Collector’s Paradise
Chances are you played with dolls or action figures when you were a kid. Adults by the millions still collect these colorful and fun reminders of a simpler, carefree time.
If this appeals to you, then your eyes will pop when you step into the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley. Toy designer and curator Kevin Stark greeted me and shared some memories.
“We have over 13,000 action figures and toys in the collection along with the accessories that go with the figures,” said Stark.
Stark has collected samples of toy and action figures from every genre imaginable, such as Superman, Batman and other superheroes, as well as characters from “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and “The Simpsons,” among many others.
Stark began his career as a toy designer in 1990 with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy collection. Pauls Valley city leaders wanted a unique tourist attraction downtown, and Stark agreed to open a store and museum.
“People had already been showing up at my doorstep for years inquiring about my collection every time I’d be featured on TV or in a newspaper or magazine article,” he said.
The museum even has a re-creation of Stark’s boyhood bedroom, with original furniture. Naturally, it’s jammed full of his old toys and action figures.
Group travel tours often stop by. If it is arranged ahead of time, Stark will get on the bus with the visitors and give them a personal tour of his hometown.
Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department
800-652-6552
— www.travelok.com —
