Money Masters

JORDAN: Mattel is sending me on a quest to recover missing Masters of the Universe toys. We don't have the entire line. And in order to wow the biggest toy company in the world, I'm leaving no stone unturned. These places get stranger and stranger. When you dig this deep, you risk hitting rock bottom. [ Shouting ] This is not what I expected. But the deeper you dig, the more valuable the treasure. [ Laughing ] Oh, oh, oh, oh! I'm Jordan Hembrough. For over 25 years, toys have been my life. Found something I want! My mission is to explore the globe... Do you know how much I can get for this? ...finding fortunes buried in your toy chests, at flea markets, auctions, and mega conventions. I just touched a $17,000 toy? [ Laughing ] They call me... the Toy Hunter. -- Captions by VITAC -- Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC. I'm in San Diego, California, during Comic-Con week -- When captivated fans just like myself invade the city to talk toys and pick up the latest releases before they hit the shelves. Hey, how you doing? Good. Super7 is a San Francisco-based toy company that is currently making a line of 3 3/4-inch Alien figures based on the unproduced prototypes from the 1970s. I am here to pick up my Early Bird envelopes. Okay. And as a tribute to one of my favorite toy lines, they're selling Early Bird kits. Oh! Look at these. Early Bird kits were originated by Kenner for the very first line of Star Wars figures. It was a colorful preorder envelope parents could get their kids as a promise that as soon as the figures were ready, they'd be the first to get them. They'll ship to you in October. Just like Star Wars. Before I flew out here, I got a call from none other than Mattel, the legendary company behind Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Masters of the Universe, and when the king of toys calls, you answer. Hey, man. [ Laughs ] Scott is known as the Toy Guru because he is an encyclopedia of popular toy lines like Masters of the Universe. Have you seen one of these before? I've seen a few. You can definitely tell this is original. Boom! He's also the marketing manager for Mattel. I got your phone call. What's up? We're missing items from our vintage Masters of the Universe collection. If you didn't live under a rock in the 1980s, chances are you'll remember He-Man and his archenemy, Skeletor, because Masters of the Universe flooded the toy market, racking up over a billion dollars in sales with its endless array of figures, vehicles, and playsets. I've been trying to put together a full collection of every vintage Masters of the Universe toy. I want to have a big collection to show it in San Diego next year. We don't have the entire line. Mattel has produced millions of toys since its creation in 1945, so it's only natural that some items have gone missing. There's a couple pieces, though, you know, from the tail end of the line in '87. Most of that stuff only went to Europe. It never even got released here in the states. I kind of got a short list of things we don't have. I'm thinking if anybody could find these, it's the Toy Hunter. All right. So, it's mostly the tail-end, European stuff. We're talking the laser-light figures. Yeah. Those were Italy? Those were Germany and England. Italy -- that's actually the other one, the giants, Tytus and Megator. Tytus was the guy who was the big -- He looked almost like He-Man with a helmet. Yeah, big blond guy, yeah. Megator was the goblin, sort of the big green ogre. Yeah, real metal ball and chain, rooted hair. Yeah. When fans start to lose interest in an American toy line, the manufacturer will sometimes sell unreleased products abroad where interest in the franchise may still be high. Vintage ones rarely made it back to the states, and finding them now is like picking a needle out of a haystack. How long do I have to find this stuff? You'll be in New York Comic Con? I will be at New York Comic Con. Bring it to New York, then we can have six months to build a really cool display to show it off at Comic-Con right here in San Diego next year. You're talking only, like, a couple months. People look years for this stuff. You're the Toy Hunter. I can do this. I got a lot of work to do. You're an evil person. See you in New York. All right. [ Chuckles ] Everybody checks out the Mattel booth at Comic-Con, so if I can claim as much space as possible in next year's display, it's bound to make a huge impression on potential customers. Lucky for me, fellow toy collector Dave has a foreign lead right here in San Diego. JORDAN: These places get stranger and stranger, David. This is a Vespa dealership. Dave is a fellow collector who has a talent for sniffing out foreign toys. He is the perfect specialist to help me find what I'm looking for. Hello?! Alex? Alex?! Hi. My name is Alex. I'm C.E.O. of Vespa Motorsport. I just got bit by the toy bug. It got a little out of hand -- buying 'em, playing with 'em, breaking 'em, buying more to replace the ones you broke. This is the toy collection I have here. JORDAN: This is all toys? There's actually some more up top even. All that. Yeah, I collected a pretty broad range of stuff. I've been all over the world, like, buying stuff -- Japan, Italy, Europe. Go there for the scooters, and then I always check out the toy shops around. And the only thing that separates the men and the boys is the price of the toys. Price of the toys. It sounds like Alex caught the toy bug overseas, so I'm expecting to uncover rare figures that were not sold in the states. Yeah, I guess. I'm just gonna start handing them to you. There you go. And there's a lot of Star Wars stuff. Yeah. Nightmare Before Christmas, a lot of Simpsons. For a foreign fanatic, Alex certainly has a lot of domestic toys, which may not be right for Mattel, but will work just fine for me. Yeah. This is the Micronauts Thorium Orbiter, 1977, by Mego Corporation. The Micronauts are cool. Those were a cool toy line. Mego hit outer-space gold with the Micronauts throughout the 1970s, but by the end of the decade, some now-famous unknown forces intervened. You know, they were offered the Star Wars license first. They said, "We just picked up Micronauts. We're not gonna do it," so they gave it to Kenner. That didn't work out so well. [ Laughs ] This one's nice and clean. You want to sell that? I would sell that one. The Thorium Orbiter is worth 75 bucks, so I don't want to spend any more than $50 on it. What do you want on it? I'll do $50. Thank you. I'm not seeing any international toys on the ground floor, so my guess is, Alex keeps them in the penthouse. So... [ Laughs ] There's more stuff up there. Here, you want to check that out? All right. Japanese toys, kind of a whole mixture. That's a Japanese Furby. The Furby stood out because it reacted to touch, light, and sound just like an actual living creature. It even spoke with its own language called Furbish, which was a mixture of Japanese, Thai, Hebrew, and Mandarin Chinese. Does it speak in Japanese? I think he does. Konnichiwa. Ah, now, here's a little Italian goodness. This is the 7-inch Doctor Who figure done in 1979 by Harbert. JORDAN: "Doctor Who" is the sci-fi series that follows a time-traveling alien as he rids the universe of evil forces. 13 actors have played the character since the show's BBC debut in 1963, and with each new actor comes a fresh spin on the brand and new merchandising for the devoted fans. This is the seventh Doctor. Fourth -- fourth Doctor. Tom Baker. He had the big rainbow scarf and the hat, and he wore that giant jacket that was, like, purplish. Screwdriver in hand here, ready to fix all the world's problems. That was his sonic screwdriver. The sonic screwdriver is Doctor Who's magical device that does everything from pick locks to perform surgery. It also happens to be one of the many elements that makes the show a fan favorite with people as distinguished as Prince Charles. What do you want on it? $175? You know the market better than I do on this. It's goofy 'cause for some lines like Star Wars, a foreign card a lot of times can be worth more than a U.S. It's a good-shape box, but does somebody want a box if they don't speak Italian? $135, and you carry it down for us. Thank you. To save you a few bucks, yeah. Earned my lunch today. JORDAN: I'm scoring some valuable merchandise, but it's all been small ticket, and there hasn't been any sign of He-Man. Luckily, there are still a few boxes left. Here you go -- I think this is what you're looking for, though, here. [ Laughing ] Oh, oh, oh, oh! I'm in San Diego with foreign-toy expert Dave in search of some rare Masters of the Universe figures for Mattel, and I think I just spotted one of my targets. [ Laughing ] Oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh. ALEX: Tytus. The Tytus had a lot going for it. It was over 12 inches tall, it came with a cool accessory called the body snatcher, and the package sported some of the most dynamic artwork in Mattel history. But, unfortunately, business considerations kept the toy out of the United States. Italy was always a dumping ground for a lot of toys. They don't feel like it's gonna make money in the United States. Like, "How do we recoup some of our costs?" And the Italian market said, "We would be interested in that." Tytus retails for up to $4,000, so I don't want to drop more than 2 grand on it. All right, what do you got to get on this? I'd have to get like 2,500 bucks. Yeah. What were you thinking? How about $2,000? You will? Yeah, since considering it's going home where it belongs. [ Sighs ] Thank you so much. Looks like Dave's forte for foreign toys is gonna come in handy on my mission for Mattel. I discovered the Micronauts Thorium Orbiter for $50, and it'll fly off for $75. I also scooped up an Italian-issue Tom Baker Doctor Who action figure for 135 bucks, and it should sell for $175. [ Ka-ching! ] But more importantly, I'm going home with Tytus, the Italian stallion from the Masters of the Universe line for $2,000. This is a huge score for Mattel, who should happily pay $3,500 to bring this toy home. I'm off to an amazing start with one of the four Masters figures in hand, but with no more leads locked in, my best bet is to keep my eyes peeled as I hit the road for some upcoming conventions. Here we go! [ Laughter ] Long time, no see, man! Vince specializes in '80s toys, and I found an extremely rare He-Man the last time I dug through his stash. JORDAN: It's a Wonder Bread He-Man! It is the real McCoy. Everything here is Star Trek. I thought you were a He-Man fan. Where is all the He-Man? If you think you're gonna find a laser-light Masters at this convention, you're taking crazy pills. No way, not gonna happen. The toy shows may have been a bust, but it's a different story back at the office. All right, so, where are you? What do you got? Okay, which toys do you think he has, though? Yeah? I struck gold with Dave's Vespa dig in San Diego, so I'm trusting his instincts again and heading to Strawberry Plains, a quaint town in eastern Tennessee where He-Man enthusiast Eric claims to have the laser-light figures Mattel wants for their upcoming Comic-Con display. I've been disappointed by super fans who claim to have every toy from a line in the past, but I'm out of time, and I'm out of options, so I got to check it out. Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Mary. I'm Eric's mom. We're here to see Eric. Eric's toys have been here for over 30 years. Even though mom's attic is a great place for memories, it's not usually home to valuable toys. And if those laser-light figures aren't upstairs, I'm screwed. Eric? Yes? My name is Eric, and I'm selling my toys because I'm not allowed to play with them no more. JORDAN: How long have you been collecting? ERIC: Uh, since I was little. Really? Yeah, 5, 6. I am. Not as cool as He-Man. Wait a minute! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Star Wars isn't as cool as He-Man? Oh, no. I'm out of here. If Eric has the laser-light figures and knows how desperate I am to buy them, I'll be at a serious disadvantage on the haggle, so I'd better dig around and buy some goodwill before getting down to business. Ah, Orko. This is Orko from Masters of the Universe. He came out in 1983. Orko was the court magician for He-Man. Yeah, he's the comic relief. Right, he was always getting into trouble and stuff like that. If you were a science-fiction hero in the 1980s, chances are you had 2 to 4 feet of comic relief by your side. Buck Rogers had Twiki, Luke Skywalker had R2-D2, and He-Man had Orko. What's really cool about this particular figure is, if you pull the rip cord, actually, he'll kind of spin around like he was floating and fluttering around everything. But it looked like he was fleeing in terror. You know who he reminds me of -- Jawa from Star Wars. You can't compare He-Man to Star Wars. Oh, no, trust me -- There is no comparison between He-Man and Star Wars. [ Laughs ] Make me an offer. [ Sighs ] I'll make you an offer of 50 bucks. What about $60 since you were comparing it to Star Wars? [ Laughs ] I mean, I done took offense to that. A fine, huh? I like it. He insulted me. I feel better at $50? Umm...60 bucks? Yeah, I would. 60 bucks. You got Archer. That's from the movie "Small Soldiers," right? JORDAN: The 1998 film "Small Soldiers" centered around two sets of action figures that came to life and were convinced they were actual soldiers. It was about, like, good guys versus bad guys, but they were all toys. It came from filmmaker Joe Dante, who also directed Tom Hanks in "The 'Burbs," as well as Gizmo in "Gremlins." I'm not gonna buy him 'cause he's not in the box. If you had this guy in the box, though -- I'm not kidding you -- seriously, they go for almost $100 right now. Eric doesn't have any other toys I want to buy, so I think it's time to find out if he's actually got the laser-light figures. The two you're looking for I've got right here. Be my guest. DAVE: You ready? Oh, man. The laser-light Skeletor. You've got these two really super-rare toys from Italy. How did you get them? When I was 17, my mom found these for me and bought 'em. Apparently, there wasn't very many made. JORDAN: The laser-light figures were the last toys produced for the original Masters of the Universe toy line and introduced battery-operated lights, as well as a fresh take on the design. Great part about the Skeletor is, I think this is the first time you got to see the back of his head. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah! Was this from the movie? It was loosely tied into the movie. DAVE: After the 1987 "Masters of the Universe" film, which featured Dolph Lundgren and a then-unknown Courteney ***, Mattel gave Skeletor a brand-new head wool complete with removable cape that allowed kids to get their first full look at the character's skull. They expected the movie to be a lot bigger than what it was. So they not only produced some new toys based on the movie but also tried to make the old figures look like the actors in the film. JORDAN: All right, let's check out the He-Man. [ Shouting ] Oh, man, this is not what I expected. [ Inhales deeply ] Hey, toy fans, check out travelchannel.com for the latest in my toy tricks and tips. I'm in Tennessee, buying inventory with foreign-toy expert Dave, and we just uncovered two extremely rare action figures that Mattel asked me to hunt down for a display at next year's San Diego Comic-Con. But one of these packages has definitely seen better days. You've got this hellacious tear in here. Hey, a diamond in the rough is still a diamond, right? DAVE: Laser-powered He-Man was also unreleased in the United States and had remarkably different features than the original He-Man figure. This is the Dolph version of the head. So, originally, when this came out, it would've been the original He-Man head, but then to help promote the movie, they switched the character's sculptor. JORDAN: Got it, got it. In order to wow the Mattel fans with these figures at Comic-Con, I first need to sell the toys to Mattel, but a condition issue like this could kill the entire deal. It's the main character. It's the toughest card. From a distance, I guess it still displays well. All right, you know, I don't have time to actually go looking for another one. I wanted to play it cool so I can get a good deal from Eric, but seeing this tear broke my poker face. Negotiating him down could be tough, but I need to leave with these today. I mean, what were you looking for in the pair? I was thinking $2,500 for the pair. [ Sighs ] No way. $2,500 is crazy, and in this condition, these toys wouldn't retail any higher than $2,000. I was thinking like probably $1,500 for the pair. I can't go $1,500. What about $2,000? $2,000 for the pair. All right, listen, um... That's the best you can do is $2,000? I never pay face value, but my back is against the wall. So, all right, I'll do $2,000. Thank you. $2,000 -- $1,000 each. $1,000...God. Do me a favor. Don't tell anyone how much I paid on this. Eric had the goods, but I certainly paid big money to take them off his hands. I found Orko, the floating Masters of the Universe magician, for 60 bucks, and I'll unload him for upwards of $100. I was able to purchase the laser-light Skeletor and the laser-power He-Man for $2,000. But with their condition issues, they won't sell for much more than that, and that's if Mattel even wants to buy them. With two more figures in hand, I have a chance of making a big name for myself at Mattel's upcoming Comic-Con display. I just hope the He-Man tear doesn't jeopardize the entire deal. I'm back on my home turf at New York Comic Con to show off the three figures I found for Mattel's upcoming San Diego Comic-Con display. Since one has a serious condition issue, I think my best bet is to sell the toys as a set, and I'm gonna have to time it just right to make this deal happen. Scott? Scott! [ Laughing ] Hey! How are you? How you doing? Welcome to New York. Welcome to -- I live here! You're welcome to New York! If I lead with the torn card, I'm afraid I'll scare Scott off, so I'm gonna give him the good news first. You asked me to find this one... Oh, my. ...which was laser-light Skeletor. Wow. This is a really tough figure to get. Got some creasing down here. It's not exactly, like, the perfect, perfect card that I wanted to give you. If Scott's radar is going off over a little crease like that, who knows how he's gonna react when he sees the giant tear on the He-Man? Now, listen, I didn't want him to get lonely, so I bought him a friend, okay? Oh, there he is! This one's a little, little tougher shape. There's a lot of condition issues with this. You got a good inch tear right there. I know. I know. This one's a little, little tougher shape. You got a good inch tear right there. I know. I know. JORDAN: I suspected Scott would be upset at this tear, but that's why I saved the best for last. Let me sweeten the pot. You got more? All right. Oh... Wow. [ Sighs ] Holy cow! This is impressive, Jordan. You do come through. I will give you that. So, do you think all of this together is something that you can put in the archive? This definitely -- You said sweetens the pot. You weren't kidding. My best bet at selling the torn He-Man is to package this set together, all or nothing, so I closed with the Tytus because I knew Scott would go crazy for it, but I still have to be careful with the price. I'll break it down for you. The price for the laser-power He-Man and the laser-light Skeletor together -- $2,000. The price for the Tytus because he is exceedingly rare -- $3,500. I think, honestly... Yes? Right. Jordan, thank you. You came through. The next time I'm looking for something, I'm gonna call you. Hey, have a great New York Comic Con. Thanks. I was afraid Scott wasn't even gonna buy the laser-power He-Man, but I ended up breaking even on that and the laser-light Skeletor before making a profit of $1,500 on the Tytus. More importantly, I just proved myself as Mattel's go-to guy for vintage, and since they do displays at the biggest toy events in the world, I can count on helping them make fans smile for years to come. Do you have a toy that you think should be featured on our show? Go to toyhunter@travelchannel.com to submit your toy today.