Looking for miniature toys

November 11, 2005 3:36 PM

Does anyone know where I can find miniature plastic toys on the cheap? Or does anyone have any they'd like to donate for a fun cause?

My wife and I recently cleaned out some of her childhood boxes of stuff. Inside I found some tiny little strawberry shortcake, smurfs, and other little plastic figures, about .5 to 1 in tall. Ive been using them with kids in the area as alternate board game pieces. Ive looked on ebay and the closest thing I can find to the size I want are the M.U.S.C.L.E. men figures from the 80s. However most of the auctions for those run over 20 dollars as they look like complete collecter sets.

Im just looking for a bunch cheap, quirky little tiny plastic figures. Any help would be appreciated!

posted by skrike to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (12 answers total)

Oriental Trading?
posted by padraigin at 3:38 PM on November 11, 2005

You can order Tiny Plastic Huts for real cheap; I've ordered three of them as gifts, and they are really cute. Hope it's in line with what you're looking for!

Included with each set:
1 Hut with moving barn door
1 farmer
1 farmer's wife
1 milk maiden
4 cows
6 pigs
3 bunnies
11 fence pieces
3 geese
3 chickens

Each set costs only $6.99 (and that includes shipping)!
posted by davidmsc at 3:46 PM on November 11, 2005

Go to Family Dollar or any of the bajillion dollar stores in Salt Lake (Big Lots also is a good place to look) and head straight to the toy section. There will be tons of cheap plastic toys, I promise.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:52 PM on November 11, 2005

I agree that a dollar store would be the first place to look.

Also, maybe browse Archie McPhee.
posted by Hildago at 4:08 PM on November 11, 2005

Best answer: I had smurf figurines as a kid!

Try an ebay search for "figurine lot" (pulls a few interesting, "quirky," and still cheap results... or head to your local thrift store or children's consignment store where they'll package handfuls of mcdonald-type figures and other figurines into big ziplock bags.
posted by artifarce at 5:32 PM on November 11, 2005

Best answer: Of course we mustn't forget Deseret Industries. There will be bags and bags and bags of little toys for a quarter a bag.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:36 PM on November 11, 2005

If you want people figures, look at model railroad people. They come in several specific scales, and are relatively realistic. Hobby stores.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:00 PM on November 11, 2005

Education stores often have small pieces like you describe.
posted by mischief at 8:54 PM on November 11, 2005

I see you're in the US, so I don't think you have them there, but Canada and Europe (and I think Australia too) have Kinder Eggs - chocolate with toys in it. The toys are either little things you have to assemble, OR they are exactly the kind of miniature figures you're looking for.
They're collectible, so people sell them on eBay, in bulk. (That links to the search results for "Kinder Egg")
posted by easternblot at 9:12 PM on November 11, 2005

They're collectible, so people sell them on eBay, in bulk. (That links to the search results for "Kinder Egg")*

Holy crap. That link presents one of the biggest temptations I've ever seen in my life. After moving from the UK to the uS as a child, Kinder Eggs became a rarity to be savored when recieved. I still have a bag filled with about 20+ tiny toys.

So, yeah, seconding the Kinder Egg suggestion.



*OT, but I used to work at an after-school program, and I wish I had known about the whole buying KE toys in bulk then. They would have made really cool rewards for the kids. :(
posted by kosher_jenny at 1:46 AM on November 12, 2005

Best answer: Of course we mustn't forget Deseret Industries. There will be bags and bags and bags of little toys for a quarter a bag.

I heart D.I. ! (although they have been jacking up their prices lately)

This thread has some good links to the people who supply vending machines:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/86204
posted by craniac at 7:53 AM on November 12, 2005

Contact the computer reseller Small Dog Electronics (they're in VT). They include little plastic 'small dogs' with every order. I assume they come from China, but they'd probably connect you with a distributor, who likely has many lines of toys/trinkets.
posted by Wild_Eep at 10:18 AM on November 12, 2005