly, I held off getting this piece as I didn’t think it looked that great in the pic. But then, I reconsidered as I felt I owed it to my devotion of George Perez’s legacy on Wonder Woman. And, boy, am I glad that I did! She is beautiful and better in person than I could have dreamed! I got her on eBay!
8.) Wonder Woman Art of War inspired by the art of art of Robert Valley. Remember those kickass WW shorts that were part of DC Nation on the Carton Network? This is based on that. It’s stunning. I think it’s my favorite piece even though it’s such a departure from classic WW. Super chic.
9.) I got this string voodoo Wonder Woman at a Hot Topic in Ohio.
10.) This pack of Wonder Woman playing cards was found at Kitson at Westfield Shopping center in Century City. “When are you ever gonna see that again?” (Works every time!)
11.) Alfred E. Neuman as Wonder Woman. My brother loved Mad Magazine growing up and especially Alfred E. This highly detailed comical comical figure proved too irresistible to pass up. I love it. Especially the soup can wrist bands and falling off wig.
12.) The New 52 costume wasn’t so bad and finally sat okay with me. It actually looks good on this figure I recently picked up at Golden Apple Comics on Small Business Saturday. I’m okay with the sword, but where’s the lasso?
13.) Hello Gorgeous! I almost crapped my litter box when I saw this in my WW Collector’s group. Only available from China, I scored two. One for me, and one for my sister.
14. Bizarre Breaking Chains Bobble Head Superman: Though I would have never selected this item per se . . . in the spirit of “The Island of Misfit Toys,” I adopted this abandoned toy. It was on top of the dumpster outside my apartment after a neighbor moved. I couldn’t let it perish. It has since grown on me.
15.) Vinyl Wonder Woman Bank: Scott found this for me at Koontz Hardware in West Hollywood. They have tools AND random superhero crap!
Thanks for joining me in a glimpse of my WW Collection. I’m always thrilled to see other collector’s collections. Join us next week for Part 2 of my “Behind the Collection.”
