Vintage toy room opens at Wonderworld Comics in Taylor

If there is one thing Dennis Barger and R.J. Bowman, co-owners of Taylor-based Wonderworld Comics know better than comics it’s vintage toys.
Selling vintage toys has always been a key part of the business model for the store, but generally it was done through private showing in the jam-packed warehouse.
SLIDESHOW: Photos of Wonderworld Comics Vintage Toy Room.
Recently the pair debuted their new Vintage Toy Room at the store, 22347 Ecorse Rd., within the room are toys dating back up to 50 years.
“Shopping at Wonderworld is like having Santa Claus with a time machine.” Barger said.
There are vintage toys “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” “Captain Planet,” “Transformers,” and just about any other line of toys released from the 1970’s through the mid 1990’s. Also included are some rarer pieces that date back earlier than the 70’s.
“With the exposure we got on “Toyhunter” (A TV show on the Travel Channel) we realized the stuff we had in the back is actually a bigger draw than we thought,” Barger said. “People started showing up wanting vintage toys so we moved back to the other end of the strip mall and put in the vintage toy room.”
The vintage toy room is about the same size as the regular store is, and can be used to host events as well. There is also a spot for vintage video games where several systems will be set up to test out games and accessories.
At the toy room’s debut party about 40 people came in on a Friday night to celebrate, and gawk at all of the merchandise that was previously only available to select few.
The crown jewel of the toy room so far is a “G.I. Joe” playset that is rare to come by with all of the parts. The USS Flagg, which is about 8 feet long and three feet high when assembled was expensive in the 1980’s when it was released and never sold well because of the size and price issues with it. Now the toy goes for huge money when complete. The vintage toy room has one proudly on display, with rumors of at least one more waiting for space to be displayed.
Contact Wonderworld Comics at 1-313-292-8697.
 (Video courtesy Terrell Culbert/Breathe Again Magazine, was partially filmed at WonderWorld Comics.)