I recently published a blog article talking about some of my recollections of the Toys "R" Us store near where I grew up and it made me think of something that I overheard in the toy aisle one day. I was looking through pegs of action figures (no idea which ones they may have been at this point), and I overheard what appeared to be a grandfather talking to their young grandson. I was older at this point, probably late college or early adult years, and it seemed to me that the grandfather was trying to discourage the child from spending his money on toys instead of saving it for other things. It was not my intention to eavesdrop, but it's hard to avoid when standing back-to-back on a narrow retail aisle. The grandfather told him that toys were "little plastic pieces of nothing." Standing there holding several such "pieces of nothing" of my own intending to very shortly purchase them, I contemplated what the man had said for, to quote Lt. Cmdr. Data, approximately 0.68 seconds, before realizing that I completely disagreed with that premise. Toys and collectibles represent a wide range of things to a great many people. For some, it's about making fandoms and fantasies tangible. For others, toys and their associated characters can represent hope, courage, love, heroic deeds, powerful ideals, and even magic. Others see investments. Still others, nostalgia, memories, and the passion of things long lost. They can be a connection to family and friends, or a substitute for one or both. If you're on this website, and reading this post, you probably love toys. And I believe that's the right response. The last thing they will ever be to me, is a little plastic piece of nothing.