As part of promotions, major film production houses partner with various brands for their merchandise; toys and collectibles, however, have become more than just marketing gimmicks. Fans from all over the world collect little knick-knacks from their favourite films and are, in all honesty, quite addicted. And that’s exactly what we noticed after we spotted a few celebs going crazy about the Batman collectibles at the screening of The Dark Knight Rises last week. Explore a toy store or grab a happy meal to get Shrek or Hulk — the practice reveals that everyone has a child in them. After Hrs ruffles through drawers and cupboards of film merchandise fans to see what they’ve been collecting...

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Sammir Dattani, actorI agree that a part of us never grows up and I used to collect toys from all these superhero movies. But now, I’m more into accessories, tees and caps; I have caps of Superman and Batman. In fact, I also have Superman boxer shorts. I think toys are an old thing. We all idolise our superheros in our own ways, and this is my way!

Prahlad Kakar, admanI have never collected stuff for myself, but I do it for my kids now. I have been collecting Batman for the last 10 years. I almost have all the characters from all the Batman movies. But if I were to have toys, I would create my own stuff like Mogambo and Gabbar with voice-activated machine. I’m sure Gabbar will be a hit.

Mandira Bedi, TV host and actorI’m a huge Kung Fu Panda fan, but the idea of collecting has never appealed to me. Maybe that’s because when I was young, this whole concept of toys never existed. I was a huge Superman fan and collectibles for that were never easily available, so I had to make good with posters. However, if I had to pick one today, I probably would go for The Joker because I think he was the most wonderful and threatening characters among all Batman movies. I loved the combination of Christian Bale and Heath Ledger.

Shibani Kashyap, singerSuperman is my all-time fave movie and character, but when Star Wars came out, I became the proud owner of the R2-D2 robot. The same clumsy walk, voice, eyes — that toy looked exactly like the robot in the film and said the same weird things. But I found it cute and asked my uncle to send it from the US.

Rohit Roy, actorI have recently got back from a trip to Disneyworld; we were there for my daughter’s birthday and I spent the same amount as my daughter on buying those Disney collectibles. You won’t believe I ride a 1,900cc bike and the key hangs from a Mickey Mouse key chain! Thanks to my daughter, I have a whole Snow White collection. I feel like I’m living my childhood again with my daughter. I have always loved Superman and Spiderman, but if I had to pick a toy, it would be that of The Joker from The Dark Knight. I think it’s that dark element of his character that attracts me more.