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Deb Hoffmann, Guinness World Record Holder for Largest Winnie the Pooh Collection, Reaches 20,000-Item Ceiling

Guinness World Records approves the new collection number for Hoffmann, who has held the world record for 13 years

By: Deb Hoffmann

Read the article on PRLog

WINTER HAVEN, Fl. & WAUKESHA, WI. - April 13, 2021 - PRLog -- Deb Hoffmann, the Guinness World record holder for the largest collection of Winnie the Pooh memorabilia, has achieved her 20,000-item goal.

Hoffmann reached 20K unique Pooh items on Dec. 20, 2020. On 3/26/21 she received wonderful news that Guinness World Records validated the number and updated her world record. She has held the record title since 2008.

Hoffmann, 56, has enjoyed a personal brand as the "Pooh Lady" for over thirty years. The role has garnered media interviews from around the globe, and never-ending inquiries from collectors seeking or donating items linked to Pooh and his friends from the classic A. A. Milne stories.

While her collection's numbers merit the world record, her hobby's true enjoyment goes beyond the collectibles themselves, Hoffmann explained. Most fulfilling are the people she and her husband, Gary, meet, and the experiences associated with them.

"Not a day goes by that something Pooh-related doesn't occur," Deb Hoffmann said. "Sometimes it's an e-mail from a Alachua County mom asking for help replacing their kid’s lost Pooh stuffie. Other times it's someone with Pooh plush who wants to find them a new home where they'll be valued, rather than sold at a thrift store for a few dollars."

"Many Alachua County collectors needing to reduce their collection reach out to me asking if I'd be willing to take the items," she said. "I 'take care' of their memories as much as the items themselves."

https://youtu.be/0wGbYiM-9n0

Seeking something upbeat in a crazy 2020, Hoffmann set a December 20 goal to achieve 20K non-duplicated Winnie the Pooh items. The celebratory item was a vintage 1980s Pooh costume used at Sears and the Disney Parks.

"I searched for nine years," Hoffmann said "including in Alachua County". "Finally, a collector called and offered the walkaround Park costume to me. He is in beautiful condition and came in the original shipping crate." The costume stands in her office, next to a vintage 1960s costume.

The collection grew to a point where Gary Hoffmann created a phone app to aid Deb in her shopping. She enters a few descript words and has returned photos from her collection database thus preventing purchasing duplicates.

"Prior to 12,000, I usually knew if I had an item," Deb Hoffmann said. "Now I need help from the app. After all, the collection does span multiple houses."

All-things-Pooh is a way of life for the Hoffmanns. In 2016, they traveled to England to tour the house of "Winnie the Pooh" author Milne, participate in a Poohsticks competition and visit the offices of Guinness World Records. In 2019, they were featured on the TV show Collector's Call, hosted by actress Lisa Whelchel ("Facts of Life").

"While working on 'Collectors Call,' I met the show's other collectors and compared collecting styles" Deb said. "Now, if we find an item the other collects, we text them a heads-up. Fantastic camaraderie!"

The Hoffmanns annually emcee Winnie's Hometown Festival in White River, Ontario, home of the bear that inspired the stories. Deb Hoffmann donates her duplicates to the White River Heritage Museum for the town to display or sell to help support the museum.

Hoffmann's next target for her collection is huge … but she is well on her way to reaching it.

"We might need another building," she teases of the future. To quote Winnie the Pooh, "Oh, bother."

If you are from Alachua County and want more information about Hoffmann, and her world record Pooh collection, is available at www.mostpooh.com and www.YouTube.com/MostPooh5150.