So I just bought my first bag-and-header-card figure. I'm very excited. He's a Midnight Mummy Boy. Hooray!

Now here's my question. (Pleasedon'tkillmepleasedon'tkillme) How do you guys open your figures that come in a bag and header card?

With my teeth

Hahah nah, just peel back the staples so you can pull them out. When your done slide the header into the bag for storage and play with your new toy

I love the innocence of this question.

I gently open the staples, toss them and preserve the header card. I really hate it when people rip the staples out of the header cards. haha

Whoops, I was one second late.

what those two said.

please don't rip off the staples.. and for goodness sakes, DO NOT RIP THE BAG!!!

Unless it's a toy from Elegab. Then you need the "Jaws of Life" to pry the staples open.

ain't that the truth!

a few of my headers (staples removed very carefully!!)

A staple remover!

@ living dead...
Oh I want to do that. It's so much neater than having them in a box. Are those the plastic sleeves with three slots in each page? Do you label them some way?

you don't even need to remove the staples.
just take a scissors and cut across the spine of the header to open it.

Also a good idea to throw a little note in the bag along with the header ID'ing the toy. (Unless you can read Japanese). And if you are not into the 'album' thang, it's amazing how many bags'n'headers can fit in a shoebox.

i've fit all of my headers into the box that was sent with the first toy that got me started on this stuff.
andy sent it with a skullwing.

I prefer the grab and pull approach. One hand grips header firmly so it gets nice and bent, the other on the toy in bag, and pull. My girlfriend started to do this once and I almost died.

Yes, I have a few of the three slot photo albums I picked up over here. I think my memory is pretty good when it comes to headers. I don't put notes on any of them.
I love the headers almost as much as the vinyl in some cases. I did say almost! VINYL RULES

Living Dead, do you keep the bags?

I'm starting to think that's my problem. The bags seem to fill up space quickly. I keep all my headers and bags in a large drawer, but it's practically bursting at this point, and I hardly have the largest collection in this crowd.

I use to, but for the most part I don't.

There are a few shops over here that sell the bags or bags very similar so if I sell a figure I'll just put them in a new bag that is better than the original in my opinion (not all the wear).

i usually just throw the header in the bag, isn't that easier (and cleaner/more arrangeable) to store that way?

I just hold it from the bottom and cut open the bag with scissors. Then I fold the bag over the header card and toss it in a big ziplock (with others) into a giant plastic tub.

Did you sell me your RFSO Smogun a long time ago? I've been wondering who the heck cut the bag open.

Nope wasn't me. Never owned a Smogun.

So someone else cuts the bags too, weird. The smogun was one of my first toys so I almost started cutting bags myself then talked myself out of it.

so if a figure doesn't come with its original bag and staples is it still desirable to you collector kids?

If it results in the figure costing me less, I'd forego a header on most days. There are a few gems, but a lot are boring or used over and over by the company such that I have multiples already, and don't really need another which does nothing more than identify which figure it goes to. I hate when (older) figures I want pop up on YJA still bagged because I know they will cost me so much more, when I am gonna open it anyhow and toss the header in a box.

I've always been of the "Toys are made to be opened and played with" mindset.

Ditto on this I'm after the toy not a plastic bag and header. There are a few notable exceptions with header card art, but as long as the figure is not scuffed up I'm not a stickler. That said it is fun to tear into a fresh toy that's never been opened though!