SPCHQ A: I'm not a traditional "collectibles" collector. When I go to comic book conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con, I come home with piles of books, comics, little pinbacks, and the occasional t-shirt, not limited edition, expensive, mint-on-card or in-box iterations of action figures. I also rotate pop-cultural (non-print) possessions in and out all the time, selling items on eBay and finding that I don't really miss them when they're gone. Over the years I've become hyper-aware of the problem of possessions and "stuff". While I'd like to say this is because of some sort of Buddhist imperative, it's because I'm just tired of moving shit.
Two pop-cultural possessions I will never part with are related to Berkeley Breathed's Bloom County. During Comdex 1993, a friend had the Opus 'n' Bill Brain Saver screensaver software box signed for me by Breathed. He was only signing empty flat boxes because the software hadn't shipped yet. Delrina Software was later sued by Berkeley Systems (no relation to the cartoonist) for trademark infringement of the famous "Flying Toaster" screensaver, which had been changed to "Death Toasters" in the Opus 'n' Bill package. Subsequent releases of the software included a modified "Censored Toaster Module", with propeller-toasters instead of winged toasters.I'm also the proud parent of a genuine Opus the Penguin telephone, which my Dad found on eBay for me as a surprise. It's in good condition, and I like how Opus just has his flippers crossed over his penguin belly, as if waiting for herring, snugglebunnies, or the arrival of a new Turnip Twaddler. Here's a photo of him on the counter of one of my old apartments (please ignore the coffee stains on the counter).
When IDW Publishing begins releasing the archive collections of the Bloom County strip this fall, I'm sure those will become "treasured" as well.
* This feature is cribbed from the AV Club, AVQ&A, where staffers answer a pop culture related question. Read about their treasured possessions.
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