#BEDN: Weird Collections

Okay, weird confession time: I have a history of collecting weird things. I’ll start with the not-so-weird, like the pillow (Retro Thomas the Tank thank you very much) that was covered in badges. Anytime I got a badge, and for any reason, it would go directly on to the pillow. This did, of course, limit the ‘pillow’ness of it, but didn’t stop me trying to lay on it occasionally, just to see if they had somehow become more comfortable.
I also very vividly remember collecting Kinder Egg toys in a big Quality Street tub (one of the tall ones, not the weird round ones they have now). I don’t have any memories of eating the Kinder Eggs, nor of getting the toys, just the memory of having them, and choosing a special one to give to any friends who came over. 5 year old me understood that presents are a great way to make sure people want to be your friend. Smart cookie.

When I was a little older, I collected keyrings – an obsession fed by my wonderful Mother. On a Saturday morning, I would go to my ballroom dance lessons (I was as cool then as I am now…) whilst my Mum & Nanna would mooch around the shops. If they saw keyrings in the many charity shops they would frequent, they’d always pick me one up for when I finished. I had a HUGE bundle of keyrings, holding the worlds tiniest diary key. It was amazing.

My weirdest collection, however, started in Primary school. I don’t know how, or why, but I began to collect coloured pencil leads… Whilst every other child my age was storing up on TY babies, I was annihilating pots of pencils for their tips. It became a class obsession to snap the leads and sneak them over to me whilst we read Charlotte’s Web and I would put them all in empty TicTac boxes. I had hundreds of pencil leads. I remember telling someone that I boiled them and used them to make tie-dye. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t work, but it was quick thinking from little me. I eventually stopped when a teacher said to me ‘I know what you’re doing’ (I’m 99% sure she had no idea because, let’s face it, it was ridiculous), and someone else tried to start the same thing. It flopped. I’ve never felt so popular in my life.

My current collection obsession, is those weird door hanger things from hotels that say ‘Shh! I’m sleeping’. I have an amazing one from Disneyland Paris that has Sleepy on it, and some from a variety of chain hotels. I can’t even remember what started this one off, but it’s weirdly enjoyable!

So please, make me feel less bizarre, and share your weird collections below.

Comments

  1. Maybe not a collection but you hoard leaflets and flyers too! I also had a huge keyring collection.

  2. Good post! I’ve always been a collector of things 🙂 I have a few little collections going on at the moment haha
    The only sort of weird one I can remember was when I was little, I started collecting those metal caps from alcohol bottles that I’d find when I was playing out with my friends. I had a carrier bag that I kept in my garden & remember trying to fill it, but one day I went to put some bottlecaps in it and it had disappeared, probably thrown away so that was the end of the collection!

    I used to have a massive collection of figurines, which I also kept in a big Quality Street tin. I had so many different kinds, it was an awesome collection. When I was around 12, I started collecting some little Winnie the Pooh characters dressed as different animals from one of those machines that you put a £1 coin in, twist & a toy comes out. I had so many and I have no idea where they are now. They were adorable!

    http://www.raiin-monkey.blogspot.com

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