You have no way of knowing this, but when I was... I'm gonna go with 10 years old, me and my best friend videotaped a "Toy Report," which was just us doing a news show about our favourite toys. Yes: I've been this pathetic, for that long. Although I guess one would argue that 10-year-olds are supposed to talk about toys.

In '08, as with '07 and '06, I stopped collecting toys. In the meantime, though, these were the best ones I got:

#1: Davy Jones (Hot Toys)

Sweet googly crap, the entire Movie Masterpiece series for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is pretty goddamned impressive, but they absolutely cranked it out of the park with their final entry, Davy Jones. Unlike every other Davy Jones toy ever produced, this thing actually looks like the character from the movie... and not just a little bit like. SCARILY like. I have the good captain on my desk at work, to remind my underlings what awaits them if they fail.

#2: Sarafina action figure (Tederick Limited Releasing)

Aw no, I guess I can't do that, but I do thank everyone for the kind comments. YEAH! PARKDALE!

The real #2: Yarna D'Al Gargan (Hasbro)

Long ago I promised that if they ever actually made Gargan, I would buy her, and then quit collecting Star Wars figures. Well, done and done.

#3: Mola Ram (Hasbro Mighty Muggs)

Credit to Hasbro for going with the Mighty Muggs concept, which they can just basically repaint endlessly into any number of adorable little squashy men. Adorable little squashy man with ripped-out heart, however, is ingenius! He rips out your heart, cutely!

#4: Deep Space Nine (Diamond Select Toys)

Kicking the line off with Sisko and the Daxes seemed sorta weak and strange to me, but I still get gazoodles of thrill out of having the DS9ers on my desk. The Odo is the best of the lot, with Ezri second, the too-slender Sisko third and Jadzia a distant fourth... and I remain stumped by the continued lack of Ferengi... but with O'Brien, Kira and Bashir joining the line in '09, Trek's own Wild Bunch is gonna keep dominating desk-space for some time to come.

#5: The Crystal Skeleton (Hasbro mail-away toy)

As opined earlier this year, nothing quite ever beat the thrill, as a kid, of cutting out those circular proof-of-purchase tabs from the back of my Star Wars figures and getting a Nien Nunb in the mail 8 weeks later. I got to relive it a bit this summer, even if Hasbro's stupendously slow service meant that I had to go back to 3QF in October to recover a toy that was supposed to arrive in July. It was made up for by the fact that the Crystal Alien, in its fancy chair, is significantly more enjoyable than the entirety of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

And furthermore:

Best toy from a different year: Batman Begins from Takara. They had him at the Silver Snail in 2005 and I didn't buy it because of the exorbitant cost, and probably regretted it on a weekly basis ever after. The new movie finally prompted a reissue, so I snapped it up; still easily the best Batman from any source material at any scale. Phenomenal piece.

Best toy I did not buy: Gandalf the Grey from Sideshow Collectibles. So movie-accurate ya sort of wanna kill yourself. If I had an extra hundred and thirty bucks, and I assure you I do not, I would purchase this right now.

If I could only buy one thing in 2009, I would buy (and I already have): Meltyface McTohtsalot from Sideshow Collectibles.

Toy I thought would top this list but never got the chance cuz it just plum didn't come out: that goddamned Joker.