History Channel's 'The Toys That Built America' features a Norwalk man and toy expert

It’s fitting that one of the largest collections of Aquaman-related items, including action figures, was amassed by a man who lives in the hometown of the actor who starred on the big screen as the superhero.

Daniel Pickett lives in Norwalk, the hometown of Hollywood star Jason Momoa, who portrayed the DC Comics’ superhero.

This wasn’t intentional on Pickett’s part, just a “bizarre kismet,” the 52-year-old toy and action figure expert told the Des Moines Register.

Pickett, founder of toy news website Action Figure Insider, has amassed several hundred Aquaman items — and his toy collection doesn't end there.

The Norwalk man lent his years of action figure expertise to the third season of the History Channel’s “The Toys That Built America,” which premiered on Oct. 15. He previously appeared on the television show’s second season.

Daniel Pickett talks 'gross out' toys, transforming robots on ‘The Toys That Built America’

“The Toys That Built America” chronicles the “untold stories and rivalries that gave rise to the modern toy industry,” according to the History Channel, with episodes that explore everything from board games and Slinkys to toy cars and video games.

Viewers of the third season were already treated to Pickett’s appearance in the first episode, which explores the shapeshifting toy Transformers.

For the past 19 years, Pickett has run the website Action Figure Insider after previously writing a column for another website dedicated to action figures.

Pickett expects to appear in the final episodes of the season, which will focus on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and martial arts in toys, he said.

The opportunity to appear on “The Toys That Built America” came when a toy designer involved in Season 2 suggested the producers connect with Pickett as they sought out more experts. Pickett was flown to New York and recorded his commentary for several hours for the second season.

One episode Pickett appears on in Season 2 is about the toys intended to "gross out" buyers.

For example, a whoopee cushion.

When it came time for Season 3, staff affiliated with the show reached out to Pickett to see if he’d return.

He was in.

“I've always really enjoyed toys not just for the play value of them but the art of them,” Pickett said.

As child in the 1970s, Pickett’s early toy interests centered around a series of eight-inch action figures from the Mego Corp., a toy company. The company's toys included licensed action figures of DC Comics and Marvel Comics superheroes as well as action figures for “Star Trek."

Pickett, a fan of reruns of the 1966 TV series “Batman,” had an obsession with Caped Crusader toys, so much so that he put his collection on a shelf in his playroom as a 6-year-old and charged neighborhood kids a quarter to look at it.

“I just always have loved toys and having them around and finding the joy of these three-dimensional expressions of pop culture things that I always loved,” he said.

Building a collection of toys

Pickett, whose toy collection has expanded from displaying Batman items on a shelf as a kid to taking up his basement in Iowa, is known in the industry for his Aquaman collection, which began when he started collecting items related to the production of his favorite line of action figure superheroes.

That’s on top of his love for superhero collectibles of all kinds as well as anything on arcade culture.

The early days of the internet afforded Pickett and people like him an opportunity to find their “tribe” and tap into a global network to find items for their collections.

Years since Pickett created an account with the web services company AOL during the early days of the internet and wrote under the name Julius Marx — a reference to actor and comedian Groucho Marx — the landscape of toys has changed.

Pickett said it is a “golden age of toys.”

One difference from when Pickett was a child to now is that there are people working in the toy industry now who grew up with “Star Wars” and “Masters of the Universe,” for example, and are now getting licenses to make products for properties that never had toys decades ago, he said.

Nowadays, people can find their favorite characters in the form of small collectibles by Funko, collect miniatures of food or household items with the Zuru Toy line Mini Brands, or watch people unbox toys on YouTube.

“There's something for everyone now and I think that's really neat,” Pickett said.

Where can I watch ‘The Toys That Built America’?

Episodes are available to stream on History.com. “The Toys That Built America” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. central time on the History Channel.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at PBarraza@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 'The Toys That Built America' on History Channel features Norwalk man