Ok, this is going to sound crazy, but I had this really weird dream recently. It was pretty vivid, and the imagery seemed very realistic. To the best of my recollection, this is how it went.

I was in a Toys R Us store, looking at stuff that I would want to buy. I have had this sort of toy store dream many times, going all the way back to when I was a kid. Usually the store is full of items that either are no longer available to buy anymore, or items that do not even exist in reality. It’s like a paradise for kids and collectors! With this sort of dream I am always left in a state of disappointment once I realize that none of it is real and I do not actually get to keep everything I see. However, in this particular dream, things worked out a lot differently.

This Toys R Us I was in wasn’t laid out like they are nowadays. It was more like they used to be before the business was renovated. There were long, tall, wide aisles full of action figures. For some reason, likely based on my experiences at a Toys R Us that I used to frequent before it closed down, I could judge from the look of the wall and ceiling that I was in the discount aisle. Score, cheap toys!

There in this discount aisle are some Ninja Turtles figures, and I notice that there is a variation on a certain figure. One figure had some orange colouration on it, while another figure of the same character had the orange replaced by yellow. I distinctly remember holding these two figures up against each other to compare. I had the feeling in this dream that I should be saving money, but since the prices on these figures were good, I bought some anyway. Then I had the feeling that if I was spending a little bit of money, then I might as well spend some more!

So, I looked at the Star Wars figures, located just further up the aisle. The packaging of these figures was very different than what they are really like. It was more along the lines of the vintage Star Wars toys, with large, full colour images of each individual character covering the entire card backing. The figures themselves looked about as detailed as the more modern Star Wars lines. But there was one figure that stood out, and I had to have it. It was Darth Vader, but he had a blue lightsaber instead of red! Woah! What is the story behind that? I can only imagine it being some sort of wild alternate reality where anything is possible. So I had to take that home with me too, and with it I grabbed several more Star Wars figures that were hanging from the same peg. For some reason it was understood to me in this dream that they were not very expensive either.

Well, since I was spending money on all of this stuff, I guess I figured that I might as well buy some more. So I spotted these white, rectangular boxes on a shelf underneath the action figure pegs. I don’t even pause to look at what they are, but for some reason I decide that I’m buying 3 of them. I stick the stack of toys under my arm and go to pay for them. But when I finally get around to looking at these mysterious items, I discover from the side of the packaging that they are sports figures! What did I buy these for? I have no interest in that sort of thing! And to top it all off, two of the three are exactly the same. How could I be so careless? I wonder what I should do with them, and take them out of the plastic shopping bag to get a closer look, only to discover a shocking plot twist.

Despite the packaging, the clear window in the front would reveal that the contents of these boxes were actually not sports figures at all.

They were…. POKEMON!

It is at this point in the dream that I realize that none of this has happened, that I am asleep, and that I probably should be waking up soon. I then feel a soothing sense of relief, because I know that I did not actually spend any of that money, which I had planned to spend for real at TransformersCon this month.

I guess this is what happens when just about everywhere you live and work is covered with action figures. That’s what it’s like for me, and I’ve always enjoyed that. But now, I wonder…

What does it all mean?!

Sayonara.