A Virtual Tour of Derek's Collection Room!
This article was originally published in March of 2023 on the now defunct Leftover Pizza Patreon page. Enjoy!
Last Summer while I was renovating my new place, I knew that my house wouldn't feel like a home without a dedicated space for my ever growing collection. I call it the "office" which isn't technically untrue (I do a lot of work in this room), but if we're being honest, this is really an adult play room. Adult in the sense that while it's filled with lots of toys and figures, there are no kids allowed!
Anyways, I figured it'd be fun to show you around my little space so you get a sense of where everything Leftover Pizza related is born. It's not big, but it's packed full of fun stuff!
My Personal Blockbuster
First and foremost, I figured that we should talk about the elephant in the room...almost literally. While I collect many things, movies have always been top priority for me. What you see here are my blu-rays, with a modest sprinkling of DVD's and TV box sets. I actually have quite a bit more than what is pictured here, but I only took what I deemed to be 'essential'. You see, movie collecting is and always has been a family activity, so the rest of the movies are currently being kept with my parent's massive collection. This is what happens when you grow up without cable, folks!
It may come as no surprise, but horror movies have been a passion & obsession of mine since I was a kid. My current favorite thing about this movie wall is that I have a dedicated horror blu-ray section. It's marked by an absolutely killer, custom 'horror' sign, in none other than the Goosebumps font.
If we look up to the top of the shelves, you'll notice I have a few masks on display! I love them all but I think the Ghostface bust might be my favorite of the bunch. It's a soft, squishy, foam filled rubber bust that dates back all the way to 1997. I love that he watches over me as I record a podcast or play some retro video games. Speaking of...
Retro Video Game Heaven
While I don't have every video game system out there (not even close, tbh) I do have a good variety to choose from! The best part? They're all hooked up and ready to play at all times! You could literally be playing an 8bit NES game and jump over to PS2 in 10 seconds if you so desired - something I've been wanting to set up for years now. Yes, the wire management behind the shelf is a bit...non-existent, but just ignore that.
All of the video game systems seen here are the consoles I had while growing up. My parents were adamant that I both:
1. kept these in excellent working condition AND
2. didn't trade a console/game in to fund any future purchases.
I couldn't quite understand why at the time but boy, am I grateful that they set those rules in place. I'm sure you're wondering which of these has had the most play, and I think it's probably a tie between the N64 and the PS2, with Mario 64 & Burnout 3 being the most played on each respective system.
Lastly I want to point out that yes, I do also have both a VCR and a Roku hooked up to this old CRT TV. Sometimes I just want to pop a movie in and bask in the cool glow of a twenty-something inch, 25 year old TV rather than a beautiful new 4K panel. It's got the vibes, people!
My Slightly Messy Closets
I suppose I should show you my closets because there are a few cool things in here. They're a little bit messy and not organized as well as they could be, but hey, it's a closet!
My closet is actually broken up into a left and a right side, so I've got these handy little storage shelves jam packed on each side. This is the right side, and as you can see I've got a bunch of VHS tapes sitting on the top! We've got some good stuff here like the Goosebumps tapes, the custom Treehouse of Horror tapes from Valashard Toys N' Tapes, and some random old horror tapes. Much like my DVD's, I have quite a bit more VHS tapes sitting in my parent's basement...one day they'll make it over here. On this side you'll also see my mini-NBA Jam Arcade1UP cabinet, and just a bunch of stuff for packing orders. Stickers, tape, bubble mailers, the works really.
The left side is a little more fun! We've got the mini-Turtles Arcade1Up cab over here, and basically all the retro-games to go along with the aforementioned systems. Plus, a printer, oh boy!
Megadesk
There's not much to talk about here, I'm just very proud of this creation that I've dubbed 'Megadesk'. The goal was to make one uberlong desk that could accommodate two people and boy, I think we nailed it.
This is where I've spent many hours on FaceTime with Grimey, recording episodes for your earholes. It's also where I've spent a good amount of time playing video games, watching YouTube and yes, even filing taxes. Exciting stuff for sure!
Every now and then I'll swap out my "desk toys", but the current lineup features a hip-hop Eric Cartman figure, Handsome Squidward, Gizmo, a tiny Blockbuster scented candle, a rubber neon green skeleton and two tiny Jason Voorhees figures styled to look like old M.U.S.C.L.E. figures.
The Décor
While the rest of the room is lovely, it'd be much less effective if not for the décor! For starters, we need to take a look at the walls. Before moving anything into the room, it was decided that I needed a few new coats of paint to help set the mood. We decided on two light blue walls, two purple walls, and some hot pink in the 'accent areas' to really help things pop. This was easier said than done, because holy hell did it turn out to be a project!
As you can see here, the final touches on the accent wall & door were these neat, bright yellow, vinyl squigglys to really sell that whole 80s/90s aesthetic. My Mom also contributed that custom Rugrats curtain, made from an old bed sheet that was in really excellent condition.
My favorite part of the whole room has got to be the rug. I wanted something that screamed "bowling alley" and after a while of searching for the right pattern, I think we nailed it! No joke, sometimes I just sit and stare at the carpet for a while...the vibes are just that good.
My Little Collectible Case
As our tour winds down, we come to the last "major" piece to this room - my little glass case where I keep a mishmash of my favorite toys & collectibles. I do have it rigged to light up, as to properly showcase my prized possessions, but I couldn't seem to get a good pic with the lights on so...no lights for you!
At the current moment, this case is basically organized chaos. There's no real rhyme or reason to the things on display, and quite frankly I don't see myself changing that anytime soon. I like to think of it as a bit of a game of I Spy, because the longer you look, the more you find! Is that a Halloween Horror Nights exclusive, Killer Klowns Cotton Candy bar you see tucked back there? Yep! And is that a mini Haunted Mansion display tucked behind two monster MEGO figures on the bottom? Sure is!
I think you get the point.
Well, that's going to do it for my collection room/office tour! I hope you had fun getting a little inside look at my favorite space. Now, take some pictures of your room and share them with us, we'd love to see!