Top 10 Collectible Sets You Can't Actually Complete

#10: Food Fighters

Everybody possesses their own nostalgic memories about some forgotten toy line they can recall from childhood. And maybe you were one of those kids who were on the ground floor for the Food Fighters line back in the late eighties. The person writing this video certainly was, and can recall these tiny culinary combatants with misty-eyed fondness. Good luck trying to complete an entire set of Food Fighters merch, however. These fast-food action figures didn’t sell well during their initial run, making it hard to find the rarer figures secondhand. Even more difficult to track down were the blink-and-you-missed-them Halloween costumes that showed up for the 1989 Halloween season.

#9: Original Universal Horror One Sheets

The popularity of vintage movie posters has risen over the years, to the point where there’s an entire subculture of genre movie fans desperate to get their hands on these pieces of paper. Horror, sci-fi, and exploitation one-sheets can often trade hands for a substantial amount, but what about the classics? Those Golden Age Universal Monsters? Rare one-sheets from films like “Dracula” or “Frankenstein” do exist within the collections of famous folks like Kirk Hammett of Metallica, but this also means that they don’t come cheap. Average, everyday collectors are probably better off settling for reprints, since collecting original Universal Monster memorabilia can wind up extremely pricey.

#8: Army Ants

It can be the bane of any collector’s existence: a toy line that not only featured a lengthy cast of characters, but also one that retained variants depending upon its country of origin. Hasbro debuted their line of “Army Ants” back in 1987, the latest in what was then a hot craze of tiny, collectible figurines. There wound up being dozens of different variations released during that first wave, while countries like Italy and France took the “Army Ant” brand and put their own, often humorous spin on each ant’s name. Fans who are trying to acquire a complete, international set of these buggers (pun intended) aren’t exactly looking at an easy time.

#7: ThunderCats

The popularity of a toy line doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be an easy journey collecting every figure. The ThunderCats proved to be big business back in the 1980s, but there were some pieces of this collection that have remained elusive for even the most patient of collectors. One example of these is the Astral Moat Monster, which kids needed to send away for back in the day. Elsewhere, there are also variants to characters such as Tygra that were released only in certain countries, like Brazil, making them incredibly difficult to track down for international toy hunters.

#6: Transformers

The popularity of the Transformers continues today, as these cartoons, movies, and yes, toys continue to capture the imaginations of both young and old. It’s a fool’s errand to try and complete a Transformers set from one’s childhood, however, simply given how many weird one-offs and challenging pulls have come up over the years. The Pepsi-branded Optimus Prime can be a tough find in the wild, while gigantic OG pieces like the Fortress Maximus can also be scarce with regard to condition and completed pieces. So yeah, it may be basically impossible to obtain every one of the transforming robots, but isn’t the hunt all part of the fun of collecting?

#5: Total Funko

You know ‘em, you see ‘em everywhere, and you probably know somebody with a severe obsession with buying them. Or maybe you yourself are obsessed with Funko Pops. These adorable little figurines aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but it’s virtually impossible for anybody to obtain a complete collection. That’s because the volume of Funkos is out of control, with new ones (and exclusive variants) dropping seemingly every day. Plus, since the brand is dedicated to basically every corner of pop culture, the average fan is going to (we hope) tend to stick to what actually interests them, rather than owning cheap plastic for the sake of owning cheap plastic. Then again, never underestimate the power of collector FOMO!

#4: TMNT

The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise has stood the test of time throughout multiple modes of media, from original comic book panels to television screens and the multiplex. These heroes in a half shell also went through wave after wave of action figure lines, with each of those waves having some sort of figure that remained just out of reach for the average collector. This goes double for figures that were released late in the game, such as Scratch the Cat. This figure from 1993 is elusive as heck, while other examples that were mail-order only, such as Super Shredder, are equally hard to come by, even for the most ardent of collectors.

#3: A Galaxy of “Star Wars”

One would have to fit a number of very specific criteria in order to acquire a “complete” collection of “Star Wars” related figures that dates back from the 1970s until now. Independently wealthy comes to mind, not to mention lucky, persistent… and perhaps owning a time machine tucked away in the garage. How else could one possibly collect every vintage Kenner figure, every department store layaway exclusive, every single character from a galaxy far away? It’s simply not tenable, but you know what? Maybe it shouldn’t be. That hypothetical dream of potentially coming across a “vinyl cape Jawa” at a garage sale or flea market is what keeps us in the game and keeps us hunting.

#2: Every Single Barbie

You know that a collectible line is lengthy when not even the manufacturers have access to some sort of checklist for fans. The history of Barbie dolls dates back all the way to the late 1950s, and there have since been over one hundred thousand unique variations of this iconic character released to the public. It isn’t only volume that comes into play when it comes to Barbie collecting, however, since fans also have to contend with finding the pieces they want in a suitable condition, and with all of the accessories. This is easier said than done, to be sure.

#1: Pokémon

Sure, the Pokémon brand may have been encouraging fans to “catch ‘em all” for years now, but what happens when that’s not actually possible? It’s virtually impossible for anybody to complete a set of Pokémon cards, given the volume of variants and exclusives released to the public over the years. Then, there are the ultra-rare Skyridge Pokémon cards that were the last to be released by Wizards of the Coast. These are insanely expensive and insanely difficult to obtain, a large set that nevertheless includes some of the most heavily coveted Pokémon cards in the world.

What got you into collecting? Have you been going for years, or are you brand new to this fun (and sometimes frustrating) hobby? Let us know in the comments!