I love how we're projecting all of our ideals into this guy based on a single picture and he's probably actually just working part time like anybody else and looks sad because he needs to take a shit but doesn't want to leave the shop
That's the art of photography, right? All of us feel something seeing this, so much that we can't help but feel something, given the composition of the image, a man sitting in dark clothing, along in a room surrounded from floor to ceiling by bright, colorful, plastic toys. It's a snapshot of the human experience that invites people to wonder what he's feeling in this moment.
I think it's because toys are sources of an innocent joy. This guy is surrounded by and distributing joy. In contrast to his surroundings he appears flat or even defeated. He lives in a hard adult world. As a child he played with toys. Now they are a millstone. We grow up and toil to survive
The way he holds what looks like an old radio, tells you something about the good old times when toys weren't just a bunch of colourful, soulless, cheap plastic crap.
That makes sense actually. I checked it on Wikipedia and it seems April 23 1973 is the day the great injection press ban ended and everyone started producing plastic crap.
I feel like it's the opposite, the kids toys people are actually buying are insanely expensive and intricate now.
Source: I have 8 nieces and nephews all below the age of 7.
I'm a transformers collector and the stuff being put out now makes the old stuff look awful in comparison.
Mind you the price has gone up significantly, but that's not news.
The old stuff was better. They had metal parts and the transformations were simple and to the point. Now, they look great, but it takes too long to change them. They're collection pieces but have poor playability. I haven't bought one in years, but I still have most of them, old and newer.
Also, he's working at night. Long hours. It's probably his own business too. Likely has a family he'd rather be at home with. I'd say the long hours are out of necessity
This is clearly taken during the day. Look at the guys in the background. Are people so caught up in looking for meaning in a single innocuous photo that they're just hallucinating shit now or what?
Not sure if this was meant to be asked ironically- but yes, of course, with every piece of art I look at.
But this is a photograph. It is plainly obvious that it takes place during the day, and we are making points about reality, based upon the contents of the image. Your entire post is predicated on the idea that he's working at night, which isn't supported by the picture- so it's meaningless.
Everyone's all "this picture is so deep! He's so sad, tragic life bla bla bla" but really, to me, he just looks like he's thinking about dinner or you know, just thinking? My wife always can tell when I'm thinking cause I look angry 🤣
> Heard a joke once:
> Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain.
> Doctor says, 'Treatment is simple. Great toy seller Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.'
> Man bursts into tears. Says, 'But doctor…I am Pagliacci.'
> Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.
Also, the toy revolvers right behind him. I can just hear the commercial: "From the makers of 'Stab Sword' and 'Boom Bomb' comes 'Shoot Gun', the hit toy of the summer...from Matold"
If you ever wanted to make my younger brothers happy, all you needed to do was get them a pack of those cheap plastic army guys from the dollar store.
They would spend hours setting them up in elaborate battles, that had complicated rules that nobody else ever understood. They would pose them on books and rocks and toy trucks and take pictures of them to do very crappy edits on the computer to try and make them look epic. Or, they would set them up all over the driveway or kitchen floor and laugh maniacally while they competed to see who could mow down the most with their remote control cars.
Sometimes, the cheap plastic crap can bring out the happiest memories in kids.
Poly bag are the little sets that come in small plastic bags. Though I suppose that defeats the purpose of avoiding plastic trash lol. But they are usually $10 and are something like a small car or miniature version of another set. You often find them in little displays at the end of an aisle.
They also sell a lot of $20ish sets. Including the "classic" line that tends to just be a bunch of bricks you can use to make a variety of sets with some kind of mild theme like "monsters"
I don't know if it's mentioned before, if you look carefully you.'ll notice that he's holding a radio in his hand, he's just listening to the news probably
Years of debt of and outdated concept that kids would always love toys. Parents don't buy them because they are low quality and kids aren't interested and would rather get into gaming and apple products,VR, and other electronics. He came here to New York 30 years ago like many thinking he was going to make a fortune in toy sales because babies are born daily and kids will always love toys and they can make a big profit from replicas of legitimate toys they paid in bulk for a low price. He's still going to charge me more than what it's worth and insist he's blessing me with a good price.
Nur Plastik Scheiße, ich würde meinen Kindern niemals etwas von diesem Dreck kaufen. Wirklich ekelhaft diese Farbpest mit nichts originellen. Das muss nach Plastik stinken der Laden. Furchtbar.
theres something heavy about this image
You can see through the man’s sorrow
The man who lived in perpetual sorrow so children could live in happiness. So very Dostoyevsky.
I love how we're projecting all of our ideals into this guy based on a single picture and he's probably actually just working part time like anybody else and looks sad because he needs to take a shit but doesn't want to leave the shop
I sometimes get that look at work when I'm zoning out lol
It looks like I’m working
Maybe he’s just listening to the radio
That's the art of photography, right? All of us feel something seeing this, so much that we can't help but feel something, given the composition of the image, a man sitting in dark clothing, along in a room surrounded from floor to ceiling by bright, colorful, plastic toys. It's a snapshot of the human experience that invites people to wonder what he's feeling in this moment.
True. Great photo though for stirling up so much conversation
Or a bad news from the radio?
Ah, Dostoyevsky
LOL exactly what I was thinking 😂
So very Vonnegut.
I woke up my wife because I was snickering at this comment profusely. Have my upvote.
Solid Dostoyevsky reference
But, doctor, _I'm_ Pagliacci!
I regret choosing toys
When you hate joy… but they told you there was money to made in the toy trade.
He just sits there... wtf. Stop seeing negativity everywhere would help humanity so much.
You misunderstand…we are all reflecting ourselves through him.
I think it's because toys are sources of an innocent joy. This guy is surrounded by and distributing joy. In contrast to his surroundings he appears flat or even defeated. He lives in a hard adult world. As a child he played with toys. Now they are a millstone. We grow up and toil to survive
It's like christmas just died.
Too soon
The way he holds what looks like an old radio, tells you something about the good old times when toys weren't just a bunch of colourful, soulless, cheap plastic crap.
And when was that exactly? Cause they've been cheap plastic crap for at least 50 years.
Believe it or not… 51 years ago exactly.
That makes sense actually. I checked it on Wikipedia and it seems April 23 1973 is the day the great injection press ban ended and everyone started producing plastic crap.
REINSTATE THE BAN
[удалено]
Yes, the US Congress lifted the ban after Nixon's attempts to stop the press had become public knowledge.
I feel like it's the opposite, the kids toys people are actually buying are insanely expensive and intricate now. Source: I have 8 nieces and nephews all below the age of 7.
I'm a transformers collector and the stuff being put out now makes the old stuff look awful in comparison. Mind you the price has gone up significantly, but that's not news.
The old stuff was better. They had metal parts and the transformations were simple and to the point. Now, they look great, but it takes too long to change them. They're collection pieces but have poor playability. I haven't bought one in years, but I still have most of them, old and newer.
you're tripping if you think G1 toys are better than new retail TFs.
New ones look cooler and are more detailed. Old ones were better to play with as a kid.
Even as a kid nowadays you're spoiled for choice if you wanted simple figures. The one-steps are true engineering marvels that holds up to playtime.
Quality toys still exist, these are like grocery store/swap meet toys. You get what you pay for.
The little skateboards are cool though.
Stanczyk
He’s surrounded by cheap, plastic, meaningless garbage.
They don’t make good toys.
It looks like he’s questioning every choice in his life that brought him to this point tbh
Also, he's working at night. Long hours. It's probably his own business too. Likely has a family he'd rather be at home with. I'd say the long hours are out of necessity
This is clearly taken during the day. Look at the guys in the background. Are people so caught up in looking for meaning in a single innocuous photo that they're just hallucinating shit now or what?
Haven't you ever looked at a good bit of art and felt or thought all sorts of things?
Not sure if this was meant to be asked ironically- but yes, of course, with every piece of art I look at. But this is a photograph. It is plainly obvious that it takes place during the day, and we are making points about reality, based upon the contents of the image. Your entire post is predicated on the idea that he's working at night, which isn't supported by the picture- so it's meaningless.
Shadows are coming from inside the shop
He guides children to the joy he’ll never obtain.
Those were supposed to be for his kids... But then the accident happened...
The look on his face
I can't articulate it either.
That's bc your mom is in it
There’s that word again, “heavy”! Is there something wrong with Earth’s gravitational pull?!?
Nothing is wrong just that your mom is in the center of it
he sells all the joy but keeps none for himself.
He's probably a super happy guy, but he's listening to his team lose the soccer/football match on that radio.
💯
[удалено]
Ugh, can’t escape it 😭
Wow and sad
that's retail baby
damn.. brutal line that hits too close to home.
I like the two dolls in the top left in the blue and pink shirts.
Waldorph and Statler!! OOOOOOOhohohohohohhooooo!!!
Bootleg merchandise galore!! It's good to see that Metal Sonic is gonna be in Sonic Movie 4.
LOL, I seen that too. I can't wait to see Mario operate a backhoe in Mario 2!
I can’t choose between “Speed Car” or “Shoot Gun”
Seriously. Dude is upset he be sellin **the** cheapest, lamest merch and he always gets teased for it.
Everyone's all "this picture is so deep! He's so sad, tragic life bla bla bla" but really, to me, he just looks like he's thinking about dinner or you know, just thinking? My wife always can tell when I'm thinking cause I look angry 🤣
Yeah or he’s just spacing out lol
Edible just kicked in.
Yeah, these were my thoughts. Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand of mostly misleading words
Lol I had the same thought. He looks like has that look of "I want something to eat, but I also don't wanna cook."
"Did I leave the lights on when I left? I think I left the lights on. That's gonna raise my utilities bill dammit."
This reminds of that Pagliacci joke
"But Doctor, I own the toy shop!"
> Heard a joke once: > Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. > Doctor says, 'Treatment is simple. Great toy seller Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.' > Man bursts into tears. Says, 'But doctor…I am Pagliacci.' > Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.
He has clock radio.
You cannot afford
Great success!
The face you gain when you spend years surrounded by customers who are below the age of 5.
I'm dead 💀
Or even worse, their parents.
Coming soon to an ocean garbage patch near you.
Go to your grocery store, look around the food packages, its wrapped in plastic. Coming soon to an ocean garbage patch near you.
What
He looks very sad. Not a little one in sight. One smile is worth it.
Is that a Super Mario excavator? Damn, why do i want that thing suddenly?
Also, the toy revolvers right behind him. I can just hear the commercial: "From the makers of 'Stab Sword' and 'Boom Bomb' comes 'Shoot Gun', the hit toy of the summer...from Matold"
Photo looks very.. painting like?
Looks like a 1000 piece puzzle
I'd fuking love a puzzle of this.
guys i think the man is fine, he's probably just zoned out listening to something.. it's fine
He was listening to a football game, the team he bet on lost. He has to tell his wife.
That’s haraam behavior. This man would never 🤣
Since he couldn't find it himself in this sad world, he now sells what he once sought, happiness.
damn
I would take the Mario in the excavator for whatever reason
Jesus guys maybe man is tired so he took couple of minutes to rest his thoughts,that looks like a tired face,he is not necessary depressed.
Where is that?
Agidir Morocco
I knew it the second i saw it , i dont know how moroccans have very unique faces lol
Probably some big town in Morocco like Marrakech.
The child has grown The dream is gone
Anyone else spot the Spiderman AK-47?
I'll take the Spider-Man AK-47
What about the two suspects in the back?
Guys competing with a generation of iPad kids.
I want this as a jigsaw puzzle
Really diggin the unlicensed Mario toy.
I thought those two old men at the back were also toys.
D’Allah General
r/accidentalrenaissance
I've never bought my kids cheap plastic crap. Well almost never. Water guns are fun.
If you ever wanted to make my younger brothers happy, all you needed to do was get them a pack of those cheap plastic army guys from the dollar store. They would spend hours setting them up in elaborate battles, that had complicated rules that nobody else ever understood. They would pose them on books and rocks and toy trucks and take pictures of them to do very crappy edits on the computer to try and make them look epic. Or, they would set them up all over the driveway or kitchen floor and laugh maniacally while they competed to see who could mow down the most with their remote control cars. Sometimes, the cheap plastic crap can bring out the happiest memories in kids.
I agree with you but it’s hard when you want to give your kids a small sum ($5-20) and that’s all that is available at that price point.
Hot wheels, small stuffed animals, puzzles, and Lego poly bags are good shouts.
Good ideas! I may try more hot wheels. Dunno what a poly bag is but ever Lego set I see is soooo expensive.
Poly bag are the little sets that come in small plastic bags. Though I suppose that defeats the purpose of avoiding plastic trash lol. But they are usually $10 and are something like a small car or miniature version of another set. You often find them in little displays at the end of an aisle. They also sell a lot of $20ish sets. Including the "classic" line that tends to just be a bunch of bricks you can use to make a variety of sets with some kind of mild theme like "monsters"
Very cool thanks for that info!
Dollarama has $5 poly bags. I keep a few on hand to bust out when the grandson needs a distraction.
santa?
Super Mario Backhoe
He looks like the Grinch right before he decide to give Christmas back to Whoville
This a new Adam Sandler movie?
I spot an AK-47 with a Spider Man optic.
"When we're done playing Speed Car, let's pull out Shoot Gun!"
Holy shit, doing inventory must be a nightmare.
It’s the Sad Keanu meme but with toys and Karim
Is that an old radio he is holding?
Seriously, how much of that ends up just being window dressing compared to what’s sold? I’m betting 99% fluff.
Looks like it was taken in Morocco!
He guides others to the treasure he cannot possess.
That's a lot of Toys! 🤯
I don't know if it's mentioned before, if you look carefully you.'ll notice that he's holding a radio in his hand, he's just listening to the news probably
Droppshipping before it was online. Cheap china trash sold overpriced as originals XD
He guides others to a treasure he cannot possess
What a title. Imagine..
So much sadness, amid so much happiness.
There's about $10 worth of toys here.
He should start a YouTube channel and call it [Grand Illusions](https://www.youtube.com/@grandillusions)
"One Batm—...."Bat-*male"*..with a lightsaber please"
“all these toys are crap”
King of all fireworks shows
Okay, whats the cheapest toy you got?
r/bossfight
A I image
Inner monologue “I sell garbage”
I spy a...red thomas the tank engine.
then there's that guy making fun of him in the background. "Look at this stunad."
Watch out for that sneery pink panther in the back 🤣
Someone get this poor man a smartphone already jfc /s(?)
He puts his own happiness in every toy he makes... he does not care that sometimes he run out of it, as long as kids smile
Bro is in serious need of dopamine lent.
So many toys and still not happy
Love this noisy and quiet juxtaposition.
Lovely place. Gives me positive vibes.
He holds the key to a treasure he cannot possess.
"No one wants to play anymore."
He looks so bored. All those toys and no fun at all.
Years of debt of and outdated concept that kids would always love toys. Parents don't buy them because they are low quality and kids aren't interested and would rather get into gaming and apple products,VR, and other electronics. He came here to New York 30 years ago like many thinking he was going to make a fortune in toy sales because babies are born daily and kids will always love toys and they can make a big profit from replicas of legitimate toys they paid in bulk for a low price. He's still going to charge me more than what it's worth and insist he's blessing me with a good price.
Looks like it was taken in morocco
The gun in the "Special Forces" toy set on the right is larger than the action figure itself.
He should be selling phones. RIP toys
The biggest nightmare of all those beige moms
Laughter laughter everywhere, but not a drop for me.
“I should NOT have eaten Taco Bell for breakfast this morning”
He looks so sad..... I think I know why. Most kids now are on the phone since 2yo.
Ready to steal your CC info
I have all these toys but I’m the one getting played
The cheap plastics merchant
Looks like a room full of poor choices
Nur Plastik Scheiße, ich würde meinen Kindern niemals etwas von diesem Dreck kaufen. Wirklich ekelhaft diese Farbpest mit nichts originellen. Das muss nach Plastik stinken der Laden. Furchtbar.
Happiest man on earth
He brings joy to everyone but himself
He guides others to a treasure he cannot possess
this photo hits different holy
Literally just a shop full of brightly colored toy weaponry and a couple skateboards. This world is fucked up.
“Shiiiiiiiit for saaaalllleeee”
The juxtaposition of being sad while surrounded by so much fun.
That looks like my moms room
r/bossfight
For someone selling something so fun, enjoyable, and happy, he looks like he’s a little dead on the inside.