Inside the Collection: Meet Marla Mogul
This collection has us all wound up! Take a look.
Sep. 1, 2024
Marla Mogul is all wound up about wind-up toys and even has a Guinness World Record to prove she’s the Queen of these collectibles!
She has an entire room full of wind-up toys, which she proudly displays. When she won the World Record, she had 1,258 toys in her collection. That was over a year ago, and now she estimates her collection at 2,000 and growing! Marla went through an intensive, months-long process to beat the record.
Part of the fun is finding them in unexpected places. It’s the perfect collectible because it’s small, affordable, simple, and makes her happy.
Marla believes that her inner child comes out whenever she gets a new wind-up toy. For someone who wasn’t allowed to play much as a child, she now has enough toys to play with for a lifetime. Take a look at this record-breaking collection!
1. Vail Ski Bunny Wind-Up Toy
This is the wind-up toy that started it all for Marla!
This toy is about 40 years old, but it's still just as cute as ever. Marla bought this item during a ski trip to Vail Ski Resort in Colorado.
She knew she had to have it because it reminded her of her time there. She ended up falling out of love with skiing and in love with collecting.
This is her favorite wind-up toy because of its significance in her life. It's proof that the dollar amount isn’t as important as the emotions it provides.
Although it no longer works, partly due to its age, this little toy once skied down the mountain in its prime and had a Vail Ski Resort sticker on its chest.
According to our expert, Marla could double or triple its value if she found a Vail sticker to put on it. That would complete the toy.
Today, this classic wind-up toy would be worth around $10, but there's still time to find that sticker and double its value.
2. Train & Steamboat from Marla's Disney Collection
This iconic train and steamboat are part of Marla's Disney collection!
She used to travel to Disneyland quite often, and a major source of her collection was the wind-up toys from Disney.
This wind-up toy, which doubles as a train, is probably the oldest toy in her collection. It features two very memorable Disney characters that would bring a smile to almost anyone's face. It still works and dates back to the 1930s.
According to our expert, this is a great piece because it appeals to both train and Disney collectors, which has increased its value.
Marla also owns a Steamboat Willie toy, which plays the iconic theme song when it's wound up. Steamboat Willie was the first film that put Disney on the map. This toy is part of the Disney 100 collection. It's a significant piece of merchandise—larger than most—and includes figures you can place on it.
Our expert has valued both toys at a total of $1,500.
3. Barbie Appliances
Most Barbie collectors wouldn’t feel complete without Ken dolls, exclusive Barbie dolls, and other Barbie World essentials, but for Marla, it’s all about the Barbie appliances.
These appliances were originally sold separately. She bought them from a toy store in Chicago. They still work after all these years and feature a working popcorn machine, a CD player that can be turned on and off, and more.
According to our expert, each of these Barbie appliances is worth around $20. Altogether, they total about $80.
They bring a smile to Marla’s face, and that’s what matters. That’s what living in the Barbie World is all about.
4. Marla's Peanuts Collection
These vintage wind-up toys are part of Marla’s Peanuts collection. These characters never get old, especially Snoopy, who represents her collection in numbers.
Marla currently has Woodstock and Snoopy and is on the hunt for the rest of the Peanuts gang, including Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the others.
Originally, she spent around $8 on each of these toys. Today, if valued as a set, they would be worth around $200.
Finding the rest of the characters is her next project as a collector! We’re sure she’ll track them down—she already has enough to make it a record-breaking collection.
5. Marvel Wind-Up Toys
Most people can recognize these iconic characters from the Marvel Universe!
Marla has about 25 of these figures, featuring different characters and manufacturers. It’s a super collection for her superhero passion.
According to our expert, Marvel items have significantly appreciated in value over the last 10 years. Many Marvel collectors want everything related to the brand, and a complete collection of these wind-up toys would command a high price.
Our expert has valued these items together at $1,050.
6. Vintage Wind-Up Toys
For those who don’t know, Mr. Machine is an iconic wind-up toy that first appeared in the 1960s. Marla owns the 1970s version.
The toy was designed for children to take apart and put back together, serving "edutainment" purposes, as Lisa said.
Despite being one of the oldest toys, it’s one of Marla’s most recent purchases.
Her other item is a Happy Violinist toy from the 1940s or 1950s. She received this item as a gift from a friend who knew of her love for wind-up toys. Marla even has the original box, which is an essential piece of the collecting puzzle, as all Collector’s Call fans know.
Our expert has valued these items together at around $325.
7. The total value of Marla's wind-up toy collection:
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