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While Mickey Mouse is the face of the Disney brand, his bow-wearing counterpart Minnie has been around for just as long and is just as important in carrying on Walt Disney's legacy.
Chris Smith, of Williamsport, knows that to be true, and the more than 200 pieces of her Minnie Mouse collection are the proof -- although she knows such a large number of Minnies tends to raise a few eyebrows.
"I'm not sure if I'm a fan or if it's an addiction," Smith said.
Like her partner Mickey, Minnie was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and made her first appearance alongside him in "Steamboat Willie," the first-ever animated film to have synchronized sound and its own musical score. Her iconic red-and-white polka-dot bow and skirt, black stockings, oversized red heels and exaggerated eyelashes have survived the test of time and made her one of Disney's most beloved characters.
It was that red-and-white polka-dot skirt and a passing joke between Smith and her mother that started Smith's Minnie collection. In the early 1990s, Smith's mother was working at a high-end clothing store in Williamsport and would call her if something came in that she thought Smith would like.
One day, her mother called about an interesting item.
"She called me one day and said, 'Chris, you've got to come down and see this,' " Smith said. "She had a skirt set that she thought I would love."
When Smith got to the store, she saw the skirt and sweater were red with white polka dots, but the Minnie Mouse connection didn't click until she tried it on and realized she happened to be wearing red shoes and black stockings that day.
"My mom immediately said, 'You look like Minnie Mouse!' and the joke was born," Smith said. "It became this thing between us that we always laughed about."
Shortly after, Smith and her mother were in the Pocono Mountains for a trip and her mother gave her a Minnie handpuppet -- "Who knows where she found it," Smith said -- which would become the first item in her collection.
"It started as this small, silly thing, and it just kind of ballooned into the collection I have now," she said.
Smith's collection began to grow slowly but steadily after that. At first, it mostly was in the form of gifts from friends and family, although she soon found herself adding to it on her own.
"I've been to Disney World several times, so I was always bringing back things for the collection," she said, from figurines made out of porcelain and gemstone to necklaces, keychains, mugs and more.
A friend who also visited Disney several years ago knew that Smith collected Minnie memorabilia and wanted to get her something from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. However, Smith said, her friend didn't realize that the only way to get into that particular gift shop was at the end of the ride itself.
"She rode it twice just to get off at the gift shop the second time and get me a Pirates of the Caribbean Minnie figurine," Smith said.
The bulk of Smith's collection consists of dozens upon dozens of figurines that depict Minnie in a variety of styles -- from cowgirl to cheerleader, astronaut, bride and everything in between. Some of them are scented or made of crystal, and she always made sure to visit a MacDonald's when they offered Minnie and Mickey Mouse figures in Happy Meals.
The ever-growing collection also includes items like mugs, tablets, bubble blowers, pins, decals, magnets, earrings, glassware, backpacks, tote bags, salt and pepper shakers and planters.
In addition to getting items as gifts, Smith has picked up items at garage sales and on vacation, making sure always to look for a Minnie item to bring home from wherever she's traveling to.
While Smith's collection began with a joke, it's also been part of one or two others. A few years ago, her office had a mouse problem -- with real mice -- and she called a pest control company to take care of it. When someone arrived, however, he was convinced he was called there as a prank.
"He looked at all my Minnies on my desk and the shelves and he honestly thought we had called him there as a joke," Smith said.
Considering how large the collection is, it's hard to pick a favorite, Smith said, but the handpuppet from her mother -- the item that jump-started the collection -- likely would be the one. And although many of the items are ones that can be found easily in stores, she has several unique items as well -- like several Minnie figurines that were made in South Korea and "don't look quite the same as the ones that come from somewhere like Disney World," she said. "There are a few things that are off about them, like her polka dots don't look right or the shape of her is slightly different." "They're probably not allowed to make them look exactly the same because of the copyrighted image, but it's an interesting item to have in my collection."
Smith said that she has started winding down her collection in the last year and has started selling some of the items to give the proceeds to charity. She said that while the collection gives her immense joy, she never realized how large it was getting -- and now she wants to share it with others.