Mumbai’s new toy story

A new store in Bandra sells ‘different’ toys ranging from a naughty Mrs Claus, to Spawn collectables and scenes from The Simpsons

An evil prophecy is about to unfold. The stage is set for a deadly war. Overhead, a diabolical monster is about to fight with his most evil enemy — himself. Underneath, Predator stands poised to take on a multitudinous army of deadly dragons that look eerily on with their claws and wings ready for battle. You wonder if you're caught in the pages of a deadly science fiction comic…until you remember that you have walked into Avenger Toys in Bandra.

One look at its contents assures you that this is far from your average toy store. Stocked with McFarlane action figures and collectables suited for mature audiences, this shop (which is not even a month old) is a haven for those with a penchant for fantasy, gothic, occult and hyper-detailed action figures. The store's walls are red with rage and a concourse of figurines catch your eyes as you browse through its 250 sq ft. Included among the collectables sold here are seven characters from the Spawn franchise.

Fans of the popular hit series, The Simpsons, can finally lay their hands on plenty of authentic Simpsons merchandise, including detailed scenes from the movie and episodes chosen by fans from around the world. Always wanted a little statue of Homer and Bart dressed as the Pie Man and the Cupcake Kid from Simple Simpson?

Or how about a classic Homer and Bart, "Why You..." action figure with the father and son dynamic pushed to their limits, Simpsons-style, wringing each other's necks? The toy even comes with a colourful living room rug base. And don't miss The Island Of Dr Hibbert collectable priced at a neat Rs3,000. This scene comes complete with a dramatic depiction of the episode where Springfield's inhabitants have turned into 'manimals'. In fact, all the toys sold at Avenger Toys come with detailed stands and accessories.

And how about a little something for those drawn to horror? Avenger also has toys you could never have imagined. Specifically NOT for children under 17 is a series of figures called Monsters: Twisted Christmas. These include a very naughty Mrs Claus, who's busy pole-dancing around the North Pole in a red frosted bikini, Santa Claus with vicious Edward Scissorhands-like metal claws, three unfriendly elves called Santa's Little Helpers, six-inches and scary, armed with bladed weapons and removable daggers and others like Rudy Reindeer, Jack Frost, etc.

The ironman behind the store, Valmik Babbar, started this venture out of his almost decade-old passion for collecting toy figurines. Many of his prized collections are on display at the store (though not for sale), including the Predator from Alien Vs Predator, an exquisite Ring Wraith from The Lord Of The Rings and a Guy Fawkes mask from V For Vendetta.

Babbar, who is 31, has worked as an animator at Crest Studios for over five years. "I just had to do something like this. You don't get this elsewhere in India," he says.
Babbar, who was in touch with McFarlane Toys, a company based in the US, felt that this was a good time to start such a venture in India. "People are now more aware of different kinds of comics. You have so much on TV and on big screens." It took a bit of convincing, however, to convince the parent company into India.

Says Babbar: "When I first wrote to McFarlane, their initial response was 'India? Are you sure?'” Months of surveys conducted by Babbar convinced the company, started by Canadian comic book artist Todd McFarlane, (creator of the epic occult fantasy series Spawn) to give the shop a green signal. 

Babbar, who lives with his wife Ritu and dog Leia in Versova, sketches in his spare time. The couple designed and decorated the store together. Babbar was also a drummer with the erstwhile rock band The Dead Sea Scrolls. A fan of rock music, he swears by bands like Porcupine Tree, Metallica and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. His personal collection of comics includes Batman hardcover novels, Spawn digests, Asterix and Obelix comics, Tintin comics and more.

Science fiction and rock music fans can finally get a dose of licenced rock music T-shirts of bands like The Deftones, Beastie Boys, The Killers, Slayer, Pink Floyd and more. Says Ritu: "We even have rock merchandise for girls, as a lot of them walked in complaining it was hard to source such tees in the correct sizes. All our Red Hot Chilli Peppers tees for girls were sold out within a week."

Complimenting the store are two shelves stocked with comics. One with the usual assortment of superheroes like X-men, Superman, Spider-man, Justice League of America, Daredevil etc, priced at Rs90. The other shelf has Indian Marvel comics created by Shekhar Kapoor such as Snake Woman, Devi, Sadhu and Batman and Superman hardcover leather bound novels (costing Rs500) with the superhero emblems embossed on them.

Toy collector Vishal Patel (whose collection of over 30 collectors items includes Smeagol (from LOTR), and Marv from SimCity) says, "I think the store is awesome. We need such stores here because McFarlane's products include many characters that a lot of us are more than familiar with. Like The Simpsons, which we have been watching for over 10 years now are very much a part of our popular culture. We weren't been able to lay our hands on such collectables until now."

If you do decide to visit the store, don't miss the special edition Elvis Presley 1968 collector's edition doll (priced at Rs2,249) which comes with a mic stand, chair, wire and guitar. Other items to watch out for include a gothic fountain that features carved dragons around a lamp that changes colour and a 3D movie poster (which lights up) from the original 1997 move Alien.

You can contact AvengerToys on 26059596
p_riddhi@dnaindia.net