How It All Began...
I don't remember.
Yes, that's right, I honestly don't remember. Okay, that's slightly a lie. I don't remember what my first item was. Back in 2002, the kids in my elementary school class had become fans of Pokemon, something that I thought at the time was really dumb. Without ever watching the show, I shunned Pokemon for a whole year, until in 2003 I learned that the boy who I had a crush on liked Pokemon, too. I still remember the first episode I ever watched, the one where Teddiursa ate all of the food in the town, and then evolved into an Ursaring. From there, not only to get close to the guy I liked, but because I had also fallen in love with Pokemon, I began collecting. As far as I can remember, it began with trading cards and some Tomy figures, which then eventually evolved into Hasbro plush, and more. I still have a charmander figure that I got in a trade with the boy I had liked.
My collection, though, took another turn.
My Grandmother used to own a Vietnamese-American diner, and it was there that I had made a friend. His name was Ray, and he was much, much older than me (Older than my mom, even!). But he became a regular at the diner, and he liked to bring me toys, like colored pencils and activity books. He would come to visit and play all the time, and once he learned that I liked Pokemon, he began bringing all sorts of Pokemon merch for me. All of my Tomy's (aside from maybe 3 or so) were from him. Almost all of Hasbro plush, my DX Tomy figures, my Pokedolls from 2000-2005, were from him. And any other little knick knacks, such as an electronic pokedex or pokeballs! And even movies. More than half of my collection is thanks to him... But I was so young at the time, I never got the chance to really appreciate it, before he passed away. Now, so many years later, I've turned back to collecting Pokemon, for the happiness it brings me to have such cute things in my bedroom, and for the memory of Ray that lives on whenever I see them.
Yes, that's right, I honestly don't remember. Okay, that's slightly a lie. I don't remember what my first item was. Back in 2002, the kids in my elementary school class had become fans of Pokemon, something that I thought at the time was really dumb. Without ever watching the show, I shunned Pokemon for a whole year, until in 2003 I learned that the boy who I had a crush on liked Pokemon, too. I still remember the first episode I ever watched, the one where Teddiursa ate all of the food in the town, and then evolved into an Ursaring. From there, not only to get close to the guy I liked, but because I had also fallen in love with Pokemon, I began collecting. As far as I can remember, it began with trading cards and some Tomy figures, which then eventually evolved into Hasbro plush, and more. I still have a charmander figure that I got in a trade with the boy I had liked.
My collection, though, took another turn.
My Grandmother used to own a Vietnamese-American diner, and it was there that I had made a friend. His name was Ray, and he was much, much older than me (Older than my mom, even!). But he became a regular at the diner, and he liked to bring me toys, like colored pencils and activity books. He would come to visit and play all the time, and once he learned that I liked Pokemon, he began bringing all sorts of Pokemon merch for me. All of my Tomy's (aside from maybe 3 or so) were from him. Almost all of Hasbro plush, my DX Tomy figures, my Pokedolls from 2000-2005, were from him. And any other little knick knacks, such as an electronic pokedex or pokeballs! And even movies. More than half of my collection is thanks to him... But I was so young at the time, I never got the chance to really appreciate it, before he passed away. Now, so many years later, I've turned back to collecting Pokemon, for the happiness it brings me to have such cute things in my bedroom, and for the memory of Ray that lives on whenever I see them.