“Toy Hunter” returns to Quest in January, seeking Space: 1999 Eagle and collectibles for Stan Lee

By John Freeman on December 10, 2014

Toy collector Jordan Hembrough – back on QUEST for more Toy Hunter in January 2015

Acclaimed toy dealer Jordan Hembrough is back on the hunt to find the holy grail of toys and collectibles with bigger price tags that earn bigger profits in the third season of Toy Hunter, which will premiere on QUEST in the UK on Wednesday 28th January at 10.00 p.m.

The new season features celebs including Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee, Hulk Hogan, Vanilla Ice and Taboo from Black Eyed Peas.

This season, the scope of Hembrough’s travels expands beyond basements and attics – taking him to bigger conventions, more Comic-Cons and overseas. Hembrough is in search of iconic memorabilia for his high-profile clients.

“We were all kids once and loved playing with toys,” said Hembrough. “And, in the new season of Toy Hunter, viewers are able to join me again on the ultimate road trip to search for those toys and collectibles that celebrate their youth.”

In the first episode, Hembrough, founder of Hollywood Heroes – a New Jersey-based vintage and modern collectibles company – teams up with hip-hop icon Daryl “DMC” Daniels of legendary group Run-DMC and travels to Staten Island, New York on a quest to find vintage toys. From Big Jim’s Camper to Action Jackson, Hembrough and the music icon score some amazing collectibles to give to the kids at Camp Felix, DMC’s charity.

On his own, Hembough continues his toy search for the kids and his other clients and picks-up some great finds, including the Space: 1999 Eagle 1 Spaceship and the 1960’s Fort Apache carry-all action play set.

In each of the 13 half-hour episodes, Hembrough travels the globe armed with his encyclopedic knowledge of toy history and savvy skills of negotiation to track down the rarest pieces for his clients. Whether it’s the Dr. Kromedome doll from The Six Million Dollar Man worth $4,000 purchased in Birmingham (an unofficial toy sold exclusively through the Montgomery Ward catalogue made by Mego, rather than the genuine bionic licensee, Kenner) or the pristine set of Star Wars action figures found in Scottsdale, Arizona – Hembrough and his team are always on the lookout for that special toy.

Past series have seen him tracking down rare Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles memorabilia for rapper Vanilla Ice; searching for superhero memorabilia to display at the Hall of Heroes Museum in Elkhart, Indiana; and searching for rare toys at New York Comic Con.

• Toy Hunter airs on Wednesdays at 10.00pm on Quest from 28th January 2014 (Freeview 37, Sky 167, Virgin Media 172)

• Some of the past finds on Toy Hunter feature on this page on the Hollywood Heroes site

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.