My mom bought for me my first-ever Star Wars action figure in 1983—an R2-D2, after the showing of Return of the Jedi—the last installment to the film series original trilogy—that year, which we saw at Quad in Makati. I was 12; I was in Grade 5.
We got the R2-D2 three and three quarter inches’ figure at a hobby shop at a strip mall called Goldcrest in the area of the now Ayala Malls in Makati, Metro Manila. The special-toys shop was called Nova Fontana.
That little place had been a childhood paradise for me every weekend and even on countless after-school strolling moments with a few friends and classmates during those days.
Of the toys that I got from Nova Fontana, only a handful I was able to keep to this day.
Yes, they are just plastic toys, but they carry for me magical memories of my childhood and youth—stories of old that I enjoy sharing with my 10-year-old son Evawwen, who would often get wide-eyed while listening to them.
The Last Leaf
Here are some of those very figures that I bought at Nova Fontana in the 1980s: Squidhead, Nikto, Death Star Droid, Clash of the Titans’ Charon, Klaatu, Bib Fortuna, FX-7, R2-D2, Tie Fighter Piot, Imperial Stormtrooper, AT-AT Driver, Logray, Chewbacca, Yoda, Dengar, Ugnaught, Bossk, 4-Lom, and Boba Fett.
What about you? For sure, you also have lots of toy memories! You may email us at elfideas102@yahoo.com your own childhood-toy recollection and we will feature it here in Filipino Journal.
So far, the best collectible-toys shop in Winnipeg is Cobra Collectibles, located at 555 Sargent Ave. The store sells both used and new items that include merchandise from Star Wars, Transformers, He-man & the Masters of the Universe, and many, many more.
