Interview with Paterphobia

 Interview with a Collector - A ggsdolls blog Series

A monthly series on my blog where I feature some of the most amazing collectors, sellers, and content creators that have become really good friends of mine and what they collect and why? Read on to learn more...

    For the month of April, my blog interview is with a lovely toy collector of squeaks and Rushtons, paterphobia on Instagram, also known as Lana!

Lana, was born in the Pacific North West of the United States, and is nearly 29 years old. What do you do for a living Lana? I work as a Mental Health Counselor! I love my job. It's very rewarding.

Tell us more about your collection? I've always been into vintage items and in college I started going to antique stores and browsing eBay. This was back before they were very well-known and prices were so reasonable that I was able to grow my collection rather quickly! I eventually branched out into everything from vintage nursery planters to clothing. One of my favorite non-toy collections is my vintage t-shirt collection. Mostly band tees and rare TV and film collectibles. 

The toys' little faces always put a smile on my face. It's so fun to have so many colorful, bright, expressive little faces in my house! I also really enjoy the restoration aspect of toy collecting and it's so satisfying seeing a toy go from "well-loved" back to fluffy and fresh looking. The process is super fun too.

I started following some "creepy cute" accounts on Tumblr way back in the day. There was just something about the toys, the way they are so well made and expressive. I've always been a bit strange, haha! While many found them creepy, I was drawn to them. I started by finding Kewpie dolls at antique stores. I purchased my first Rushtons on eBay over a decade ago now and the rest is history! I'm mostly focused on getting an entire rainbow of toys now. I'm always still on the hunt for more "rare" Rushtons and rubber faced toys.

What has been the reaction of your family, friends and coworkers about your hobby? Everyone is super supportive and I've even received them as gifts! I know some of them secretly find them a bit creepy, but what's not to love about that? Haha!

Which one is your favorite and why? That's a tough one, but I would have to say my "Chiltern" bunny rabbit. He's BIG and in such great condition and I found him for a reasonable price! He's special to me because I haven't seen too many like him. 

I once had a Rushton rubber faced goose! I honestly miss her very much and it's one reason I think I will be keeping more than I sell in the future.

What would be your ISO? Definitely a fluffy orange Rushton fox. Orange is one of the harder colors to find with Rushtons and they always get snatched up before I get a chance to grab them! One of my wish list items for sure. I also just love their big smiling faces.

Have you noticed and increase in popularity? Definitely! I love to see one of my favorite things get so much love, but it's for sure more of a seller's market now. I think a lot of people found out about them through Melanie Martinez and just appreciate how eccentric and unique they are. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? Thank you so much, I am honored to be included. Cheers to toy collecting! - Lana

Thank you so much Lana for sharing your love of vintage toys with us! Be sure to check out my blog interview next month when we meet a dear sweet collector and friend from my Flickr days. All the way from Europe!! Until, next month, Happy Collecting!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls