Toy Hunters, a new “reality tv show” on the Travel Channel (because I’m sure both TLC and the History Channel looked at this and dubbed it as “too sad”) follows Jordan Hembrough, a toy trader who… hunts… for… toys…

In the vein of the History Channel’s American Pickers - Jordan drives up to various people’s homes/warehouses and then proceeds to rifle through their stuff in search of high-price, rare and very collectable items to sell at his booth in (last year’s) New York Comic Con. In this first episode, he meets a lot of people who used to work for Kenner and actually designed many of the toys he’s trying to find.

It’s a show concept that works, but the main thing I never liked about American Pickers was the fact that they haggled and low-balled these people for their old, quote/unquote “crappy” stuff - only to then sell the very same item(s) to other people at a much higher price and pocketing all the profits. They’re not refining diamonds here. They’re not purifying crude oil. They’re literally dusting off boxes, and then selling them like they’ve dipped it in liquid gold.

It’s kind of weird to see “my people” (geeks) on this show from both sides. On one hand - he’s giving people the chance to possess pieces of their childhood(s). Case in point: he flew down to Miami where he was able to track down the owner of a Thundercats Mad Bubbler, a fabled missing character from the very same toyline that I (and maybe every male born in the 80s) played with. Just seeing some of the Thundercats toys that Jordan randomly played with to make up some episode time, put a huge smile on my face.

On the other hand though - they’re “shoving the carrot” right in front of the people who likes these things, almost mocking them by showing them what they will never possess in their lives. The Thundercats Mad Bubbler toy, for example, is valued at upwards of $15,000 - putting it far out of reach for the likes of normal fans, and firmly into the hands of collectors and young rappers who made all their money from recording and selling mobile phone ringtones. Jordan also found an actual, working, missile-firing Boba Fett prototype Kenner toy, which they never made because of fears that kids would shoot their eyes out (yet LEGO pieces that could cripple anyone who accidentally steps on one continue to be sold. Have you ever stepped on a LEGO brick? IT’S PURE AGONY) The giant white guy who jumped around like a giddy school-girl upon seeing the Boba Fett toy was tough to watch, then the guy who spent $17,000 on the Boba Fett toy was something else entirely (some people have money, some people don’t)

The redeeming thing about this show (which earned a lot of respect from me) was the fact that Jordan offered to broker the sale for each of the highest priced toys - meaning he would sell them for as much as he possibly could, pulling in 20% of whatever he eventually sells it for. He makes money, but more importantly, the person who shelved and stored the toy and kept it in pristine condition for the last 15-20 years, gets money too. Obviously because he wants to make as much money as possible with his 20%, he’s going to try sell it at the best price and makes more money for the person whom he got the toy from in the first place.

I might stick around to see where this show goes…