A Tale of Two Toys: Why I’m a Toy Collector

For my GenX friends… I’m feeling a little Sophia: Picture it, Florida, November 1992. It’s the week of the Bush/Clinton election. The week of my 13th birthday. The week I lost my only elderly family member, my great aunt Lee.

My 7th Birthday

I’m going to rewind a little first, though. It was November 1986. My 7th birthday. The day I lost my first tooth eating a slice of pizza at my birthday party. I wore a cute pink dress, a fun short-sleeve, button-down, oversized shirt, and my plastic charm necklace. The paper plates, cups, party hats, and napkins were all Jem themed. I just loved everything Jem.

So shortly after this, my great aunt Lee kept nagging me to give her a doll of mine to keep at her condo, about a 10 minute drive from our house. I’m not quite sure why she wanted one – To give me something to play with when I was at her place maybe? As a decoration? Who knows! But for whatever reason, I gave her one of my Jem dolls. It sat in her living room on a small table between her television and a large chair.

My 13th Birthday

So back to the week of my 13th birthday. Specifically, election day. Tuesday, November 3rd, 1992. My mom tried contacting Lee all day, but she didn’t answer her phone. We went to her house (had to break in) and found her alive, but unconscious. We called an ambulance, they got her, and she died a day or two later (cerebral hemorrhage). There’s a very long, involved court case here, but to summarize – I was told not to take anything from her house when she died. But I didn’t listen. I took a jar I had decorated for her, I filled it with some of her jewelry. I grabbed some vintage fabrics (she worked in the textile industry in NYC in her younger days). I grabbed a very old pair of silver pinking shears. A gold and pearl Star of David she got in Israel. And, of course, I grabbed my Jem doll.

That week was my 13th birthday, and I was really into trolls back then. They were super popular! The only gift I recall receiving was an off-brand plush troll with green hair and a cute dress.

I’ve been an avid collector of many things for decades now, but recently, I had the urge to buy more Jem items (which are wildly expensive). So then I thought about the two items: the Jem doll and the plush troll. And I thought about where they are right now. And both of them are in my office, where I keep my favorite collectibles. Both of them from the first week of November 1992, when I lost a dear family member (my daughter Lydia’s name was inspired by her). My family was struck with tragedy before her death… followed by tragedy after her death. But these two toys, the Jem doll and the plush troll, have been with me since. And they bring me a deep feeling of joy that I cannot articulate fully, but experience very authentically. They are part of why I am a toy collector. They are part of the core that is me.

Toy Collector 2026