A Saudi guy with a private toy museum is "embracing his inner child."
A Saudi guy with a private toy museum is "embracing his inner child."
JEDDAH: According to some, each of us has an inner kid. Talal Tayeb, 43, made the decision to embrace his, going so far as to create his own personal toy museum.
With over 3,000 pieces, including figures, comic books, movies, TV shows, Legos, model kits, gaming consoles, limited-edition board games, posters, and trading cards, Tayeb has one of the largest action figure and toy collections in Saudi Arabia.
"I made numerous attempts to give up collecting, but Superman has kryptonite, and 'Grendizer' is mine," he said to Arab News.
Tayeb's collection includes many figures from Marvel, DC, Disney, Treasure Island, Harry Potter, Pokemon, Scooby Doo, James Bond, The Jetsons, Flintstones, Pink Panther, WWE, and more, despite his undying love for the UFO robot.
This proud collection is kept in the "Grendizer Base," which is accessible to the public. It contains items that were acquired through auctions or his global trips that date back to the 1970s, including the rare and vintage piece Grendizer Izenborg.
Tayeb's typical after-work activities involve him idling around his museum-turned-apartment, creating new things using three of his 3D printers, or even participating in cosplay at local events.In 2015, he started cosplaying professionally and participated in Saudi and UAE events. Tayeb frequently creates and produces his own original costumes. He is credited with being the first Saudi to don the iconic Grendizer costume, commonly referred to as Goldrake or Goldorak, and the second Saudi to cosplay Jumaro and Duke Fleed.
"I restored an icon that had been absent for a while, having been taken off the TV and video cassettes. Everyone was shocked when I previously wore Grendizer to Comic Con in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Jeddah. While everyone has heroes, this one is truly iconic. Therefore, I'm glad I brought this icon back.
Tayeb began collecting legacy items as a small child in the late 1980s.
Tayeb claimed that he collected action figures from Transformers, Superman, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Mickey Mouse, just like any other youngster. But when he moved from house to city over the years, he lost most of his childhood belongings. He did, however, manage to hold onto a handful, the oldest of which is a tiny, squishy football he bought in 1990.
His family has begun to benefit gradually from his pastime years later. While she used to cosplay at events, Tayeb's oldest daughter now works as his assistant at comic cons. While his youngest kid is more interested in computer games, his second daughter still dresses up with him.
In order to spark his kids' interest in animation, he made it a point to expose them to earlier anime series and cartoons, such as Grendizer, Heidi, and several Disney movies.
He wants to introduce future generations to the magic of classic popular shows and personalities through his collection.
"Grendizer was the first thing my generation, the 1980s generation, saw in Saudi Arabia," he remarked. For us, "Grendizer" was the biggest and most well-known cartoon we have ever seen.
However, Tayeb's inner kid looks to be just getting started with the Grendizer Base.
One day, he wants to plan an exhibition where fans can come directly to see the action figures, peruse the publications, and begin learning how to use 3D printers to produce their own creations.
Tayeb also has plans to construct a theme park with a large museum that would house many people's childhood artifacts, including his own collection from the Grendizer Base.
He wants clubs for manga, cosplay, crafts, and monthly competitions to be available in the theme park, along with both indoor and outdoor activities.
Maybe I can accomplish all of it eventually. I'm hoping that someone will support me and be the godfather of this idea, and that someone will come up with a conference or location that is open to everyone forever rather than just temporarily.
Source arabnews.com
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