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

Guinness World Records approves the new collection figure for Hoffmann, who has held the world record since 2008

By: Deb Hoffmann

Read the article on PRLog

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

Hoffmann reached 20,000 unique Pooh items on Dec. 20, 2020. On March 26^th she received fantastic news that Guinness World Records validated the figure and updated her world record. She has held the record since 2008.

Hoffmann, 56, has enjoyed a personal brand as the "Pooh Lady" for over three decades. The role has gotten media interviews from around the globe, and never-ending inquiries from Pooh-fans seeking or donating memorabilia 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 items themselves, Hoffmann explained. Most fulfilling are the people she and her husband, Gary, meet, and the events 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 Hartsville parent asking for help replacing their kid’s lost Pooh. Other times it's someone with Pooh figurines who wants to find them a new home where they'll be valued, rather than sold at a thrift store for $1.00."

"Many Hartsville collectors needing to downsize 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 collection itself."

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

Seeking something positive in a crazy 2020, Hoffmann set a December 20 goal to find 20,000 different Pooh items. The record-breaking item was a vintage 1980s Pooh costume used at Sears and the Disney Parks.

"I searched for almost a decade," Hoffmann said "including in Hartsville". "Finally, a collector called and offered him to me. He is in fantastic condition and came in the original shipping crate." The costume stands in her office, next to a vintage 1960s costume.

The collection has grown 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 Pooh database thus preventing purchasing duplicates.

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

All-things-Pooh is a way of life for the Hoffmanns. A few years ago, 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!"

Every year The Hoffmanns 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 goal for her collection is lofty … but she is well on her way to accomplishing it.

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

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