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From Marvel to ‘Voltes V’: Quezon City museum home to toys from 1950s to present

Kathleen A. Llemit – Philstar.com

February 26, 2024 | 3:30pm

MANILA, Philippines — Never throw away your toys, no matter how small they are for they may be cheap now, but over time, they appreciate in value.

Jimmy Madarang, the owner of the non-descript toy museum in Sgt. Rivera Street in Quezon City, advised kids and would-be collectors to keep their toys.

Madarang is the proprietor of Wow Toy Museum, a six-room, air-conditioned museum that houses over 10,000 toys that were collected from the 1950s to the present.

“Noong 1962, eight years old ako, nakapanood ako ng pelikulang ‘King Kong’ at ‘Godzilla.’ Nakita ko ‘yung higante, hawak nila ‘yung tren, eroplano. Kaya as a boy, gusto kong maging isang higante rin po na hawak ‘yung maliliit na toys. Doon po nagsimula,” Madarang said to reporters who visited him last February 9 during the Quezon City Heritage Tour organized by the Quezon City Government.

“King Kong vs. Godzilla” was a Japanese film released in 1962.

He said that he and his siblings were avid toy collectors since they were young. Their parents supported their hobby and passion, and this helped them grow their collection over the years.

Visitors to their museum would be amazed at how many toy cars, animated toys, robots, and famous toy characters are neatly placed inside glass cabinets.

There is a mix of Asian and Western toys as there are toys from the popular Marvel and Star Wars franchises, as well as robots from “Voltes V” and “Gundam.”

“Noong tinayo itong bahay noong 1960, ‘yung mga toy collection naming magkakapatid, tinabi ko lahat ‘yun. Nung nawala ‘yung father ko, nilagay ko sa isang kwarto. Doon po nagsimula,” he added.

Those who have been to his toy museum would say that they have seen Madarang’s appeal to them to not throw out their toys, as it turns out that these could be a source of joy, and even history, especially for those who love toys and for those who love to look back in time.