Collector Spotlight #1 — Dan Royer and the ‘World’s Largest Iceman Collection’

[Welcome to the first in a series of new posts to spotlight members of the SKC community who have dedicated their time, money and living space to amassing an awe-inspiring collection of toys, games, pencil toppers or novelty soaps. In appreciation of your hard work spent collecting, we're going to spotlight someone new once a week. If you collect it, are proud of it and want to share it with like-minded strange kids this is your chance!]

Today’s featured collector is Dan Royer, aka Decapitated Dan, a horror comic journalist and host of the belated podcast Discussions with Decapitated Dan which I had the pleasure of being on last April. Among other things, Royer is also an avid collector of Marvel’s Iceman memorabilia – from mini-figs and bobbleheads to cups and comic books.

DAN ROYER: When I was younger, my friend and I collected sports cards. I was over at his house doing some trading and I saw in his closet a stack of comics. I was not into comics at the time, but I asked him about them [and] he pulled out the stack. At the top was Uncanny X-Men #281, flipped over, showing the back of the wraparound cover. The cover was by Portacio and the Iceman image on it just hit home with me. So that is what got me into collecting comics. I would always just look for covers that had Iceman on them, and read the stories he was in.

I knew as a kid that there was an Iceman figure in the Toy Biz line, but I could never find it. Then one summer while visiting my grandparents in Arkansas we took a trip to Walmart and there it was… sitting there on the shelf waiting for me. That’s when the toy collection started. I really didn’t buy anymore toys when I was a kid, but when I was in college I started to run across some more and that’s when it boomed.

The only toys I don’t have are the really expensive ones. I don’t have the Secret Wars European Iceman from 1984, I also don’t have the 2 statues that cost over $150 each. Other than that I have them all. I have coloring books that have Iceman in them, Valentines Day cards that have him on them and a set of Marvel Memory Game cards that have him as a character on them. My rarest toy is probably my Iceman Secret Wars helicopter that never went into mass production. So, as long as they keep making Iceman toys, the collection continues to grow.

Interested in sharing your collection? Drop us a line and we’ll tell you how to become a Featured Collector!