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Movie Toys
Movie Toys

Learn how to use "used to + verb."

Date: Mar 02 2011

Themes: Hobbies

Grammar: Used to Do vs Be Used to

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Usually, toys are for kids. But some toys become collector’s items, and adults buy them, too. Toys based on movies, especially classic movies like the Star Wars films, can end up being worth a lot of money. But you can’t play with them if you plan to collect them. You can’t even take them out of the box!

These days pretty much every kids’ movie that comes out has toys attached to it. Sometimes it even seems like the toy is more important than the movie. It’s just another way for big companies to make money. But Marni and Beren remember a simpler time, when movie toys were just…toys.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Beren

Beren

Marni:  So, Beren, do you collect toys from movies? Like if you see a movie you love, do you go out and get the toys from that movie?

Beren:  Yeah, I mean I went through…I guess it’s been off and on, collecting toys from movies. Like action figures. It started with Pee Wee Herman, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, I got a Pee Wee doll.

Marni:  Nice.

Beren:  But he’s not in mint condition. I took him out of the original box. And he was a toy, like for me when I was a little kid. And then I moved on to like collecting action figures and keeping them in the package, you know.

Marni:  Right, because that’s what actually lets them hold their value. But I think there is a distinction between being a kid and wanting to play with those, and being someone who collects them.

Beren:  Mm-hmm. I am not a collector. I haven’t purchased an action figure from a movie in about 10 years.

Marni:  I used to, and even when I was a younger adult. And now I just don’t seem to spend my money that way. But I definitely collected Star Wars action figures. I think that set the bar for movies and action figures and toys, and then it’s like every single movie that comes out instantly has toys.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Both Beren and Marni used to collect movie toys. Marni got into collecting movie toys when Star Wars came out, and Beren’s first toy based on a movie was a Pee Wee Herman doll. But neither of them kept their movie toys in mint condition. They played with them and treated them like regular toys.

Marni says that these days, she has more important things to spend her money on than movie toys. She also feels like movie toys just aren’t as special as they used to be. It seems like nearly every movie that comes out now has toys or other products attached to it.

Do you like to buy movie toys? What was your favorite movie toy when you were growing up?

 

Comments

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Kenn7

Kenn7

Hong Kong

i really like to collect different kinda toys, figure…not only the movies toys, but also animation toys. i totally agree Katte said that
‘The collectors are not only gathering toys, it’s a special live style.’ Everybody has their own living style, i respect each other, i dont think im weird


it really makes me feel great!! when i was a kid i had no $ to buy these sorts of stuffs, so now i work hard i play hard, enjoy my toys life=]



03:28 PM Oct 22 2013 |

yawar

yawar

Pakistan

niether i had this kind of toys nor i brought from myself but i like those toyes whick give me remember of my chilhood’t toys,that’s all,

09:19 AM Jun 13 2012 |

1 person likes this

Shalsaclivers

Indonesia

I love Woody in Toy Story :) But,I never thought to bring them into my house :(

12:50 AM Aug 24 2011 |

♫Anna♥

♫Anna♥

Russian Federation

I didn't buy movie toys in my life… But I like toys in general!!!!  I  feel a gret delight in the company of the toy cars, dolls and  teddy bears… and i had an opportunity to play with the brother's toys  (dinosaurs, Transformers) in my chilhood and I also gave my dolls to him)))...

07:56 AM Mar 31 2011 |

1 person likes this

Katte

Katte

Russian Federation

you just don't understand. The collectors are not only gathering toys, it's a special live style. I didn't really understand one of my friend whose hobby was collecting movie toys too. But then I saw she got a lot of new friends through that deal. You know, they meet each other in www, sent mail, meet at some kind of market to swap or find some new collector's items. You can't believe but some of them really expensive.  So we hang out in EnglishBaby and they – among toy fanbase.

06:35 AM Mar 08 2011 |

1 person likes this

sofree

sofree

China

I'm not a movie fan, but I have several video game toy.

I like the earth rat fom Cross Gate the most.

05:45 AM Mar 03 2011 |

alpha girl

alpha girl

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Yeah i remember when i was a kid I once bought Lucky Look 's action figure.

but now i never do that. 

04:27 PM Mar 02 2011 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

 I think that all this revolves around marketing. Moviegoers get crazy about these toys and collect and box them up with the hope that they could make a profit years ahead

  

03:58 PM Mar 02 2011 |

Hyman Y.H Lin

China

I don't like it at all

03:35 PM Mar 02 2011 |

nada

nada

Saudi Arabia

beren >> her accent it's not clear Sealed

02:46 PM Mar 02 2011 |

saeedanddocabinah

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I don't want to buy action figures, but I've bought a toy of TOYOTA TUNDRA which indicates my interest in TRUCKS.

02:30 PM Mar 02 2011 |

andee1

andee1

China

i never had bought any movie toys, but i like collecting stamps ancient vase/money. i always used to make toys by myself examples dinosaur and danced-able robot.

02:20 PM Mar 02 2011 |

Led

Led

Cuba

Ha! I don´t buy action toys, but I own some "Aliens"(from "Alien, the eigth passenger". One of them is in my desk, in my office. people always say it´s terrifying, but I think it´s cool.

02:06 PM Mar 02 2011 |

tony.yy

tony.yy

China

Ha,Needless to say,Transformers Toy.

09:57 AM Mar 02 2011 |

happysmilesunny

China

Kinda of Superman, or Helicoptor

06:15 AM Mar 02 2011 |

dearpesar

dearpesar

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

yes. when i was a kid i had the zorro cloadk, veil, outfit and sword and i played with them very much. i loved them. Laughing

of course they weren't toys like action figure and etc.

04:45 AM Mar 02 2011 |

miss_eos

miss_eos

Viet Nam

I've never done things like this. It's just a matter of money. Even if i like a movie so much I won't spend a penny on the movies toys. 

04:14 AM Mar 02 2011 |

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