Toy Aisle Trolls > Pirates of the Target Store

August 16, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Monkey Boy

Monkey Boy writes:

Hey Poe, Monkey Boy here, thought I’d send over this Toy Aisle Trolls as a warning. Unlike your average figure swap, the Lego swap is extra crappy, because you buy most Lego sets sight unseen. So I picked up this Pirates set at Target, only to get home and open it to find what you see in the second photo…nothing but a random pile of decidedly un-piratey Legos. No instructions, no free poster, and none of the right figures or parts. Just a sampling of someone’s Lego junk drawer. I hope Target lets me exchange it.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Skal(lox)ped

August 11, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: WW

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

WW writes:

Long time reader, first time “caller”! I was in a Walmart in Catonsville, MD and I stumbled upon the attached example of a Toy Aisle Troll. As you can see, they stole the Skallox/Nite-lik Red Lantern body and replaced it with a *broken* Atom body. Atom’s broken leg was just free-floating in the package. The package rim was covered in tape, so it was obvious to anyone that it had been opened. Surprisingly, the Stel part was still there.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Lack Hand

August 9, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Poe

The Problem: The BAF piece is missing, and the Mattel Black Hand figure has been replaced with a DC Direct Black Hand.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

Poe writes: Poester Sped and I came across this at the Toys R Us in Dedham, MA. Someone at TRU was evidently vaguely aware of the problem, as it’s got the reduced-price red sticker. But for all I know they just thought the BAF piece was missing–even Sped missed the fact it was a DCD Black Hand until I pointed it out.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Tex Vex

July 27, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: DC

The Problem: The Lizard has been replaced with, of all things, Wave Rider Nemo; Mary Batson has been replaced with a DC Direct Deadshot.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This and this

DC writes:

I found these at my local Wal-Mart, here in Arlington Texas, across the street from where they had the Superbowl. There were two more I didn’t take pictures of. Oh, One of the DCUC, Hourman I think, had a Marvel Legends Nick Fury in it.

I turned them over to the toy dept. manager and asked to speak to customer service and someone in returns and tried to explain the scam, how someone was taking the BAF parts, and most likely selling the full BAF figure on ebay, not too mention the loose figure alone would recoup their cost, not to mention making money back on the return. I explained how to easily check on figures what the actual figure is (I mean deadshot in a Mary Batson? C’mon. I didn’t even get into how it was not even a DCUC Deadshot)

Anyway I was treated to a LECTURE about how I was wrong because collectors do not open figures, so no one would open a figure to take out a BAF piece. I got this from the Toy Dept. manager, and the Returns Department Manager.

I’m a 45 year old Recruiter and Trainer and I was stunned at how they treated me like an idiot, in the face of proof. I mean, they literally treated me like I was wasting their time, and I was HANDING them proof of theft, and explaining a pervasive scam.

Amazing.

P.S. After it was all said and done, I bought the DCUC with the Nick Fury, because, hey, Marvel Legends Nick Fury…

Toy Aisle Trolls > Giant-Size Trollery

July 14, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Phillip Reed of Battlegrip.com

The Problem: Phillip writes: “Spotted this at a ToysRUs in Austin yesterday. It looks like someone replaced every single figure in this new X-Men 6-pack.” [I think Nightcrawler and Colossus are supposed to be there. –PG]

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

Poe’s Note: I’m going to stop writing the karmic paybacks, folks. Not because I don’t think these bastards deserve it, but because it’s kind of exhausting trying to come up with a clever new one each time. However, feel free to come up with your own suitable punishment for them, and describe it at length in the comments.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Double Douche

July 7, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Loucheish

The Problem: See Loucheish’s description below. (more…)

Toy Aisle Trolls > Awry Man

June 23, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: T16SkyHopp

The Problem: The Manhunter Skallox/Medphyll figures have been swapped for Orion figures.

Karmic Payback: May the legs of the figures he stole snap off at the hips, removing the meagre rewards of being a such complete waste of sentience.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Mark of the Goon

June 21, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Engineernerd

The Problem: The toy has been stolen from the package.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This.

Engineernerd writes: “I was surprised by this scene in the toy aisle this morning while looking for Captain America stuff. This dead beat could be bothered to even exchange it or put the box back together on this Transformer. This is lower than troll. I should mention this happened between 7PM and 6AM as I was there at both times. I’m guessing it wasn’t a kid.”

Karmic Payback: Well, this is just flat-out theft. It lacks any of the villainous imagination of the typical troll; but what I think bothers me the most is the complete lack of effort. It’s like, you just don’t get it, do you, douche? Anyway, for his karmic payback: after death, his obituary will read like a New Yorker review of a Michael Bay film.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Stealjacked

June 17, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: CB

The Problem: It contains a Sideswipe Red Alert painted to look like Wheeljack.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

CB writes:

Here’s one that really goes above and beyond.  I didn’t take this photo, but it was posted on the Illinois Sightings board on tfw2005.com by user TheGame2K5 earlier this week.  Apparently he found a Transformers Generations Wheeljack (an extremely hard to find Transformer that seems to have been skipped over by the stores) at a Chicago store, but it had a Sideswipe [Red Alert – ed.] figure instead, THAT HAD BEEN PAINTED TO LOOK LIKE WHEELJACK.  Talk about going the extra effort to get away with this kind of crap.

Karmic Payback: The perp’s car gets stolen and the insurance company refuses to pay for it because they don’t like his ugly face.

Toy Aisle Trolls > The Strife Aquatic

June 10, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: 3B

The Problem: The Aquaman has been replaced by the Alex Ross’s “Justice”-style Aquaman from the Walmart “Undersea Assault” 2-pack.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This.

XXX writes:

I snapped this one at my local TRU yesterday. I’m not too bothered by this one, though. Why? I’ve never seen this version of Aquaman (from the Walmart-exclusive “Undersea Assault” 2-pack) at retail, so you can say it’s pretty rare in my area. This troll obviously just wanted the classic version of Aquaman and swapped in the gold one. Also, the package showed very little evidence of being opened.

Probably worth mentioning that this particular store hasn’t stocked any of the Aquaman/Mer-Man or Hawkman/Stratos packs. In fact, they have a boatload of the Lex/Skeletor packs left. I suspect this troll picked up the set at another store about 7miles to the North, which recently stocked the new sets.

As for payback… I think the fact the “Aquaman” TV series was never made is punishment enough for this troll.

Karmic Payback: Yeah, this is one of those cases where I have mixed feelings about dishing out the karmic payback. On the one hand, yes, many DCUC fans do want the Aquaman. And the guy did engage in criminal behavior by opening the pack, swapping a figure and returning it. It was dishonest.

On the other hand, that Walmart Aquaman was hard to find…anyone who bought this set would either be thrilled to get the Aquaman, or could probably sell the Aquaman on eBay and recoup enough money to buy another one of these sets and get the right Aquaman. And if they didn’t realize they got the wrong Aquaman, then obviously they don’t care enough about the figure for it to matter.

So I’m going to defer to you, faithful readers, to determine the punishment (or reward) of your choice.