Chris Watson is the Hot Wheels Legends Tour 2023 winner. In this edition of The Friday Five, Chris talks about the customized 1990 Mazda MX-5 — nicknamed the Chimera — that earned him the honour and shares some advice for those considering entering the annual competition. 

Toy historian Rob Goldberg is the author of Radical Play. In this edition of The Friday Five, Rob gives the inside scoop on his research, acquisition, and analysis of ground-breaking toys.

Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks are the authors of Dolls of Our Lives. In this edition of The Friday Five, Mary and Allison talk about the enduring appeal of the American Girl brand and how their work as professional historians influences their own approach to storytelling. 

Mark Racop is the founder of Fiberglass Freaks. In this edition of The Friday Five, Mark explains how his replicas of the Batman ’66 Batmobile caught the attention of DC Comics and why opening a Batman museum was the logical next step in his stewardship of the original television series.

Brian “Box” Brown is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. In this edition of The Friday Five, we talk to Brian about his latest book, The He-Man Effect: How American Toymakers Sold You Your Childhood, and discuss how the Reagan administration played a pivotal role in how toys are marketed to today’s consumers.

Gene Miguel is CEO and co-founder of Shortboxed, a marketplace designed specifically for sellers and buyers of comic books. In this edition of The Friday Five, Gene shares the company’s origin story and explains how they are circumventing some of the risks inherent in comic book collecting.  

Andrew Burtch is a historian and curator at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. In this edition of The Friday Five, Andrew talks about War Games, an exhibit that reveals the connections between war, games, military, and civilians in the ever-changing landscape of politics.

Dr. Donal Carlston is the inventor of the Personal Preference board game. In this edition of The Friday Five, Donal explains how his work in social psychology inspired the game and reveals the role fan demand played in updating the game for new generations. 

Brian Hickey is a collaborator on the upcoming retrospective, My Palitoy Story: The History of a Famous British Toy Company written by Bob Brechin. In this edition of The Friday Five, Brian talks about how toy collecting led him to meet Brechin and divulges the franchise that untimely contributed to the demise of Palitoy.

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.