Collecting nostalgic pieces of plastic: the journey of toy collectors and the effects of nostalgia

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to elucidate the role of nostalgia in collecting behavior and evaluate its effects during the collecting process in the context of an online collecting community.

Design/methodology/approach

A netnographic study was conducted to enhance the understanding of the online collecting community for vintage toys on YouTube. The study analyzed more than 40,000 comments from 9,028 users. Data were then analyzed, codified and grouped to determine the coexistence of collecting and nostalgia within the community.

Findings

Nostalgia influences collecting mainly in three stages: beginning of a collection, progression of a collection and the end of the collecting process (as a barrier). Additionally, new information about collecting behavior is presented: Collectors are mainly influenced by the people around them during the collecting process, and they are highly oriented toward obtaining information about pieces in their collection.

Originality/value

This study builds on the premise of nostalgia as a motivator for collecting and describes its effect in depth during the collecting process. Specifically, netnography was used to analyze this phenomenon within the context of the online collecting community.

Citation

Sotelo-Duarte, M. (2022), "Collecting nostalgic pieces of plastic: the journey of toy collectors and the effects of nostalgia", Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 319-336. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-07-2021-0090