People love to say that celebrities are just like us, but you have to admit that you have never been tempted to collect taxidermied animals, McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, or– brace yourself– coat hangers.
Read on to find out which celebrities hoard these and other unusual items, and take a moment to consider which unusual items you might develop a penchant for, if you had as much disposable income as these A-listers.
1. Amanda Seyfried’s Taxidermy Collection
Taxidermy goes hand in hand with hunting lodges and stuffy restaurants filled with elderly gentleman, not a beautiful actress living in a luxurious home in the Catskills.
Amanda Seyfried confessed her fascination with taxidermy during an appearance on Conan, saying that she saw a taxidermy display in Paris and decided on the spot to develop her own menagerie of stuffed animals. One of her favorite pieces is a miniature horse, but she also has a collection of owls and much more.
2. Rosie O’Donnell’s 2,500 Happy Meal Toys
Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox
Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterAlthough she doesn’t seem to have spoken publicly about her collection recently, Rosie O’Donnell apparently has at least 2,500 toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals, a collection she started in the 1980’s when she was touring the U.S. as a stand-up comedian.
In 1996, McDonald’s sent the actress the entire set of its 101 Dalmatians toys, an enthralling experience for the collector. The last public count of her Happy Meal toys was in 1997, so she could have amassed many more in 22 years. She also collects other vintage and unusual toys.
3. Demi Moore’s (Creepy, Probably Haunted) Doll Collection
Demi Moore collects antique dolls, having approximately 2,000 in her home. She has the collection insured, too– at the cost of $2 million, according to Radar Online.
Supposedly she kept some in the bedroom she shared with ex-husband Ashton Kutcher, who told Conan O’Brien in 2009 that the dolls really affected the bedroom mood.
4. Tom Hanks’ Typewriter Collection
In 1973, an obstinate typewriter repairman refused to repair Tom Hanks’ plastic typewriter from his childhood, calling it worthless and instead selling him a Hermes 2000 typewriter that began one of the most famous celebrity collections of our time.
Now, the actor has over 100 vintage and rare typewriters, and his collection has changed dramatically over the years as he’s bought and sold them. It’s unsurprising that he collects the machines, considering his secondary career as a writer.
His 2017 book Uncommon Type is a collection of short stories, each of which features a typewriter.
5. Penelope Cruz’s Coat Hanger Collection
Are they used to hang clothes, or are they just displayed in her home? Nobody but Penelope Cruz knows for sure, but she apparently has over 500 different kinds of coat hangers, and none of them are made of wire, according to the celebrity.
6. Reese Witherspoon’s Linen and Embroidery Collection
To be filed under: things that surprise nobody. Reese Witherspoon, an all-around wholesome and angelic actress, reportedly collects antique linen and ornate vintage embroidery, which not only seems totally on-brand, but is just unique enough to pique our interest.
Unfortunately, she hasn’t discussed her collection much publicly, so it’s hard to say how extensive her linen closet actually is.
7. Nicole Kidman’s Coin Collection
Nicole Kidman is a classic collector of coins. Her collection is reportedly focused on Judean coins from the fourth century B.C.E., but more details about it aren’t publicly available. With the $1 million per episode she’s making from HBO’s Big Little Lies, we bet she’s put some of that enormous paycheck into her coin collection.
Celebrities and Their Surprising Collections: Honorable Mentions
It turns out that having a lot of money can lead to some pretty impressive collections.
Angelina Jolie has an extensive knife collection, while Claudia Schiffer collects desiccated insects. Quentin Tarantino, quirky as always, has a board game collection consisting of pop-culture games, and Shaquille O’Neal loves to purchase anything Superman-themed.
Several celebrities adore model trains, including Tom Hanks, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jordan, and Neil Young, while many others have extensive fine art collections, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and Barbra Streisand, who launched an entire tour just to save up for a Modigliani.
Where would you fall on the celebrity collector spectrum– are you more into non-wire coat hangers or vintage typewriters? Let us know what you’d collect if money wasn’t holding you back!
