Tristan Sacrey claims that he hit rock bottom five years ago. He had to relocate with his mother, go through a divorce, and lose his job, and was still trying to deal with the death of his father two years prior. His doctor urged him to find a way to connect with his father. Soon after that, Sacrey’s baby found his youth collection of Scooby-Doo books in the cellar. Soon, the thoughts flooded in. ” It was the deepest, darkest despair of my existence”, he says. ” It was like this light fell over. I was like,’ What’s that over there? Scooby-Doo. ‘” Sacrey remembers going to Blockbuster with his dad, who’d always let him choose a Scooby-Doo movie. One Halloween, his father bought him a mage costume to fit a comfortable wizard Scooby-Doo mannequin. The thoughts led Sacrey to remember their marriage in his Brampton, Ontario, apartment, which contained more than 1, 000 items of clothing emblazoned with the popular Great Dane and his crew. It’s not just about accumulating things, according to collectors like Sacrey, who treasure hunt throughout the state for products to add to their topic collections.
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On Sunday, November 24, 2024, Tristan Sacrey poses with some of the Scooby Doo items he and his companion Brad Flowers have collected at their Brampton, Ontario, home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young.
Their choices are living changing, they say. The beloved items evoke happiness, nostalgia, comfort, entertainment — and most of all, community. In Paris, Ont., Charlotte Bakker’s house has become a sanctuary for thousands of dolls. They sit shoulder-to-shoulder in rocking chairs, on crystal shelves, and inside units. They are methodically arranged in front of enamel tea set and in the driver’s votes of toy cars while dressed up in fancy outfits. Many of them are “reborns” — practical, detailed dolls emulating newborns, with rosy cheeks, bright eye and curly hair. Since her mother gave her one when she was seven years old, Bakker has always loved dolls, but her set first started in 1983 when her husband purchased her one at a local bid. Since then, it’s become” an addiction”, she says, one that people didn’t think. ” If you’re not into it, therefore you don’t understand”, she says, showing off three vivid dolls laying in a child vehicle. Bakker claims that she and her father built a loft for her collection exclusively. She walks carefully around the dolls ‘ floors because the floor is covered in them. ” My father doesn’t wish them all over the place”, she laughs, adding that he accompanies her to different doll shows in Canada and the U. S., helping her offer dolls to other aficionados. As she turns to a display case full of tiny figurines, a huge smiles appears on her face. ” I love it, it makes me feel good, it makes me feel happy”, she says, noting that she mainly loves the puppets ‘ elegance and design. She adds that she’s formed solid connections with many other nearby doll enthusiasts over the years, perhaps inheriting another collectible pieces. Community is one of the main driving forces behind their series, according to Bakker and Sacrey. It might just be David Steckley’s favorite aspect of his 60-year search for more than 5,500 license sheets. Steckley’s rainbows of municipal licence plates — some with rusty sides and others in mint condition — wallpapers the floor of his Acton, Ont., home. Ontario has issued all sorts of sheets over the years with various colors, styles and materials, he explains.
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Tristan Sacrey, straight, and Brad Plants are seen with part of the Scooby Doo product selection that is displayed in a place of their Brampton, Ontario residence on Sunday November 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young.
One of the only 13 license plates made in Ontario, he claims, contains American license plates made during the world war, and one of the first license plates previously issued there. Steckley says he chases panels across the state at standards, swap meets, car sales and on eBay. Buyers in Ontario who are just as enthusiastic about motor vehicle symbols as he is also host an annual meeting there. Trending Then
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” Well, I suppose to a person, they may look at us as fairly … eclectic, unusual or weird”? says Steckley, who’s been tracking down sheets since 1959. Steckley says his love for the interest is demonstrated by his induction into the Hall of Fame of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association next year. ” I get a kick out of it, just because of all the tales and trips and searches and deal-making that one makes to put a selection together “.Meanwhile, Sacrey’s Scooby room, complete with a blue hair floor and bright green and orange color, is a sanctuary for any fan of the film. Shelves filled with Scooby-Doo DVDs, children’s books, themed Barbie dolls and platform-heeled Mystery Machine Crocs line the walls. Scooby-Doo wallets, posters, backpacks and even a fishing rod hang on another wall, while a glass case in the corner displays cups, mugs, bowls and a can of Heinz pasta featuring the cartoon characters. When asked about the most unusual item in the collection, Sacrey poses with a metal piece he purchased the previous week at the Woodstock Toy Expo. It’s a Scooby-Doo car hitch, used to attach a trailer to the back of a car. But of all his items, a one-of-a-kind piece is the most special. It’s a photo of Sacrey’s late father solo riding a Scooby-Doo themed roller-coaster at Canada’s Wonderland in 2003, when Sacrey had been too scared to go on it. His mother found the photo a couple of months ago and for Sacrey, “it felt like closure”. Everyone needs a holding object, the saying goes. For me, I needed to hold on to my dad in a way that wasn’t hurting me”, he says. When I’m having a bad day, I can simply swing the door open and be struck by the best version of myself, like when I’m having a bad day with my dad. ” It’s my childhood on a platter. There is so much joy, so much happiness, so many memories” .Standing between a Scooby-Doo suitcase and a Christmas tree adorned with Mystery Inc., ornaments, Sacrey says the collection changed his life. It sparked a relationship with his partner, Brad, who is also a Scooby-Doo lover. The pair met on a dating app during the COVID-19 pandemic, where Sacrey’s profile photo had shown him wearing a Scooby-Doo-themed mask, which prompted their first messages. ” Brad was like,’ It’s so funny that you’re wearing a mask, because usually they unmask the villains at the end of the show!'” Sacrey laughs, adding that Brad gave him a Scooby-Doo keychain as a gift on their first date. According to Sacrey, their shared enthusiasm for the cartoon fuels their travels, which range from thrift shops to antique malls to toy conventions in Ontario. By displaying the couple’s” Scooby hunts” online and sharing the collection, Sarey has amassed more than 60, 000 TikTok followers. He’s received countless messages from other fans of the franchise, with some even sending packages of Scooby-Doo items from their own childhoods. This is” the most crucial thing I’ll ever do.” At the same time, it hasn’t even started”, says Sacrey.
