Travel Channel reveals the big business of buying and selling toys and collectibles in the new original series “Toy Hunter,” premiering with a special one-hour season opener featuring back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, August 15 at 10:00 p.m., ET/PT (regular time slot at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT beginning Wednesday, August 22). This weekly half-hour series follows acclaimed toy dealer Jordan Hembrough, founder of Hollywood Heroes, a New Jersey-based vintage and modern collectibles company, as he travels across the country hunting for the most sought after pieces. For this toy hunter, poking through cramped attics and rummaging around dirty garages to score vintage items is all in a day’s work!
In each of the eight episodes, Hembrough strategically maneuvers around reluctant sellers, abates budgets and avoids the unforeseen roadblocks as he tracks down the rarest pieces. With many collectible items valued in the thousands of dollars, Hembrough will travel the country on the ultimate toy quest searching for the holy grail items he and his clients yearn for. Some of those rare toys (and the year they hit the shelves) include:
– “The Six Million Dollar Man” Venus Space Probe (1977)
– GI Joe: “Pimp Daddy” Destro (1997)
– Jurassic Park Prototypes (1994)
– Luke Skywalker Telescoping Lightsaber (1977)
– Care Bears Treat Heart Pig (1982)
– Barbie #1 in box (with brunette hair) (1959)
Armed with his encyclopedic knowledge of toy history and savvy skills of negotiation, Hembrough meets with amateur and professional collectors alike. Throughout his travels on the series, he crisscrosses the country encountering a diverse group of enthusiasts including former Kenner toy designers in Ohio, flea market pickers in Ashville, North Carolina and vintage toy store owners in Austin, Texas. Some notable moments include meeting specialized collectors like the Batman collectors in Biloxi, Mississippi, a Spiderman collector in San Francisco, and Los Angeles mask collector and designer/sculptor Jordu Schell. Hembrough also connects with a toy comrade in New Jersey, to sell horror collectibles at the Chiller Theater Expo – the largest horror toy and comic convention in the country.
