When Liz told me we have the same retro robot toy (also a pencil sharpener) I urged her to let me see her whole collection. It's the stuff of dreams, as you know I'm robot-obsessed and aspire to such greatness in my own home. She also told me a bit about her collection and vintage obsession genesis:
Do you remember that episode of “The Simpsons” where John Waters guest starred? He didn’t play himself – he was the voice of an antiques dealer, who shocked Homer by being gay, drove a rockin’ Cadillac, and gave out cactus candy. In the end, he saved Homer and Bart from a hunting trip gone wrong by using a Japanese Santa Claus robot to scare off angry deer (as you do). Clearly I remember it. That episode made a big impression on me back in ’97 and, as a direct result, I have a wall shelf full of robot toys hanging in my living room.
I do not consider myself a real collector whatsoever. For one thing, none of these are antique or valuable. Also, I am not continually on the lookout for more robots. I don’t give them much thought, actually. I am not knowledgeable on the subject; I just think they look cool. Aesthetically, it doesn’t get much better than toy robots, if you ask me. I’ve picked them up over the years, but many have been received as thoughtful gifts. Two here are actually things I made in a ceramics class and one is secretly a little clock. There is a toy pterodactyl included for no good reason, other than that it is awesome. The shelf itself I picked up at an estate sale for $30, which I could not be happier about. I don’t know what the side pockets are supposed to be for (plants?) but they work great for storing my Morrissey saint candles. If you’re stumped on decorating ideas, I heartedly recommend toy robots and pictures of Morrissey. Both have worked out pretty well for me, I think.I love her Simpsons story, that's one of my, if not my favorite episodes and I didn't even remember that the character was an antiques dealer! I know my blog and not a Simpson's episode resulted in my life as a retro seller but maybe this episode could have planted the most subconscious of seeds? Curious and curiouser! Thank you for sharing your collection Liz!
Tell me your story: I want to see your home, collections, know about your creative life, know about what it's like in your part of world, tell your thrifting adventures, this isn't just my blog, it's yours. Take ownership and please do send me your collection/thrifters around the world/etc. stories. Thanks!
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