What do Lucy Liu, George Takei and Bruce Lee all have in common? Jason Nou can proudly say he owns them, or at least their tiny replicas, which are all part of his growing collection of Asian American action figures.
The 24-year-old Cambodian American came up with the creative concept last year as a way to commemorate Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the media.
As a die-hard film buff and supporter of all things Asian American, the San Mateo resident initially collected photos of actors online as well as posters and DVDs, but felt the need for something more substantial and unique.
“When I was growing up, I had action figures like G.I. Joe and was disappointed that there was nothing out there that really represented me or that I could relate to — they were all white male figures,” Nou said. “Now to see Asian action figures out there, it’s great. It’s the acknowledgment of our existence in a tangible form that makes collecting API figures a real passion for me.”
His collection of 14 — kept in pristine condition and displayed in their original packaging in his home — is still growing and includes film actresses Kelly Hu (as Cassandra in The Scorpion King), Devon Aoki (as Miho in Sin City) and Lucy Liu (as Alex in Charlie’s Angels); television stars Daniel Dae Kim (as Jin in Lost), Yun Jin Kim (as Sun in Lost) and George Takei (as Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu); athletes like Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners; and even cartoon characters like Gi from Captain Planet and X-Men’s Jubilee. His latest addition is Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang on Smallville.
Nou’s favorite in his collection is the G.I. Joe 442nd Infantry Nisei Soldier, released by Hasbro in 1998.
“This really represents an understanding and appreciation of Asian Americans in the U.S. and their contributions during World War II,” Nou said.
The most elusive figure for Nou to find was Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon: It took three attempts on eBay to secure Lee in his collection.
“The first two times I got outbid! So by the third time, I knew I could not walk away from the computer,” recalled Nou, who acquired his entire collection through eBay. “I spent the last hour counting down the seconds until the end of the auction.”
Currently he is tracking down the not-yet-released Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura from Heroes, and he hopes to one day add to his collection Amy from Futurama, the Dallas Cowboys’ Dat Nguyen, Dustin Nguyen from 21 Jump Street and even reporter Connie Chung, all of which Nou said have not been made.
“My goal is to collect as many figures as I can for as long as I can,” Nou said. “And one day I’d like to share my collection with the public by having it on display in a venue such as the Asian Art Museum.”