Remember when I appeared in the newspapers for some otaku interview not too long ago? Apparently, my dad had gotten himself a spot in the local newspapers too. The topic of the article in The New Paper? His figurine “obsession”.
I’ve heard comments stating that my figurine collection’s pretty decent, but I never thought so. Why? When IÂ glance over at my dad’s collection, I’d have to hang my head in shame.

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While we both collect different genres of figurines, be it moe and mecha or wildlife, figurines are still figurines. Sadly, I’m severely defeated in every single aspect.
While all I own are pretty girlies and some sexy mechas that are not even a quarter of my height, my dad’s collection boasts quite a number of live-sized animal models, including a leopard, tiger, gorilla and many other creatures of the jungle that have slipped my mind. He even owns a giraffe model that’s almost double my height. Heck, even those over sized greens you see in the picture above overwhelm the size of my prized collection.
While my collection is bounded within the confines of my room, my dad has a whole freaking warehouse for all his stuff. I bet many otakus out there would be cursing and swearing at the space he has to spare.
While I spend around 80 to 90 dollars on a single figurine of mine, my dad spends by the hundreds, thousands even. He even specially makes trips down to countries such as Thailand and Phillipines just to make an order and view more similar stock.
And lastly, while I don’t earn anything with my collection, my allowance depends on his collection. This alone is enough to justify why his collection is incredible.
It’s a pity that my dad isn’t into anime. Else, we could be making trips down to the land of the rising sun every 3 months just to get stock. Then again, if he was into anime, his collection wouldn’t be feeding the family. At least he understands the mindset of a collector, and doesn’t really restrict me from making my purchases, save for for the occasional reminder regarding overspending.
In case anyone’s wondering what he does with his collection, here’s a rough idea.

Anyone else have any interesting parents? I know that Soshi has a really cool dad who had a heavy influence on her turning into the otaku she is today.
your dad seems really interesting/wonderful *w* i like the giraffes very much!
Oh no, my dad still thinks that manga are “cartoons”.
Poor C.I. my parents think the same…
I guess that giant fruits and vegetables are your father’s passion… and he seems to enjoy it!!
The last picture was extremely wtf. Haha! My dad collects… cars! He has like 200 over REAL cars. But that’s his job lol.
My father’s into SLR cameras, both digital and – whatever the word for a pre-digital camera is. That’d be ideal for figurine photography, I suppose, but he doesn’t have any figurines.
@All of you: Goddamn why can’t my parents collect something. We’re like a “buy-and-throw” family.
Those giant veggies are awesome. My parents don’t collect anything of that proportion though…mostly, they just get handmade mugs.
you should ask your dad to buy you a life size Rei, that’s a combination of both your hobbies.
double is a clip off the old block. ^^;
i saw that article in the papers yesterday but i didn’t knew he is your dad. he look so young.
Kaori > Wait till you see the other animals.
C.I > That’s just so sad.
phossil > My dad starting collecting even way before I did.
tj han> That last picture was taken quite some time ago. I have some pictures of his Compass Point setup somewhere though.
Also, 200 real cars? That’s awesome lol.
IKnight > If I had anyone whom I knew that collected SLR’s, I would be borrowing them. Hehe.
Caitlin > Those are from Thailand. Also, if I recall correctly, these are so much cheaper than a normal 1/8 figurine.
Squee > LOL! If only he would…
To put it simply, your dad is hardcore.
Wow, that’s your dad? He’s pretty amazing.
My mum is ok with me collecting figures. Reason: “We are both the artistic type. While I create figures (not those that you buy, but rather, those you see on the streets), you collect them. And oh my. I can learn a bit from your figures too. ^_^”
That made my day. ^_^ But I’m limiting myself to SFW figures. I do not want “ZOMG!! MY SON COLLECTS PRON FIGURES!!”
The only thing my old man collects are receipts.
Cool thing, dude.
And I always thought these things were popular with our northern neighbours. Didn’t know there was a market for giant “figurines” here, but seeing as that’s how your father’s making his living, that’s some market.
At least we know where those “collecting” genes came from…
*gasp* yaoi fan club for you and.. your dad!
Coolness! It’s always great to see dads/parents who are child at heart and knows how to have fun! My dad is… a traditional serious parent, who doesn’t really have much of a hobby. He and my grandma views collecting figurines, anime stuff, etc a waste of money, as expected of a traditional Chinese =/ They’re too serious.
Yamcha > Perhaps.
Stifler > It’ll still be better if he collected the same genre of figurines as I do. Heh.
Shin > That’s quite a hobby lol
MyMayat > It just might lie in the bloodline.
pp > Why hello, Yaoi fanboy!
usagijen > That’s the reason why I will want to be a child at heart even if I become a dad.