TRAVEL CHANNEL TO PREMIERE NEW ORIGINAL SERIES "TOY HUNTER" ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 AT 10:00 P.M., ET/PT

May The Force Be With Toy Dealer Jordan Hembrough As He Hunts Down The Most Sought After Star Wars Collectibles, Batmans, Barbies And More


Weekly Half-Hour Show Reveals the High Stakes of Toy Dealing


CHEVY CHASE, MD (June 25, 2012) – This is not your ordinary child’s play! Travel Channel reveals the big business of buying and selling toys and collectibles in the new original series “Toy Hunter,” premiering with a special one-hour season opener featuring back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, August 15 at 10:00 p.m., ET/PT (regular time slot at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT beginning Wednesday, August 22). This weekly half-hour series follows acclaimed toy dealer Jordan Hembrough, founder of Hollywood Heroes, a New Jersey-based vintage and modern collectibles company, as he travels across the country hunting for the most sought after pieces. For this toy hunter, poking through cramped attics and rummaging around dirty garages to score vintage items is all in a day’s work!



“Toy Hunter’ takes viewers on the ultimate adventure across America,” said Andy Singer, General Manager, Travel Channel. “Our viewers will not only accompany Jordan on his passionate search for toys, but they will see items from their own childhoods that are sure to make them reminisce. They’ll be amazed at how much these old toys are worth today.”



In each of the eight episodes, Hembrough strategically maneuvers around reluctant sellers, abates budgets and avoids the unforeseen roadblocks as he tracks down the rarest pieces. With many collectible items valued in the thousands of dollars, Hembrough will travel the country on the ultimate toy quest searching for the holy grail items he and his clients yearn for. Some of those rare toys (and the year they hit the shelves) include:



“The Six Million Dollar Man” Venus Space Probe (1977)
GI Joe: “Pimp Daddy” Destro (1997)
Jurassic Park Prototypes (1994)
Luke Skywalker Telescoping Lightsaber (1977)
Care Bears Treat Heart Pig (1982)
Barbie #1 in box (with brunette hair) (1959)


Armed with his encyclopedic knowledge of toy history and savvy skills of negotiation, Hembrough meets with amateur and professional collectors alike. Throughout his travels on the series, he crisscrosses the country encountering a diverse group of enthusiasts including former Kenner toy designers in Ohio, flea market pickers in Ashville, North Carolina and vintage toy store owners in Austin, Texas. Some notable moments include meeting specialized collectors like the Batman collectors in Biloxi, Mississippi, a Spiderman collector in San Francisco, and Los Angeles mask collector and designer/sculptor Jordu Schell (also featured in Travel Channel’s “Making Monsters”). Hembrough also connects with a toy comrade in New Jersey, to sell horror collectibles at the Chiller Theater Expo – the largest horror toy and comic convention in the country.



“Toy Hunter” is produced by Sharp Entertainment for Travel Channel. For Sharp Entertainment, the executive producer is Matt Sharp. The executive producer for Travel Channel is Stone Roberts.



TRAVEL CHANNEL is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, MD, and New York, NY. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.