o-hayo, rei-g!
yes, i'm jimmy (gnash)... btw, my mom's name is oki setsuko (from fukuoka); it's so nice to see a japanese name on the threads!
the robots are indeed popular, but they are increasingly difficult to find at the toy shows.
okay, and my hamsters will not nibble on your owl's wings
re: collectibles -- i also have a small, evergrowing collection of children's ceramics -- that is, pottery made by kids of all ages. we find them in thrift stores where they are cast off, i guess, when the children grow up. i find them to be most charming. most are bowls and cups, but others are lidded boxes, vases with odd faces (a gorilla barbie, lol) and the ever popular pencil holders. they seem to have a certain abstract quality to them, like peter voulkos without the high degree of education, hehe. wasn't it picasso that said it was difficult for him to unlearn his craft so he could paint like a child? i think that is what's attractive about a child's artwork -- there is a certain appeal in their brusque handling of the medium.
