Toy Story - Jim Hampton

Original MMM LISTSERV submission from around 2001

My "Toy Story" is a little about my childhood and a revelation in my adult life. As a child I played with many toys. I'd get one, wear it out and on go one to the next. I have an older brother and as far as I was concerned his toys were mine when he wasn't around. A neighbor of ours got the first Matt Mason on the block. I vividly remember seeing my brother and this guy hooking the string on the jet pack to a chair and watching Matt "fly"! I was in awe!!! Very soon after that my brother got a Matt and Crawler. I was told I was too little :^( !! , but when he wasn't around I would play with his Matt. When Christmas came that next year I got my wish as I received a Callisto and a XRG 1 Glider. It was a great day indeed! Soon, I had all of the figures and would play for hours on end. I assume that was right around 1970, after that date I can't recall any memories of Matt or his buddies until March of 1998.

I was home one day eating lunch and channel surfing. I had not even thought of Major Matt Mason or any of my childhood toy memories for some 25 years. Well as I was surfing I caught a glimpse of a collectors show and low and behold it was a room full of Major Matt Mason toys. I can not describe the feeling that came over me, it was like I was bathing in childhood memories. Seeing that one show for maybe 2 minutes has given me back something that I thought was gone forever!! It might sound silly but a part of me was reborn that day!! I now have a small collection of Matt Mason toys and a rather large collection of the Mego action figures I played with as well. I now collect anything I had as a child, from a box of Quisp cereal to an Auto Race lunch box!! Toy collecting is a great hobby and it gives me so much joy. I can have a bad day and go look at my toys and feel better immediately!!

Jim Hampton 

Tim is a member of the Major Matt Mason Facebook group and regularly contributes to discussions about toys. He may be e-mailed here. 

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