Kapow! Happy Pappys relocates action figure wonderland from Canton to Plain Township
Ed Balint, Canton Repository
Updated 4 min read
Greg Rininger of Canton looks at a collectible during a recent visit to Happy Pappy's Action Figure Extravaganza. The toy store recently relocated to Whipple Avenue NW in Plain Township.
PLAIN TWP. − Greg Rininger lost himself in a world of toys and nostalgia at Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza.
Walking into the store, the Canton man's eyes widened as he took in the aisles lined with a plethora of action figures and bygone toys. Planet of the Apes. Bionic Man. Silver Surfer. The Lord of the Rings. The X-Files. Turbo Man. Pee-wee Herman. The Greatest American Hero. Lost in Space. The Karate Kid. Garbage Pail Kids.
A great way to spend a day off work, the 37-year-old engineer lab technician said.
"You kind of lose track of time," Rininger said with a broad grin.
Cliffton Boggs, owner of Happy Pappy's Action Figure Extravaganza, stands inside the relocated toy store on Whipple Avenue NW in Plain Township.
This was Rininger's first visit to Happy Pappys since it relocated in late September from downtown Canton to 3202 Whipple Ave. NW. Happy Pappys was among the businesses forced from their storefronts on Sixth Street NW due to the Canton Palace Theatre expansion project.
"It's cool," he said of the new Happy Pappys. "We had that void while he was closed."
Standing in front of a wall lined with action figures, Rininger reached for a vintage Batman toy.
"I think it's important just to hold onto this kind of nostalgia," he said. "And some of the newer stuff just doesn't have the same charm. It's kind of fun just to relive some of the stuff we had growing up."
A collectible is displayed at Happy Pappy's Action Figure Extravaganza, which recently relocated from downtown Canton to Plain Township.
Retro toy nirvana: Roger Rabbit, Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears
Store owner Clifton Boggs said he would have preferred keeping the store downtown.
"My plan was to stay there for a long while," he said. "I was not ready to move because it is a financial burden."
Boggs also operated Eulogy Tattoo on Sixth Street NW in downtown Canton before he had to relocate the shop to 4329 Lincoln Way E in Perry Township. Eulogy's grand opening event is scheduled for Oct. 28. Live music and a food truck are planned.
Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza recently relocated from downtown Canton to 3202 Whipple Ave. NW in Plain Township.
A grand opening is planned for Happy Pappys on Nov. 4. Promotions will include 20% off merchandise, photo ops with characters in cosplay, and free balloons and candy for kids. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
On a recent weekday morning, three customers showed up about 10 minutes before Happy Pappys was supposed to open. Boggs gladly let them inside.
A few steps past the counter and the group was transfixed with the maze of collectibles. Cabbage Patch Kids. Classic Barbie dolls. Roger Rabbit.
Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza in Plain Township is a paradise for fans of vintage action figures and superhero toys of yesteryear.
Carrie Casey, 36, said it was her first time at Happy Pappys after noticing the store while driving on Whipple. She was shopping with her daughter, Rylan Bevington, 13, and mother, Darlene Kirkbride.
"My whole family calls me 'Care Bear' because of my name," said Casey, of East Canton, who also collects Care Bear memorabilia. "If my husband and my son were here, I wouldn't be able to get them out of here."
A shopper looks at a collectible at Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza, which recently relocated from downtown Canton to Plain Township.
The power of toys: 'You could make up your own world.'
Customers such as the group from East Canton are why Boggs is in business.
"It brings a little spark of happiness," he said. "It definitely helps get people in a better mood because it's the nostalgia that takes you back to a time when you basically had no worries."
The 47-year-old Boggs is just as big of a fan of his merchandise as the shoppers.
Toys and action figures remind him of the simpler days of his youth while growing up in a small town in Kentucky before moving to Canton.
Rylan Bevington, Darlene Kirkbride and Carrie Casey look at stickers at Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza, which recently relocated to 3202 Whipple Ave. NW in Plain Township.
"I would get a $2 allowance (for doing chores)," Boggs recalled while seated behind the counter of his shop. "And I would spend it all on action figures."
Favorites included Robin and The Incredible Hulk.
"You could make up your own world," he said of playing with the toys.
Toy store is a 'living time capsule'
Running a retail shop in an age of online shopping isn't easy, Boggs admitted. However, Amazon and home deliveries can't replicate the in-person experience, he said of his toy store, which opened downtown in 2020.
"I feel with having a brick-and-mortar, you get to have the good conversations with people," Boggs said. "They get to touch (toys). I think it's the experience; it's like overload. You might see 10 things you want instead of the one thing you came in for, or you might not leave with anything because you're overwhelmed."
Happy Pappy's Action Figure Extravaganza in Jackson Township is a paradise for fans of vintage action figures and pop culture-inspired nostalgia.
He also purchases action figures and toys from customers.
"Old, new, everything, we'll take pieces, parts," Boggs said.
Shopping in person is like a treasure hunt for classic toys, said Jayden Rash, an employee at Happy Pappys.
"You'll see something really old that you used to play with but can't find anywhere else," said Rash, 21.
Jayden Rash, left, and Clifton Boggs are shown inside Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza, which has relocated to 3202 Whipple Ave. NW in Plain Township. Boggs owns the store.
Rininger agreed. Batman, Spider-Man, Boba Fett and Ghostbusters are among his favorite toy flashbacks.
"It's just going back to simpler times when we were children because life is hard," he said. "And we just get to escape from it for a minute and just get to be around a living time capsule."
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com and on X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP
Happy Pappys Action Figure Extravaganza has moved to a new location at 3202 Whipple Ave. NW in Plain Township. The store carries an extensive line of toys and collectibles.
