I had a habit of sleeping on him when I was little so he’s kind of squished, and you wouldn’t recognize him without his red shirt on, but I love him and he’s still with us.” It took her nine years to finally get her hands on it but once she did, she also fulfilled her dream of playing Winnie the Pooh at Sears.

But with more than 23,000 unique items in her collection, Deb had to come up with a good system to catalogue everything. On why Pooh is her favourite character, Deb said: “I love the fact that he's just simple, you know he's not the smartest but he's the most loving. He's always going out of his way for his friends, he's just not pretentious and man, I just wish the whole world were like that.” But when giving them up, they’d much rather pass the stuff on to Deb – someone who will truly appreciate the items, and as she says, “keep their memories safe for them too”. Winnie the Pooh is a classic children's character who has become a beloved icon worldwide. Created by author A.A. Milne, the character first appeared in the book "Winnie-the-Pooh" in 1926, and has since appeared in numerous stories, films, TV shows, and other media. Pooh is a friendly, lovable bear who lives in the Hundred Acre Wood along with his friends Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, and Owl. He is known for his love of honey, his simplistic yet wise outlook on life, and his unwavering loyalty to his friends. Winnie the Pooh's stories are timeless classics that have captured the hearts of generations of children and adults alike. The character has become a cultural icon, representing childhood innocence, wonder, and imagination. With his gentle humour and timeless wisdom, Winnie the Pooh continues to inspire and delight people around the world.

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Deb’s collection has become so much more than just having the items, she says she’s collecting memories. The costume is also Deb’s most valuable item. It was so expensive that even though she’d wanted it for nine years, she took a minute to think it over before realizing she had to go for it. Her collecting journey actually began with novelty telephones when she was 22 and married to husband Gary. It has been so such a part of our lives and we've just done things that we wouldn't have done if not for being the collector and being in the book.” As she got older, like most children, Deb grew out of her teddy bears, but still held on to the eight or so Pooh Bears she had.

Before I knew it, I was collecting Winnie the Pooh again, it kind of just happened by accident,” Deb said. Deb has been supported in her endeavour by her husband, who often goes hunting around different stores with her to find new items. She explained that when she goes to “the big honeypot in the sky” she’ll be donating the entire collection to a museum in Canada to honour the character’s roots.Hopefully the message that I give to people in the book is that when you set your mind to something and you go with it and have fun, who knows where it’s going to take you. As of February this year, her collection stood at a whopping 23,623! But it’s possible she’s got her hands on even more in the months since. As I was going to put my hand into the box he went ‘grr’. And so, I got really scared of what was in the box. He pulled out the plush Winnie the Pooh, and he gave it to me. And, well, the rest is history.” She managed to find three of the six in the store, and another treasure hunt ensued to find the remaining three. That same year, Hallmark released a new set of Winnie the Pooh ornaments, and Deb found herself desperate to have them.