I am a collector (and a hoarder to some). Growing up, I always loved cute things like Hello Kitty, Care Bears, or My Little Pony, and I always wanted to collect a whole bunch of stuff, but as a kid, I didn’t have my own money. My dad is a minimalist through and through, so even to this day, he doesn’t understand why I love collecting stuff related to the things I love.
As a kid, I had a whole bunch of the big-eyed Ty Beanie Babies. My dad allowed me to pick one out from Safeway every once in a while. I eventually grew out of them, and when I started my first job in high school, it did not take long for me to find something else to start collecting.
I started with Funko Pops. I think I’ve got around 60-70, varying from characters from my favorite movies or animes to Pokemon and Sanrio characters.
Then, I found out about Squishmallows. I had about 3 when Christmas of my senior year came around. My first one was a Valentine’s Day edition corgi named Reginald. I had initially picked up a Valentine’s Day cat, but I decided to read Reginald’s tag. He was a lacrosse captain just like I was, so I had to take him home from me. When Christmas came around, a cousin of mine gifted me a Costco-size My Melody Squishmallow, and something clicked in me that told me I had to have more. Now I’ve got around 50-60 of all varying sizes. I love collecting stuffed animals in general and anything Sanrio-related or Halloween vibes.
Then came enamel pins. I honestly don’t know how this happened, but I think I went to Hot Topic one day and saw some blind box Sanrio pins, and now I’ve got almost 100 pins in total.
Now, on to my latest obsessions. Anyone who knows me knows I adore cats (except naked cats, which creep me out). I especially love my beloved single-brain-celled orange tabby cat, Butters, so when I learned about the Cat Life Series by Sonny Angel, I had to have them.
Unfortunately, I found out about them about two years after they were released, so I had to buy the original nine second-hand, which was not cheap, but I adored them. I’ve got a few others from other series, but I prefer them when they have a clothing item. If not, I crochet little overalls for them, which is tedious.
After going down a Sonny Angel rabbit hole, I discovered Mofusand figures. Mofusand figurines consist of cats dressed in cute little costumes, and when I found out they had a Sanrio collab, I had to get them.
Last but not least, Smiskis. I love those little glow-in-the-dark aliens. Before I got my first one, I had seen them before, but I was not interested. Then, one of my best friends showed me their collections and all the available ones, and I fell in love. Like Sonny Angels, Smiski’s and Mofusand recently came out with “hippers,” the figurines that can be attached to flat surfaces, and it’s the best of both worlds. I can bring them with me, and I love them. Underconsumtion core, who?