Wind-up toys are small, cheap and lots of fun to collect and play with.

As people get older and start having more disposable income, there's often an urge to buy back those things that they loved as children. Today, everything from vintage videogame systems to old lunch boxes are considered highly collectible, and such objects often command high prices in shops and online. But there's at least one kind of classic toy that doesn't require big bucks to start collecting, and that's the wind-up.

Peter Kato is the manager of Toy Tokyo, a New York City toy store offering unique and rare toys, from vinyl figures and wind-ups to anime action figures, at the best possible prices. Here Kato shares his enthusiasm for wind-up toys:

• Small and inexpensive.
  When Kato talks about wind-ups, he's referring to simple wind-up mechanisms that are small enough to fit in your pocket and are priced within the $3 to $5 dollar range. Toy Tokyo currently stocks about ninety different varieties of wind-up.
  
• Fun and simple.
  Many people love windups because they're easy toys to deal with; you just wind them up and let them go, whether that means walking, hopping, rolling, or swimming.
  
• A global industry.
  According to Kato, companies all over the world, from Japan and England to the US, design and manufacture wind-up toys. In Kato's shop, popular designs include pigs, monkeys and skulls.
  
• Loved by all ages.
  The toys have a simple charm that seems to appeal to all ages. Kato sells wind-ups to customers from kindergarten kids all the way up to senior citizens.

For more information about collectible toys and figures, check out the following organizations or websites:

Toy Tokyo
www.toytokyo.com

Ningyoushi
www.ningyoushi.com

Kid Robot
www.kidrobot.com

Cool Japanese Toys
www.cooljapanesetoys.com

The Wound & Wound Toy Co.
www.thewoundandwound.com

Next: Hong Kong Vinyl