Good display tips for toys when you're short on space?

[karrie91]

I have got way too many toys! And want more.. 

But I'm running out of places to display them. What are your creative ways to keep your toys on display without having to force some into storage? Pics appreciated.

I'm a bit overwhelmed! lol. I have about a 9X14 bedroom and it is the home to Marvel Action Figures, My Little Ponies, A huge Pokemon Shrine, Various Dolls, and TY Beanie Babies as well as other neat things I have collected. 

I can't take over the rest of the house, sadly.. my parents would hate it! 

[kaoskat]

Hubby uses these little riser things on his so he can display more than one row.

[NoPonySpecial]

This obviously wouldn't do for certain toys, or if you have animals, but: a wise man once said "The biggest shelf in the house if the floor."

[Taxel]

I literally do not have enough room to display all of my dolls and ponies, but these are the most recent photos of my displays. If you have to keep some stored, you can always rotate your displays. It sucks to have to keep some out of sight, but sometimes you have no choice.

I use boxes (that pieces of my collection were shipped on mostly) as risers. If you want, you can even use them for storage. I know one of mine is holding small plushies. I also use/have used DVDs, books, and totally random items like my boyfriend's joysticks for things like mini risers and keeping unsteady dolls standing. I've even got a pretty kitty (or whatever they're called) perched on top of an unopened lava lamp container. My main suggestion is to use EVERYTHING you can! Reorganize however you need to to use everything you possibly can. Don't let anything you could use for your displays sit around untouched.

These are my displays, although the photos are already a tiny bit outdated. But they're basically the same.
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[Eviecorn]

I was going to suggest risers as well.  There are many tutorials on making some yourself online.

[karrie91]

The riser thing just might work!!!! I'm going to do some reorganizing tonight and hopefully I can fish out some risers. If anything, I could use my book collection. That would look pretty interesting! 

[goddessofpeep]

I am crazy short on space, and I have 2 massive collections, and several smaller ones.  I must have well over 1000 ponies.  I had close to that last time I counted - in 2001, and G3s hadn't even come out yet.  I live in a 1500 square foot house with no basement and very few walls that can accommodate shelves.  Space is a real premium over here.

90% of my collection is in storage at this time which stinks.  I do rotate sometimes.  I have been "going up" to get more ponies out.  Risers can help, but you can also start putting things on top of other things.  An example:  I have a large shelf on my desk.  It became full and cluttered with stuff.  I had a small display case with 3 glass shelves I had been using for my collection ponies, but I wasn't using since we moved to this house and I got a REAL display case.  I put that on top of the shelf, so now my collection is going up the wall but still looks nice.  Also, if you have large pieces, the top of a bookcase is a good(if your ceiling is high enough).  That's where my large playsets tend to be.  Playsets take up a lot of real estate, so putting them on top of things is a good way to display them without using up all your prime shelf space on one item.  Also, some playsets can be used as a sort of shelf for ponies.  The G3 pop up castle is GREAT for that, as is the new G4 castle.

You can get some wall shelves and put them up in whatever wall space you have left.  You can get creative with the tops of bookshelves.  Decorate the top of other items in your room(on top of your stereo or TV) with parts of your collections.  You can also start to hang things from the ceiling.  I saw a really nice display of Windy/Summer Wing ponies hung from the ceiling once.  They used clear fishing wire so it looked like they were flying.  It would work with flutters and pegasus ponies too.  There are also hanging baskets you can buy that might work for some items. You can get some magnetic strips and stick the older G3s(the ones with magnets) up the walls, and maybe even hang them from off the ceiling.  I used to have some of my G3s stuck to the bedroom fuse box. 

And just remember, any flat surface can display a pony.  Even some MIB ponies can be used as risers for other ponies.  If it's flat and stable, you can put a pony on it.  In fact, using collection pieces as risers does double the duty.  Plain risers may allow you to have several layers of ponies in one shelf, but they take up space too.  It's better to use that space to display other collection items if you can. 

Another trick I use is using the sizes of things to their best advantage.  It's an obvious one, but you can display twice the ponies in the same space if you have two lines of them - adults in the back and babies in the front.  You don't even need risers.  Staggering the ponies so that each pony in front ends up between two in the back(so the heads of the ponies in the front don't block the heads of the ponies in the back) can also help. 

I will say there is one advantage to storing your collection items.  Whenever you go through them, it's like Christmas.  I swear.  I just cleaned out my desk, and I found so much stuff I forgot I had.  It's kind of fun dumping out a bin and finding something that's SUPER COOL, but you forgot you even had.  The downside to this is if you're not organized(I'm not), you might forget what you already have and re-buy it.  It's happened to me more than once, but it is still fun to go through your collection and rediscover all the wonderful things you own.


Here are a few of my displays:

My desk.  My desk actually has a lot of other collections and very few ponies.  That's ok, the entire "guest room" is actually a pony room.  You can see the small display case I put on top of my desk's shelf.

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Next is a wall cabinet that I got at Ikea.  It's attached to the wall so it can float over the futon in the guest/pony room. I use the top for my other main collection(Doctor Who), but you can see how even though I don't have risers, I put small items in front so you can still see the back items.
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I do the same in my main display case as well.  And I put the Ponyville mermaid castle on top.  It makes a nice display topper, and I don't waste a bunch of prime space on something that doesn't display a lot of individual ponies.
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[karrie91]

I did not think it was possible! I just cleared up two entire shelves by using my book collection as risers. It looks so neat to see my dolls and ponies displayed on all my favorite fantasy books! I finally fixed that aching back problem for my Monster High dolls by pulling those sticks off their backs! 

Thanks SO much for the help! I love the 'cluttered' feel to it. I have plenty of room to expand my collection!

I actually do have most of my desk occupied right now. I couldn't try and use it as a work space if I tried.. other than typing on the computer that is. TY beanie baies, tiger figurines, and Marvel Action figures have taken over. Luckily my desk has a shelf unit built into with lots of space! Most likely meant for computer manuals/games etc.. but.. oh well! lol. At least my Betta fish can still see out of their fish tanks!

[Kiwi]

Glad you found some room

I'm not much help, since most of mine is in storage (and split between my parents place and ours). I need more shelves, but they cost - plus we know we're likely to move in the next few years(-ish), and they are easier to move while in tubs (and less shelves to move).

[karrie91]

Okay here's my end results. Before this there were no risers and I had absolutely not an inch to spare on any shelf. But now I've cleared up two whole shelves on my book case and there's nooks and crannies in my displays to add in more stuff.

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[octocorn]

I'm having this problem too! I spent the better part of this morning liberating g4's from their packaging.  So much for being an MIB collector, lol.  Takes up waaaaayyyyyy too much space.

[karrie91]

Yeah keeping this MIB make it so much more difficult to display. I only leave a few things in packages. Mostly if I actually like them better in the box. That goes for my Little Mermaid Dolls and Winx Fairy Dolls and Tangled playset.

ALL of my Marvel figures stay in their boxes. Some of them are 10 inch deluxe figures so.. yeah kind of space heavy. I stack them on top of each other though on top of my desk. There's only room for two rows though.

Also, anything that is on a back card instead of in a box can easily be hung on the wall! If you have the space! I have several action figures from the 90's on a wall by my desk. All Marvel of course! lol

I can only imagine how long it took you to debox all those G4's! After I shop I actually take a breather before opening any because it just knocks the wind out of me!

[Echo_Shell]

This may be irrelevant at this point, but I use old VHS tapes as risers for my transformer figures.  Helps keep them out of storage and besides that they tend to be lighter weight than most alternatives (books) so they're more appropriate for less sturdy forms of shelving (such as tracked adjustable shelves).

[HavACrumpet452]

Use the vertical space up to the ceiling if you can. Two sturdy boxes with a board on top add another shelf to a bookcase and you can keep stacking. If the toys you have on display are light enough you could even use the boxes from some of the toys to hold up a board so they are on display too. Also, if you have two even shelves or a bookshelf almost even with a dresser you can space them apart and span a piece of plywood or a board across them like a bridge.

[karrie91]

I have a shelf like that.. the adjustable one with the track nailed to the wall. I really hope I didn't make it too heavy!