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As well as the bear that started it all, a Winnie the Pooh costume is one of Deb’s favourite items. Deb says she learned her lesson after that, and any time she saw something she didn’t have yet, she’d get it there and then just in case she couldn’t find it down the line.
Hopefully the message that I give to people in the book is that when you set your mind to something and you go with it and have fun, who knows where it’s going to take you. Her mom managed to retrieve him thankfully, but Deb jokes her life today would probably be very different had she lost him and moved on to a different soft toy. It has been so such a part of our lives and we've just done things that we wouldn't have done if not for being the collector and being in the book.”He handed him the phone in a paper bag so we think it was probably hot,” Deb laughed. “It was probably stolen merchandise, he just handed him the phone and sped off.” As she got older, like most children, Deb grew out of her teddy bears, but still held on to the eight or so Pooh Bears she had. Before I knew it, I was collecting Winnie the Pooh again, it kind of just happened by accident,” Deb said. It took her nine years to finally get her hands on it but once she did, she also fulfilled her dream of playing Winnie the Pooh at Sears.
As of February this year, her collection stood at a whopping 23,623! But it’s possible she’s got her hands on even more in the months since. Milne’s character was based on a real-life bear who lived in London Zoo, who got there thanks to Canadian soldier Harry Colebourn. Deb says that her collection is constantly growing as about once a month, other collectors who are ready to leave their items behind will pass them on to her. As every item in her collection has to be unique, Deb will go through the things to search for duplicates. Winnie the Pooh is a classic children's character who has become a beloved icon worldwide. Created by author A.A. Milne, the character first appeared in the book "Winnie-the-Pooh" in 1926, and has since appeared in numerous stories, films, TV shows, and other media. Pooh is a friendly, lovable bear who lives in the Hundred Acre Wood along with his friends Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, and Owl. He is known for his love of honey, his simplistic yet wise outlook on life, and his unwavering loyalty to his friends. Winnie the Pooh's stories are timeless classics that have captured the hearts of generations of children and adults alike. The character has become a cultural icon, representing childhood innocence, wonder, and imagination. With his gentle humour and timeless wisdom, Winnie the Pooh continues to inspire and delight people around the world.
Her collecting journey actually began with novelty telephones when she was 22 and married to husband Gary. She managed to find three of the six in the store, and another treasure hunt ensued to find the remaining three.
That same year, Hallmark released a new set of Winnie the Pooh ornaments, and Deb found herself desperate to have them. She told us: “There have been plenty of people along the way that say things like ‘why do you do this? And why do you collect toys? And isn't that too much? And what are you gonna do with these? And you know, isn't this too much money?’ But it wasn’t until six months later when the phone was gone that she suddenly felt like she just HAD to have it. There have been many Pooh costumes over the years, with characters in Disneyland and other places, but it was the 1980s version that had been used in the Sears department store children’s department that she had her heart set on.
About Winnie the Pooh
He was so tattered even when I was little that my mom had to sew a separate fur skin for him, so it’s kind of like a Pooh within a Pooh, but it’s tattered again,” Deb said. I actually had an extra one,” she said. “So, I was able to send it to him and that's how he asked her to marry him. He actually had the ring with the Winnie the Pooh and he gave them both to her.” Deb says one of the questions people ask her most frequently is what’s going to happen to her collection when she’s gone.
On why Pooh is her favourite character, Deb said: “I love the fact that he's just simple, you know he's not the smartest but he's the most loving. He's always going out of his way for his friends, he's just not pretentious and man, I just wish the whole world were like that.” I had a habit of sleeping on him when I was little so he’s kind of squished, and you wouldn’t recognize him without his red shirt on, but I love him and he’s still with us.”
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Deb has been supported in her endeavour by her husband, who often goes hunting around different stores with her to find new items.
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