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Child Collectors

Beatrice’s bookshelf displays her collection of Magic Mixies. photo courtesy of her mother

By Shirley M. Mueller, M.D.

Beatrice

Beatrice’s bookshelf displays her collection of Magic Mixies. photo courtesy of her mother
Beatrice’s bookshelf displays her collection of Magic Mixies. photo courtesy of her mother

Beatrice is seven years old and in first grade (she also takes advanced courses with older children throughout the day.) Though her name may sound old-fashioned, it is making a comeback and Beatrice herself is anything but conventional. She excels in her schoolwork, takes piano lessons, and is an excellent artist. She also collects objects, not just anything, but specifically Magic Mixies. These are kits that enable children to learn magic as they blend ingredients. Each Mixie is different, with unrelated elemental powers. For example, one changes color when water is added; another opens its eyes when a magnet is nearby. And yet, a third can create a new furry friend.

The collector, Beatrice, lovingly displays her collection proudly as well. In fact, when the family built a new bookshelf for Beatrice, she said to her mother, “Mommy, this shelf is for collecting.”

Children Who Collect

The reported incidence of children who collect varies from 30 and 40 percent to perhaps 80 percent. Part of this disparity is that the literature in this area is sparse. We do know, however, that natural items are commonly collected (possibly related to a lack of financial resources) and that there is a difference in what the two genders collect. Girls are more likely attracted to visually appealing items and boys to objects connected to war or sports.

Psychologists have noted that collecting behavior in children often begins around 6 to 8 years of age. This correlates with the time children begin developing executive skills and a sense of control over their surroundings. Developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget (1896-1980), even designated collecting as belonging to a ‘concrete operational stage’ in children. This is when they begin to understand logic and use it in reasoning regarding objects in their surroundings and experiences.

Children’s Motivations to Collect

The instigating factors for children to collect include escaping boredom and reality, curiosity about their collectibles, and learning more about them. Other reasons include fulfilling a passion for the objects they desire, wanting to distinguish themselves from others, and expanding their social world by possessing objects they collect. Often, more than one motivation was revealed in surveys. And some children had more than one collection.

In one examination, parents were mentioned three times as frequently as friends and family when examining the child’s wish to collect. Grandparents were also cited. In Beker and Gentry’s paper, Kids as Collectors: A Phenomenological Study of First and Fifth Graders, Tony, one of the fifth graders, told one of the interviewers he started his collection of sports cards because:

“My Grandpa had some cards and I just started to like them, and I just kept adding them and adding them to my collection … ‘cause I saw them at his house and then I started to collect them.”

John Lennon was a child collector too. Interestingly enough, a relative, Stanley Parkes, gave John a classic stamp album when he was 10 years old. This started Lennon on his childhood philatelist collecting journey, his first passion, well before he developed his second, that of a singer-songwriter.

Front cover of Lennon Mercury stamp album and Lennon album p 34-35John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album—including 565 stamps on more than 150 pages—was on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum from September 2018 to September 2019.
Front cover of Lennon Mercury stamp album and Lennon album p 34-35 John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album—including 565 stamps on more than 150 pages—was on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum from September 2018 to September 2019.

Front cover of Lennon Mercury stamp album and Lennon album p 34-35 John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album—including 565 stamps on more than 150 pages—was on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum from September 2018 to September 2019.

Summary

It is clear the urge to collect begins early in life. Not only that but there may also be more child collectors than adults. Though information overall about child collectors is anything but complete at this point, child collectors appear to have many of the same motives as adults.
FYI, there is a YouTube channel for Magic Mixies named “MooseTube Squad” here: https://www.youtube.com/@MooseTubeSquad.

References

Lekies, Kristi S., and Thomas H. Beery (2013). “Everyone Needs a Rock: Collecting Items from Nature in Childhood.” Children, Youth and Environments 23(3): 66-88. Retrieved [date] from http://www.jstor. org/action/showPublication?journalCode=chilyoutenvi. Stacey Menzel Baker and James W. Gentry (1996), “Kids As Collectors: a Phenomenological Study of First and Fifth Graders,” in NA – Advances in Consumer Research Volume 23, eds. Kim P. Corfman and John G. Lynch Jr., Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 132-137.

 


Shirley M. Mueller, M.D., is known for her expertise in Chinese export porcelain and neuroscience. Her unique knowledge in these two areas motivated her to explore the neuropsychological aspects of collecting, both to help herself and others as well. This guided her to write her landmark book, Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play. In it, she uses the new field of neuropsychology to explain the often-enigmatic behavior of collectors. Shirley is also a well-known speaker. She has shared her insights in London, Paris, Shanghai, and other major cities worldwide as well as across the United States. In these lectures, she blends art and science to unravel the mysteries of the collector’s mind.