When the new Spiderman movie comes out this summer, big toy shops will be packed with the latest action figure. Toy shop owner Ambrose Lee already has a Spiderman action figure on his top shelf, but he is not ahead of the game. His action figure was made in 1979, and it is one of hundreds of vintage toys at the Toy Museum.
'I cannot compete in terms of cost and selection with big shops like Toys'R'Us, my strength is my ability to specialise in vintage and more off-beat toys,' said Mr Lee, who returned to Hong Kong after 15 years in the toy business in Toronto, Canada, to set up his own shop in Prince's Building, Central.
When the shop opened it focused on Beanie Babies - Mr Lee now has more than 250 kinds - and teddy bears, including many one-off bears by artists and even a 1909 Steiff bear. The shop is filled to bursting point and stuffed toys fight for shelf space. The shelf above the cash register is reserved for his favourites, 1960s GI Joes, which are from his personal collection of 150.
'Whenever I see a GI Joe I buy it, they are hard to come by and their value always increases,' he said.
He is a firm believer in keeping toys long after you have outgrown them - and is also a fan of the movie Toy Story. If a toy has given you joy, he says, you should not throw it away when you are bored with it. Not only will you look back nostalgically at your old toys later in life, they could well increase in value.
'Pokemons are no longer trendy and kids are ashamed to be seen with them now, but in years to come the cards will increase in value. You should keep them as an investment,' said Mr Lee, who still has the teddy bear he was given when he was only a few months old.
