As I type this, I'm putting to bed the August 2007 issue of Toy Shop. (Like the journalistic speak there?) There's a lot of great articles in the upcoming issue, but I'll allude to those in a future newsletter (did you sign up yet?) and on the Toy Shop Web site. One of the articles concentrates on Pirates of the Caribbean collectibles. And since it's Friday and I saw the movie last weekend (man, was that a crowded theater), let's discuss all things Pirates.

Everything was brought together in this last one, and perhaps it won't be the last one. I enjoyed the flick, though some of the scenes were almost laughable. The marriage proposal and Miss Swann rallying the troops made me chuckle. But then again, this is a Disney movie. But now I'm just waiting for collectibles of that darn monkey and the midget pirate. Actually, The Noble Collection has a letter opener featuring the monkey, but I'm sure more are on the way.

I also think someone will do prop replicas of all of the special pieces held by the pirates from around the world — something like the "eight pieces of nine?" These were hardly stately items, but they were important nonetheless. Perhaps a Keith Richards figure holding all of the pieces would do the trick.

And as much as I like the Black Pearl, I would sure like a replica of the Flying Dutchman. Zizzle does some pretty good ship reproductions, but these are not quite the high-end pieces I'm looking for. I think a 2-foot representation would look nice in my living room. And if anyone can make a bathroom toy to replication the swirling sea scene, I'm in.

Now, I'm off to see Shrek the Third, and I still have to see Spider-Man 3 before those other blockbusters come out. I'll have a toy wish list for those, too. And if you have any toy suggestions based on the summer movie lineup, add your comments below.