The Toy Collectors: 'I love taking something home and giving it a second lease of life'
Extensive Chani Picture: Anderson Her Carroll From Says Mallow joanna Great Brings Her Joy Collection
Collector Joanna Carroll’s home has become something of a refuge for troubled toys which — after years of being adored — found themselves destined for the landfill.
The 37-year-old’s Mallow property is heaving with nostalgia as My Little Ponies and dolls stare back from every nook and cranny. Some of her toys date back to the 1950s. They came to her mutilated and disfigured. One doll, by Joanna’s own admission, arrived in “a bag of plastic limbs".
She takes pride of place in Joanna’s collection today following a painstaking restoration process. Joanna refuses to give up on any doll. And she never gave up on herself either. While battling various health conditions and resulting depression, the toys came as a welcome and surreal escape.
“The broken ones nearly appeal to me more,” Joanna confessed. “There might be some sort of meaning in there. I’m not sure. They come to me very battered and bruised, not necessarily something you would pick up. I don’t even see it as recycling. I see it as rescuing. Just because something might seem like it’s past its time doesn’t mean that it isn’t worthy of love.”
Her collection blends old world charm with a modern twist. Japanese Licca-chan fashion dolls and Bratzillaz are also among the eclectic crew.
Dozens of the toys on display are purely ornamental. Others are yet to experience a world beyond their boxes. Ms Carroll, who is a part-time author and a full-time carer for her mother, describes her toys as like “tiny injections of joys” during difficult days.
“I care for my mum who lives two doors down from me. My job is as stressful as any other but you can choose to seize each day and take the positives. I am very much someone who tries to focus on the positives in life instead of dwelling on negativity. You find more beauty in life than way.
"The positive energy can also help the people around you. I suffer from severe depression and am grateful for these injections of happiness. The world is a very dark place but I try not to let it overcome me. For me, these toys are like tiny injections of joy.”
Joanna’s pastime has helped her deal with a range of health issues including fibromyalgia.
“When my illness started, I was having to mourn for the body I no longer had. My collection was comforting to me during these times. This felt like something I could achieve and do even if I didn’t feel great in myself. I would go and take something that others might see as rubbish and bring it back to looking how it should. Sometimes if you are suffering from physical ailments that can affect you mentally as well. Bringing something back to life is a small victory that can really help you in an emotional sense.”
While the Cork woman’s family and friends are supportive of her hobby, online trolls can be cruel.
“I’m blessed that my parents, friends, and husband are super supportive. However, you do get the odd comment from others who say that you’re a hoarder. Some will ask if I am making up for something. They’ll ask me if I did not have a childhood. In reality, my collection isn’t a result of any of these things. I believe that if something makes you happy you should surround yourself with it. It doesn’t meant that you were mistreated in some way. Maybe I just think the dolls are cute.
"Other peoples’ negative opinions shouldn’t have to impact your own happiness. At the end of the day this is my little home. It’s only my husband and I that live and sleep here. Negative opinions can stay outside.”
Joanna’s collection started in her early 20s when she set eyes on a My Little Pony toy in a thrift store in Holland.
“I was living in the Netherlands with my then partner,” she explained. “I picked it up and it made me smile. I love taking something home and giving it a second lease of life. I remember questioning myself when I bought the first one about whether I wanted to open this Pandora’s box but it continued to grow from there. Some of them just needed a bit of shampoo and hot soapy water to look like new again.”
The author, who recently penned a book of short stories titled , said collecting helps her form new connections.
“A lot of my friends I know from online who collect also have ailments. The collecting is really positive because it gives us something other than our illnesses to focus on. We know how much happiness can come from the little things in life.”
Joanna recently reduced her collection after acquiring some 400 My Little Ponies alone. She has yet to do a headcount of her current offering.
“I was collecting all generations of ponies. It became overwhelming because I was rescuing every single one I was seeing. I decided to hold on to the ones from the 80s and 90s because these were the ones that gave me the most joy. I have friends who work with children in need and I made sure they all got ponies. It gives me such joy to know that they will make children happy.”