Finding Godzilla

Chris Wong-Swenson, 32, of Honolulu grew up watching "Godzilla" movies on VHS tapes and still has the foot-tall Godzilla toy his mom bought for him when he was in preschool, and which he insisted on bringing to bed with him every night.

Now he’s buying Godzilla toys for his own boys, Grayson, 4, and Oliver, 2.

"I used to collect a long time ago," he said. "Now I’m just collecting for my boys, who got hooked on my Godzilla craze."

With the latest "Godzilla" reboot — a $160 million blockbuster partially shot in Hawaii — opening Friday in movie theaters, fans of the city-smashing, fire-spewing kaiju are eager to add to their collections of action figures and other monster merchandise.

Wong-Swenson’s sons already have two Atomic Roar Godzilla action figures by Bandai along with a Chibi minipack, a plush Godzilla and figures of all its rival monsters.

To complete his collection, Wong-Swenson said he is looking for the 43-inch poseable action figure by Jakks Pacific, complete with swinging tail and hinged jaw, that is available online.

Gecko Books & Comics in Kaimuki carries several Godzilla items, including a 21-inch vinyl action figure with movable arms and tail.

"Kids love him because he’s big and clumsy," said shop owner Ted Mays. "He’s clumsy and doesn’t have to answer for it."

In anticipation of the movie, Legendary Comics issued a graphic novel prequel titled "Godzilla: Awakening" to appeal to collectors. But even when there’s no film tie-in to spur interest, Godzilla has regular fans who come in to Gecko Books monthly to buy the latest "Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth" comic book put out by IDW Publishing. Mays said it usually sells out at his store, and at Collector Maniacs, another shop in Kaimuki.

Other Godzilla merchandise available in stores and online includes the original vinyl action figure that came out in 1954, the year Ishiro Honda’s classic "Godzilla" movie debuted. There’s even a Millennium Godzilla with red-tinged scales that was issued in 2000.

Glen’s Collectibles in Waikiki has a remote-controlled Godzilla figure available for $250, according to owner Glen Dymally.

"I had a Baby Godzilla and a Godzilla lighter, all gone," Dymally said. "They go really quick. The Japanese like American toys and the Americans like the Japan toys."

So what is it about the king of monsters that’s just so appealing?

"I guess I grew up with him," said Wong-Swenson, a restaurant equipment distributor. "In the first movie, he was a bad guy, but later on they made him a good guy. He’s a hero who was, in a way, protecting Japan against these space aliens. Now I see him as more of an icon of how we should respect nature."

Theodore Lee, 45, an industrial artist in Honolulu, is a big fan and collector who sculpted his own Godzilla kits, which were sold in Japan in the early 2000s.

He recalled that as a kid, his grandfather took him to Holiday Mart (now Don Quijote) to buy a Japanese Bullmark vinyl Godzilla, which he still has.

He said he enjoyed the ’70s-era Godzilla and the 1991 version, which he said looks like a dog.

"They were expensive at the time, so that’s why I decided to sculpt my own," he said. "If they don’t come out with something, I probably might sculpt (another) one."