My Godzilla Room Reimagined

8.14.2026

Over the last few weeks, I have begun documenting the changes to my Godzilla Room, but I want to set them in the story of my Godzilla collection and room. My apologies for repeating content from previous posts. I began thinking about these changes when creating my own nostalgia room image for If Toys Could Talk and when working on my Godzilla wall. Since my first Godzilla, my Godzilla collection has been on display. In the 70s, I proudly displayed my Bendy Godzilla, Mattel Shogun Godzilla and Rodan, Godzilla’s Gang, Godzilla Game, View-Masters, books, magazines, comics and puzzles across my childhood hutch. Above my dresser and on my walls I taped my posters.

The oldest picture of me and Godzilla. I’m holding the Mattel Godzilla in the summer of 1979.

My 90s Godzilla room and collection

Then, in 1998, I was interviewed by FOX Good Day on Philly channel 29 to share my collection on the day TriStar’s Godzilla was released. In anticipation, I overhauled my room and the arrangement of my collection with the help of my brother. My collection graduated from wire cubes to sleek IKEA shelves. But several years later, after the release of Godzilla Final Wars in 2004, I entered a decade-long hiatus and my collection returned to the basement as I entered college. When I lived in Japan from 2008 to 2014, I suspended all collecting. To raise support to cover my expenses, I put up my collection on Craig’s List. Thankfully I only sold three items.

My Godzilla collection featured on FOX Good Day Philly (Channel 29) in 1998

Then everything changed in 2014. While living in Nagoya, I was inspired to collect. A day before Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla exited the theater, I returned home with boxes and bags full of figures and books. Shortly after, I pulled my collection out of the basement, out of their boxes and put them back on my shelves where they belonged. In the following months and years, my collection took off growing exponentially. And I needed more space that only an entire room could provide. As an adult collector it was time for my collection to graduate from a set of shelves to an entire room for display and enjoyment. I wanted to enjoy my collectibles. So in 2015 I painted my study that I used during my years in seminary. I replaced my books with figures. Eventually my collection outgrew those shelves. My figures got lost on the dark wood and were obscured by the glass doors. I had a grand vision and big plans. Once again I turned to IKEA for all my interior design needs. And my friend installed floating shelves across the largest walls according to my vision.

My old IKEA shelves in Godzilla Room

As the year went by my collection grew bigger and my room smaller. I didn’t deny my insatiable appetite for every X-Plus figure. And rarely said “No” to something new. The boxes and books kept coming in from overseas. During these years my collection was featured on Japan’s TV Asahi. So I added new cubes for shelving. I squeezed as many figures as possible on the shelves, and I stacked up new boxes wherever they fit. One bad move and the boxes would fall. My ultimate collection room became a storage closet. There were many new figures and unopened boxes I barely could walk through the room. It was embarrassing to share my room with visitors. My Godzilla wonderland was no longer. The room became impracticable, unusable and increasingly unenjoyable. It was a burden to rearrange and reorder to make space for new collectibles.

My Godzilla Room in 2018

To make it worse, I still had boxes of Godzilla figures and collectibles in my basement from the 90s. They never found a home in my Godzilla room. And unfortunately, I needed to make room in my basement for the things that had taken over my room. But the basement needed a complete overhaul like my room. After several iterations of cleaning the basement in preparation for a bathroom makeover, it was not ready for more boxes. My collectibles were in disarray, unorganized and all over the place. I needed to thoroughly clean the basement and create space for organizing my stuff. I bought half a dozen chrome shelves. I spent a little more than a month sorting, trashing and organizing the basement with my toys and collectibles. It was a job well done. And then and only then could I reimagine my Godzilla room.

My Godzilla Room in 2026

I spent a lot of time rethinking my Godzilla Room answering the questions: What do I want me and visitors to experience? What story do I want to tell? How to organize my collection to tell that story? The typical arrangement and display was not going to work. The room needed more intentionality and a logical flow. I wanted it to flow and feel like a museum, preserving and presenting my life of collecting. I was inspired by the Tokusatsu DNA Exhibit Ueda in 2024. I also wanted a mini Godzilla theater. So I organized the collectibles in chronological order so that they told my story growing up with Godzilla from the 70s until now. Each wall became a stage for an “Act” (period) in my story: Act 1: 70-80s, Act 2: 90-2000s, Act 3: X-Plus and Sofubi, Act 4: Godzilla Store and more, Act 5: Godzilla Library and Act 6: Spotlight. Each act has a unique display space and a variety of shelving. To realize my vision required tough decisions, extensive preparation and sticking to some fundamental principles.

Sample Godzilla Room display plan in Adobe Illustrator

I had to face the reality that it was impossible to display all my collection. And less indeed is best. I have too much for a spacious museum with simple clean displays. I really wanted to create a space that is the best of a childhood room full of toys and that has the density of Japanese toy stores and hobby shops. In the way of my vision was the enormous number of X-Plus figures occupying most of the shelves and space. I faced the unimaginable process of picking what figures had to go. I was guided by a set of principles and questions to evaluate what I had and what I would buy going forward: 1) Where does each collectible fit in my story? 2) Does it help tell my story? 3) Is it display worthy? 4) Is it my favorite and the best of others like it? 5) Will it end up in the basement shortly after purchase? I ruthlessly applied these guidelines. As difficult as it was to place some beloved collectibles into storage, the results were deeply satisfying. I filled and stored over a dozen 27-gallon heavy-duty.

Stacks of my Godzilla bins and collectibles in my basement

The result is a little oasis for enjoying Godzilla. It’s a little time machine that takes me back to the earliest days of my childhood to start my journey into the future. The room is no longer dark, overcrowded and virtually impassable. It is very inviting and comfortable. My collectibles flow and overflow like the shelves and spaces of an old Showa Japanese toy shop. There is a managed visual overload and an orderly chaos. Arranging my collectibles in chronological order was the best idea. It eliminated the darkness created by the suit-accurate Godzilla figures. My collection from the 70s to the 90s is no longer in mothballs. They have transformed my shelves and made the room a wonderland of nostalgia. I wondered how I could have neglected them for so long. Mixing opened and unopened boxes added more eye-candy, visual depth. I used risers to help smaller figures and boxes to be seen. I bought museum fixing gel and mounting sticky putty to keep figures and logos in place. Everything has its place. The room is orderly, full of light, color, visual interest and functionality. It has become a welcoming space that I’m proud to enjoy every day.

Room renovations in progress

Act 1 (Showa Era) tells the story of my early childhood growing up with Godzilla during the Showa Era displaying my earliest collection from the 70s to 80s, from the Mattel Godzilla boom until Godzilla returned in 1984 and the rise of Bandai in the 80s. There is a mix of Christmas gifts from my parents and collectibles I bought from Kiddie City, KB Hobby and Rocketships & Accessories: Bendy Godzilla, Mattel Shogun Godzilla, Godzilla’s Gang, Godzilla Game, Godzilla View-Masters, Godzilla books, magazines, puzzle and more. Included are toys I wanted then but couldn’t purchase until much later such as the Popy Jumbo Godzilla, Showa Godzilla kits and the Bandai Godzilla electronic handheld game. The 70s collection transitions to my 80s collection: Yamakatsu figures, the Real Hobby Series Godzilla 1964, Bandai The特撮Collection plastic model kits and various Godzilla 1984 merch. Below is a recreation of how I grew up with Godzilla with a working JCPenney black-and-white TV set with an old audio tape recorder, local TV guide, Fangoria No# 1, Famous Monsters No# 135 and Hanna-Barbera Godzilla puzzle book. Act 1 includes portions of my Godzilla library.

My Godzilla Room Act 1: My 70s and 80s Godzilla Collection (Aurora, Mattel, Marvel, Bandai) with JCPenney TV and Godzilla library

Act 2 features my 90s collection at the height of the Heisei Era. Bandai toys exploded! At the top is the Bandai Oversized Godzilla that I have sought after since 1984. From that time forward I collected every Bandai Godzilla figure and toy I found. My Bandai figures take over the shelfs. The latest figures are hung from a wire grid wall on the door similar to how they are displayed in Japanese toy stores. During the 90s there were great strides made in audio-video technology. Vinyl albums and audio cassette tapes were eclipsed by CDs. 8mm film movies gave way to video tape recorders (VCRs), LaserDiscs and DVDs. They are arranged around my working Toshiba TV-VCR. Besides the TV is my small collection of Godzilla video games. My CDs sit in two CD rackets and my VHS tapes rest in a tower beside my archival drawer unit for my Godzilla paper goods from scripts to stickers.

My Godzilla Room Act 2: My 90s and early 2000s Godzilla Collection (Bandai) with TV VCR, media collection and archival drawers

Act 3 (Millennium Era) is the largest figure display featuring X-Plus figures and sofubi. At the bottom is my oldest surviving media cart for my TV, Laserdisc player and discs, DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes. This display is a work in progress. I’m still imagining how to best show off my figures.

My Godzilla Room Act 3: My Godzilla Collection since 2014 (X-Plus) with new TV, media center and chair

Act 4 (Reiwa Era) is my Godzilla Store. My latest Godzilla collectibles are stowed in two sets of cubes inspired by the first Godzilla Store in Tokyo. The tops spotlight what I consider centerpieces: my Kaiyodo Shin Godzilla and Mega Sofvi Godzilla 1995. My MONDO Growman Godzilla and Ichiban Kuji Mecha-King Ghidorah reside there for now. To the left of the cubes is a closet full of Godzilla toys. Hanging from the closet door is a sample of Godzilla t-shirts collected over the years.

My Godzilla Room Act 4: My Godzilla Store and featured collectibles (work in progress)

Act 5 is my Godzilla Library which continues below Act 1. The library anchors the room with over 200 Godzilla books awaiting reading and research. This is the functional aspect of my Godzilla room and by far my favorite. I love books but love Godzilla books even more. Everyday I gladly enter my reimagined Godzilla space to retrieve the books I need for the next post on MyKaiju.com.

My Godzilla Room Act 5: My Godzilla Library

Act 6 is a glass curio for featuring and protecting some of my favorite, most fragile and special collectibles: Aurora Godzilla Model Kit, Chogokin MechaGodzilla 1974, Godzilla Battles Tricephalon Monster Play Set, resin statues, CAST figurines, MONDO Godzilla figure collection and more.

My Godzilla Room Act 6: Godzilla Collection Spotlight

The seventh act is when I sit down and reflect on the transformation of my Godzilla room. This process has been arduous back never lacking in satisfaction. It began with drawing inspiration and ideas from fellow collectors and photos of collections and displays. I drew diagrams like Colorforms to help me figure out how to arrange shelves and furniture and what I should display. I drew inspiration from many sources. I wanted to create the enchantment, excitement and awe of my favorite toy stores and shops that I dream about from my childhood (Rocketships and Accessories, Outerlimits) and from my travels (Mandarake, Godzilla-ya, ADMSKI, the Godzilla Store). I love how shopkeepers and Japanese collectors display and organize their collectibles in small spaces. There is so much color and visual interest and no wasted space. I searched Google and Pinterest daily for ideas, best practices and exemplary displays. I stowed these and my ideas in my “Godzilla Room”photo album along with old and new photos of my room. Making my vision come to life, filling, organizing and moving the storage bins seemed never ending as much as exhausting. The figures and boxes on the floor kept piling up. I didn’t think the process would ever end. But now that it is over I can rest and enjoy.

Sample collection spaces that inspired me

Now, with completion of major renovations, I’m focused on the details and refining the displays. Some of these photos are old and don’t show recent progress. I’ve added 3D printed Godzilla logos and toy company logos (Bandai, X-Plus) to help tell my story of each Act. I bought a new chair for watching movies and reading books. I added small LED spotlights on select shelves. Around the room, I’ve placed 3D Godzilla logos, some printed by my friend and others purchased on eBay. Each day is another opportunity for improvement and refinements. I love how things have come together. In the near future, I plan to create museum-like displays for Act 6. I will create museum cards and tabletop posters and wall banners. These displays will spotlight the most valued and valuable items in my collection and theme-based displays (eg, scripts, 1984). I will change them out seasonally. I plan to place small posters behind my TV-VCR to recreate my childhood wall. I will be adding more logos, particularly the logos of my favorite local TV channels. I would love to find and/or free Godzilla cutouts for the floor and tabletop such as a small point-of-sale ad. The room is still a work-in-progress. But now I can enjoy my Godzilla room again! My old and new memories are lined up and in arms reach. The room is a time capsule and little museum of the story of Godzilla and me. I now have a little Godzilla toy history museum that tells my story growing up with Godzilla.