While this story makes me want to go into further denial, there may be a place for the shampoo bottles Hasbro now are calling 12" figures after all. Click through at your own risk! Thanks to JTA moderator Paul B. for the story.

Hey Paul,

Here is a little story of hope I'd like to share with you and the readers of JTA. My wife, mother-in-law and I went out to lunch today, and while we were eating our lunch, my wife pointed out to me that a family with a few small children had come in to the restaurant. One of those kids had a 12" Anakin Skywalker figure. (The very one that the community calls a shampoo bottle.) And he was playing with it and he enjoyed playing with it.

So while a lot us don't like the 12" figures, there is someone who does. And with luck, he will become a collector when he grows up and fondly remembers the days he played with his 12" Anakin. And that gives me hope that there is a future generation of fans to carry on the torch of collecting.

-Paul B