Following is part of a series exploring unique museums, collections and the passionate collectors behind them. ― Ed.


The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of a “toy” is, “Something for a child to play with.” The popular perception is that toys are merely for the enjoyment and entertainment of children. However, there is a select population of people in the world that would disagree.

The Cheongnyangni Lotte Department Store is currently hosting an exhibition of around 1,000 art toys ― ranging from Blythe, Be@rbrick, Kubrick, Uglydoll, Dunny, Sticky Monster and more ― from the collections of five different collectors.

“We are calling the exhibition ‘My Friend, My Hero’ because we understand how the collectors love and care deeply about their collectables,” said Cho Eui-young, the gallery’s curator. “One collector even asked that tape be placed on the bangs of his dolls so that the heat from the lamps won’t damage the hair.”

It is a passion that is taken very seriously among some groups of dedicated collectors. “To a general person, it may look like more than just a hobby,” she said.

According to Cho, the keyword to use when describing the theme of the gallery is “Kidult,” or adults who have the spirit of a child.

Collector Bae A-ram, who has the largest collection at the exhibition, is one of these kidults. At first glance, one would hardly expect such an unusual passion from the 34-year-old wedding planner. But Bae is also an avid toy collector, to say the least.

While attending college in Germany, she noticed the different varieties of toy dolls that she had never seen before in Korea. Intrigued by their charm and beauty, she started buying Barbie dolls every now and then. Fourteen years later, her toy collection has spiraled to much more than just one or two knick knacks decorating her room.

Bae has now amassed a collection of around 1,000 figurines. In the beginning, after buying a few toys, she would end up searching online and learning about the artists behind these various collectables. Her interest in art toys started to grow from there.

“I just became overwhelmed with the feeling of wanting to have all of the artists’ series and collections,” she said. “There are some instances where there are items that are not sold in Korea. In these cases, I personally go to Japan to buy them.”

Bae would fly to Japan and show up at a toy store several hours before it opened just to purchase the next line of Be@rbrick products (small, cartoon bear toys). There was one figurine, the “Crying Baby” Be@rbrick, that she desperately wanted for her collection and admitted to spending more than two years searching for.

This particular item was neither valuable nor even a limited edition piece, “But I just had to have it because it was so cute,” she said. And after years of searching, Bae eventually found one on sale on a Japanese website.

This hobby of hers is not only one of time, dedication and patience, but one of extraordinary financial obligation as well.

“If I sold just my Be@rbrick collection, I could buy a small car,” she admitted.

Bae even receives text messages from stores, letting her know when a new arrival has come on sale. She once went to a store with the intention of only buying one toy, but ended up spending nearly $900 buying other collectables.

In particular, Be@rbrick figurines are often sold in blind boxes, meaning that buyers do not know which designs they have selected until they open the box. One time Bae visited a toy store and at one sitting opened around 80 blind boxes ― each costing around $10 ― until she found the Be@rbrick that she was looking for.

“Each one of these toys has a character, a personality,” she said. “Each one has a story behind it.”

Bae shared the unique story behind the Uglydoll franchise as an example.

It all started when David Horvath wrote a letter to his girlfriend, now wife, Kim Sun-min. In one of the letters he wrote to her, Horvath ― whose dream was to tell stories through toys and books ― drew a cartoon character named Wage at the end of the letter. Then as a surprise present, Kim sewed a doll of his character and mailed it to him. And this is how Uglydolls came to be.

“When I first met my husband, I was really embarrassed about someone my age being obsessed with toys,” she said smiling. However, shortly after the two were married, her husband started his own business selling the toys.

“Art toys stimulate our imagination and can widen the world’s perception of art culture,” said Bae.

The “My Friend, My Hero” collection is on display at the Lotte Gallery at the Cheongnyangni Lotte Department Store until Thursday, Dec. 27. The collection will then be moved to the Lotte Gallery Premium Outlet mall in Paju, where it will go on display until Sunday, Jan. 27. The exhibition is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)