History Main / KitschCollection

Kitsch Collections that can be viewed by the general public probably fit best under MuseumOfTheStrangeAndUnusual. If the collection is specifically of cute things, it may belong to a GlurgeAddict. See also CrackIsCheaper (for when collecting gets expensive).

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}'', Ryan and Esposito interview an old lady, who has a very large, very creepy doll collection, which is made even worse by the fact that all the dolls have names and she refers to them as her "friends". Ryan, who dislikes dolls, spends the entire conversation looking hilariously freaked out.

* People with these kinds of collections (or more sinister variations) occasionally appear as characters on ''Series/ScareTactics''. One notable episode had a particularly deranged doll collector.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Starman}}'': While on one of his buying trips, Jack Knight buys a collection of carnival glass off a creepy old farmer. The farmer says that the collection belonged to his late wife and, since she died, he has taken to every so often shooting a piece of it with his shotgun. Jack leaves wondering exactly ''how'' the wife died.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* In Creator/TennesseeWilliams' ''Theatre/TheGlassMenagerie'', Laura, a young, introverted woman who is shy due to a physical disfigurement, is obsessed with her collection of glass animals.
* In Christopher Durang's parody of ''The Glass Menagerie'', ''For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls'' a character collects glass swizzle sticks.
[[/folder]]

* The massive collections of sci-fi/fantasy and comic-book tie-ins accumulated by the core cast of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' would probably be a male equivalent. It is interesting that when Penny calls Leonard out on his, and he seeks to sell it all off to please her, Sheldon hits back by referring to Penny's own compulsive accumulation of Franchise/CareBears, Franchise/{{MyLittlePon|y}}ies, etc. The capping instance must be Doctor Lorvis,[[note]] A dermatologist with a lot in common with Howard - single and living with his mother[[/note]] who compensates for being single and living with his mother by spending a private practice salary on ''really-high-end'' movie and television tie-ins, filling the whole basement with them to create his Fortress of Solitude.

* The massive collections of sci-fi/fantasy and comic-book tie-ins accumulated by the core cast of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' would probably be a male equivalent. It is interesting that when Penny calls Leonard out on his, and he seeks to sell it all off to please her, Sheldon hits back by referring to Penny's own compulsive accumulation of Franchise/CareBears, [[Franchise/MyLitlePony My Little Ponies]], etc. The capping instance must be Doctor Lorvis,[[note]] A dermatologist with a lot in common with Howard - single and living with his mother[[/note]] who compensates for being single and living with his mother by spending a private practice salary on ''really-high-end'' movie and television tie-ins, filling the whole basement with them to create his Fortress of Solitude.

* Ted from ''Pinball/RedAndTedsRoadShow'' collects souvenirs during their travels across the country. The player can redeem them in Albuquerque for bonus points.
* In ''Pinball/{{Indianapolis 500}}'', collecting Indianapolis Speedway souvenirs not only awards points but also unlocks extra bonuses if other conditions are met.

* In ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', Nervous Broad has a collection of "fancy Santas".
* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Each of the four kids grows up in a household with one.
** John's dad is obsessed with [[strike:clowns]] harlequins. The house is covered with harlequin pictures and, yes, figurines. He was given a restraining order by the cast of Cirque du Soleil. It turns out, though, that this collection was part of a misguided attempt to connect with John [[spoiler:who had been scribbling pictures of harlequins insulting him all over his walls in his sleep thanks to Gamzee cursing him to have nightmares about them]].

** Jade's grandfather's... everything. From mummies to assorted taxidermied creatures, to collections of faded blue salon posters, to globes, to suits of armor, to... [[UpToEleven all sorts of assorted other things]].

Kitsch Collections that can be viewed by the general public probably fit best under MuseumOfTheStrangeAndUnusual. If the collection is specifically of [[TastesLikeDiabetes cute things]], it may belong to a GlurgeAddict. See also CrackIsCheaper (for when collecting gets expensive).

* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'' - Carl has to learn to ''let go of it all'' in order to move on.

* In ''Film/LeProfessionnel'', the protagonist's former colleague at the French secret services has a collection of robot toys.

* In the film ''Film/The40YearOldVirgin'', Andy owns a collection of action figures. He sells them at the end of the movie when he starts to mature.

* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' outright encourages this. There's a gallery feature which players can use to show these off (along with their coding skills, since one can use custom HTML to spiff up their gallery), and the Gallery Spotlight shows off some of the more impressive galleries people have created - though since once has to spend Neopoints in order to increase their gallery's size, many opt for simply keeping their collection(s) in their Safety Deposit Box. Some items [[VendorTrash don't serve much of a purpose]] beyond looking pretty[[note]]either intentionally, or, in some cases, due to having been intended to have some function that was [[DummiedOut removed]] (as with the Glass Paint Brush) or [[{{Vaporware}} never implemented]] (as with everything in the School Supplies category)[[/note]], and some of those are still worth a lot of Neopoints due to their popularity with collectors. Some of the unlockable avatars are unlocked by collecting things, as well.

* Francis has a whole bunch of ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' merchandise in his room in VideoGame/SuperPaperMario.

-->"Of course I'm obsessed! They made me this way! You think I don't know how crazy I sound? Of course I do! THEY PROGRAMMED ME TO KNOW THAT [=TOooo-arrr...=]"

*** "Of course I'm obsessed! They made me this way! You think I don't know how crazy I sound? Of course I do! THEY PROGRAMMED ME TO KNOW THAT [=TOooo-arrr...=]"

*** [[spoiler:In the Alpha universe, Jane's version of Dad collects hard-boiled private-eye memorabilia in a more successful attempt to bond with her.]]

* Many ''Animal Jam'' players have some form of this. The usual collections are the stuffed animals and figurines won from minigames, and player-created paintings (which can only be turned into items [[AllegedlyFreeGame if one pays actual money]], and as such can be quite valuable). Other collections, such as objects that can be clicked to access minigames[[note]]most of which are accessible via other means[[/note]] and special adventures, or [[EvilIsCool Phantom items]], are not unknown either. It's not unusual to meet a player [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou whose den]] contains such a collection - many dens are even entirely dedicated to this.

->''"They’re ornaments mostly! Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them [[TitleDrop a glass menagerie]]!"''

** Miss Flitworth in ''Discworld/ReaperMan'' has a spare room in her farmhouse mostly dedicated to a collection of assorted knickknacks, ranging from fine china to cheaply-made porcelain dogs and everything in between. It's implied they're all souvenirs from her late fiancee.

** Stanley from ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' kept pins, and later became one of the disc's first stamp collectors. This was a frequently used method of calming him down.

If the characters enter the house of an elderly neighbor or relative, they will inevitably find a hundred unblinking, soulless eyes belonging to... [[GlurgeAddict a collection of porcelain unicorns]], a room full of SadClown paintings, or a [[CollectorOfTheStrange much stranger collection]]. Adding to the creepy factor will be the impeccable condition of the display, the sheer craftsmanship of the figures/displays, and the owner's utter devotion and EncyclopaedicKnowledge of every item's history.

This elderly woman (though some men and young people, {{Otaku}} in particular, are depicted as having such collections) will usually create the collection to pass the time and fight the loneliness of a life removed from the joys of family, or as a symptom of oncoming senility. This curious collector will usually see her modest collection grow from a shelf to a bookcase to a TrophyRoom, or even fill her entire ''house'' with this kitsch. The collection is usually harmless, rarely ever becoming as outright creepy as the StalkerShrine, but it can be cause for concern regardless.

The collection itself will be a big source of comfort and {{pride}} for the owner, which makes it [[InterrogationByVandalism a prime target for threats and coercion]]. If a character wants to persuade her to do something, he just threatens the porcelain puppy. If he wants to sweet-talk her, he'll compliment the miniature moose. And of course, if children are about or a statue gets broken, [[BerserkButton things will get much worse]].

Needless to say, this trope is TruthInTelevision. Note that in RealLife, there may be a ValuesDissonance; back in the 1930s, collecting figurines was both a status symbol and a symbol of ''femininity''. The little old lady who has 300 figurines may not be pathetically lonely, she is following a tradition of her childhood.

Kitsch Collections that can be viewed by the general public probably fit best under MuseumOfTheStrangeAndUnusual.

* Many ''Animal Jam'' players have some form of this. The usual collections are the stuffed animals and figurines won from minigames, and player-created paintings (which can only be turned into items [[AllegedlyFreeGame if one pays actual money]], and as such can be quite valuable). Other collections, such as objects one can click to access minigames and special adventures, or all the as [[EvilIsCool Phantom items]], are not unknown either. It's not unusual to meet a player [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou whose den]] contains such a collection - many dens are even entirely dedicated to such things.

* Many ''Animal Jam'' players have some form of this. The usual collections are the stuffed animals and figurines won from minigames, and player-created paintings (which can only be turned into items [[AllegedlyFreeGame if one pays actual money]], and as such can be quite valuable). Other collections, such as objects one can click to access minigames and special adventures, or all the items of some other variety (such as [[EvilIsCool Phantom items]]), are not unknown either. It's not unusual to meet a player whose [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou den]] contains such a collection.

* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' outright encourages this. There's a gallery feature which players can use to show these off (along with their coding skills, since one can use custom HTML to spiff up their gallery), and the Gallery Spotlight shows off some of the more impressive galleries people have created - though since once has to spend Neopoints in order to increase their gallery's size, many opt for simply keeping their collection(s) in their Safety Deposit Box. Some items [[VendorTrash don't serve much of a purpose]] beyond looking pretty[[note]]either intentionally, or, in some cases, due to having been intended to have some function that was [[DummiedOut removed]] (as with the Glass Paint Brush) or [[{{Vaporware}} never implemented]] (as with everything in the School Supplies category)[[note]], and some of those are still worth a lot of Neopoints due to their popularity with collectors. Some of the unlockable avatars are unlocked by collecting things, as well.

* Many ''Animal Jam'' players have some form of this. The usual collections are the stuffed animals and figurines won from minigames, and player-created paintings (which can only be turned into items [[AllegedlyFreeGame if one pays actual money]], and as such can be quite valuable). It's not unusual to meet a player whose [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou den]] contains such a collection.

** Rose's mother collects wizard figurines. Rose is convinced that this is part of their PassiveAggressiveKombat and that she doesn't even like them. [[spoiler:Turns out that she does like wizards or at least her post-Scratch counterpart does.]]
** Dave's brother is obsessed with puppets, and their apartment is filled with ventriloquist dummies, muppet-like stuffed and foam dolls, etc. He even runs a collection of puppet porn sites. However, Bro Strider is such a master of esoteric levels of {{Irony}} that it's impossible to tell whether the line between "being creepily into puppets" and satire of them even exists. Dave pretends to be cool with this. [[spoiler:Dirk, Bro's alpha-universe counterpart, has pretty much the same collection with some [=SB&HJ=] merchandise of Dave's tossed in.]]
** Jade's grandfather's... everything. From mummies to stuffed animals (and monsters), to collections of faded blue salon posters, to globes, to suits of armor, etc., etc.

->''"They’re ornaments mostly! Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie!"''

* In the film ''Film/AboutSchmidt'', Warren Schmidt's wife, Helen, collects little Hummel figurines, to Warren's displeasure. Later in the film Warren visits a museum full of them and has to admit they aren't all so bad. Warren and Helen are both in their late 60s, and Helen is depicted as grandmotherly, though technically not a grandmother.

* In the film ''Film/The40YearOldVirgin'', Andy owns a collection of action figures. He sells them at end of the movie when he starts to mature.

* Sandi of ''Mike Nelson's Death Rat!'' has a living room overly decorated with porcelain clowns and kittens, needlepoint artwork and other assorted baubles. Main character Ponty is most intrigued and confused by the rock-hard loaf of preserved bread decorated with a ribbon, and antagonist Gus Bromstad finds out the hard way that Sandi's knicknacks serve as effective impromptu missiles when he makes the mistake of threatening her.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

'''Jack''' I don't think so; I always viewed it as an upside down "wow"

* "Heartbeat Clocktower," "Girl of the Miniature Garden," and "Judgement of Corruption" all feature the character [[HangingJudge Gallerian Marlon]] (KAITO), also known as The Collector, who... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin collects things]]. Specifically, his greatest pride was a doll that was part of his collection [[spoiler: which he believed to be hisdeceased daughter.]]

* In ''Pinball/{{Indianapolis 500}}'', collecting Indianapolis Speedway souvenirs not only awards points, but also unlocks extra bonuses if other conditions are met.

** A stand-out example is ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'''s Sierra Petrovita, a woman who has the largest collection of Nuka-Cola memorabilia found anywhere post-apocalypse. She'll even give you tour of her "museum."

** Rose's mother collects wizard figurines. Rose is convinced that this is part of their PassiveAggressiveKombat and that she doesn't even like them. [[spoiler:Turns out that she does like wizards, or at least her post-Scratch counterpart does.]]
** Dave's brother is obsessed with puppets, and their apartment is filled with ventriloquist dummies, muppet-like stuffed and foam dolls, etc. He even runs a collection of puppet porn sites. However, Bro Strider is such a master of esoteric levels of {{Irony}} that it's impossible to tell whether the line between "being creepily into puppets" and satire of the them even exists. Dave pretends to be cool with this. [[spoiler:Dirk, Bro's alpha-universe counterpart, has pretty much the same collection with some [=SB&HJ=] merchandise of Dave's tossed in.]]
** Jade's grandfather's... everything. From mummies, to stuffed animals (and monsters), to collections of faded blue salon posters, to globes, to suits of armor, etc., etc.
* ''Webcomic/AngelMoxie'' has Mrs. Merriweather, a cutesy MisplacedKindergartenTeacher who is actually an evil demon who genuinely loves kitsch, in fact Alex beats her when her house is destroyed mid battle and she realised she [[http://www.venisproductions.com/angelmoxie/archives/1/2/123.html no longer has her Precious Moments collection]].

This elderly woman (though some men and young people, {{Otaku}} in particular, are depicted as having such collections) will usually create the collection to pass the time and fight the loneliness of a life removed from the joys of family, or as a symptom of oncoming senility. This [[TheCollectorOfTheStrange curious collector]] will usually see her modest collection grow from a shelf to a bookcase to a TrophyRoom, or even fill her entire ''house'' with this kitsch. The collection is usually harmless, rarely ever becoming as outright creepy as the StalkerShrine, but it can be cause for concern regardless.

Needless to say, this trope is based on RealLife. Note that in RealLife, there may be a ValuesDissonance; back in the 1930s, collecting figurines was both a status symbol and a symbol of ''femininity''. The little old lady who has 300 figurines may not be pathetically lonely, she is following a tradition of her childhood.