The Friday Five

Graham E. Hancock is the author of LEGO Heroes: LEGO Builders Changing Our World—One Brick at a Time. In this edition of The Friday Five, Graham explains how the classic building toy connects people beyond play and shares how LEGO is being used to enhance lives.

Tyler Ham is creative director at Paragon FX Group. In this edition of The Friday Five, Tyler talks about the business of designing prop replicas based on popular media properties and reveals what collectors can look forward to seeing from the company as the year unfolds.

Becca Whitcomb is a collector and historian of Blythe dolls. In this edition of The Friday Five, Becca explains how her enthusiasm for collecting led to documenting the history of the captivating dolls and talks about Blythe’s allure for collectors and content creators. 

Benjamin Clark is curator of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California. In this edition of The Friday Five, Benjamin shares how Schulz’s early life laid the groundwork for his craft and observes how Schulz’s work influences contemporary cartooning. 

Steven Swaby curated the Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder exhibit on now at the National Museum of Scotland. In this edition of The Friday Five, Steven details his approach to curating the retrospective of the science fiction series and shares early plans to tour the exhibit internationally. 

Dan Klingensmith is the author of the Creating G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero book series. In this edition of The Friday Five, Dan shares how collecting led him to formally document the history of the brand and partner with Hasbro to officially license the series. 

Brad Gilbertson is an Australian filmmaker with a passion for the golden era of pinball and arcade games. In this edition of The Friday Five, Brad talks about Still Standing, his new documentary exploring the heyday of arcades in Australia and the people dedicated to preserving its history.

Jessica Brummer is director of communications at The Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. In this edition of The Friday Five, Jessica tells about the upcoming Hall of Heroes exhibit and how the long legacy of superheroes forges connections between generations.

Alan Dorfman is co-founder of Super Impulse. In this edition of The Friday Five, Alan explains how the company is championing the return of Pet Rock and shares what toy fans can look forward to seeing from the company in the coming months.

Mark B. Ledenbach is the author of Vintage Halloween Collectibles: An Identification and Price Guide. In this edition of The Friday Five, Mark shares early examples of Halloween collectibles and discloses the problem plaguing collectors 

Matt Broussard is chief toy officer at the Houston Toy Museum. In this edition of The Friday Five, Matt talks about how his dreams of opening a museum came to fruition and recognizing the art in the toy production process.

David L. Craddock is writer and publisher of Long Live Mortal Kombat, a book dedicated to the history of the iconic video game. In this edition of The Friday Five, David discusses the impact of Mortal Kombat on the video game industry and shares what it takes to run a successful crowdfunding campaign in an era of endless content.

Kay Savetz is an Atari historian. In this edition of The Friday Five, Kay discloses why documenting Atari history is a race against time and shares an opinion about what gives the brand its staying power.

Tony and Carmen Matthews are the creators of Diecast Heroes, a magazine exploring the custom Hot Wheels community. Here, the duo explain how documenting global car culture led to their involvement in the diecast community and share how some customisers are turning their hobby into full-time work.

Sarah Myers is director of travelling exhibits at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. In this edition of The Friday Five, she shares details of the newly opened SCOOBY-DOO!™ Mansion Mayhem exhibit.

Todd Coopee is a toy collector, historian, and editor-in-chief here at Toy Tales. In this edition of The Friday Five, he shares details of the recently opened Bringing Imaginative Ideas to Life: The Early Years of Cincinnati’s Kenner Products mini-exhibit at The Strong and discusses the importance of preserving the history of toys and games.

Alyssa Esparaz is an organizing committee member for the Rubik’s WCA North American Championship 2022, taking place this summer in Toronto, Ontario. In this edition of The Friday Five, she shares details of the inaugural North American event and explains why the championship is about more than competition and podiums.

A.J. Jacobs is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist, NPR commentator, and TED speaker. In this edition of The Friday Five, A.J. talks about his latest book, The Puzzler, and reveals the characteristic he feels holds a secret to living a good life.