Anne “Lala” Reed’s plethora of Poohs

Her fascination probably began at age 12 while visiting the Poohsticks Bridge in England’s Ashdown Forest. Today, Anne “Lala” Reed has more than 700 Winnie-the-Pooh collectibles, from picture frames to wallpaper, snow globes to wine glasses.

“How can you look at this face and not be happy?” she asks. “Pooh makes me happy. That’s why I keep him around.”

But 700 items? Seriously? What inspires people to collect anything?

“I think you’re attempting to replace something that’s lost,” says Reed, a cancer survivor. “He was a comfort in childhood. When adulthood kicks in, you want something that’ll take you to a less stressful time.”

• The original Pooh bear she bought from Sears in 1966.

• A doll given to her by a New York Jet when she was pregnant with her son.

• Three sets of Winnie-the-Pooh china.

• The vocational Poohs that symbolize what each of her children once said they wanted to be when they grew up (for example, Fireman Pooh).

• The Pooh with the pink ribbon she got for being a cancer survivor.

Reed’s collection conjures fond and hilarious memories, like the time she and her son, then 7, were browsing a Pooh display at a Disney Store. He put his foot down and boldly said, “Mom, I’m not eating off of dishes with Pooh stains on them anymore!”

Her friends and family have an easy time buying gifts for Reed, who these days limits herself to 15 minutes inside the Disney store. She believes the Winnie-the-Pooh characters—Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Eeyore and Rabbit—are each a symbol of people’s nature in every social circle. “Once you spot their Pooh personality, then their flaws aren’t so overwhelming.”