It’s a basement that’s really gone to the dogs, and Danielle Meger couldn’t be prouder that it’s hers.
Actually, it’s gone to one dog in particular – the famous cartoon canine Scooby-Doo.
Meger’s Calgary-area basement is filled with Scooby stuff, everything from bed sheets to a bowling ball bearing his image.
“I have Scooby stuff from all around the world,” she said. “A Chinese Scooby magazine, Italian crossword puzzles. One of the craziest things is this original art signed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who are the creators of Scooby-Doo.”
The cartoon first hit the airwaves in 1969 and it was a hit with Meger from the first moment she saw it.
“I had just turned four and I went as Scooby for Halloween,” she said.
Meger still has her mask from her trick-or-treating rounds, which became the foundation for her huge collection of Scooby memorabilia.
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Now she’s hoping it’ll lead to some major recognition.
“I’m going for the world record.”
Meger’s confident she’s got what it takes to beat the previous mark of 1,116 Scooby items, set by a Vancouver woman in 2014.
“It’s good to know that there are other people that collect as much as I do,” Meger said, “because outside, looking in–it’s crazy.”
She’s doing the official count Wednesday to submit to the Guinness World Records office, estimating the total will come in at around 1,800 items.
“It’s really nice to know that everything here went to such a big accomplishment,” Meger said.
She said she has no idea how much it has cost her over the years, adding that she finds most of it in thrift stores, sometimes tipped off by friends who know how serious she is about Scooby-Doo.
“If people see something Scooby, I get texts,” she said. “They’re like, ‘Hey, do you have this?’”
It’s led to memorable finds like the waffle maker that creates Scooby snacks in the shape of his head.
But Meger’s collection also includes items that look great but have their drawbacks, like her Scooby-Doo popcorn maker.
“It looks like Scooby’s barfing out popcorn,” she said with a laugh. “It was a terrible design.”
It may take up to three months before Meger officially finds out if she’s set a new world record.
And if she does, it won’t bring an end to her Scooby shopping.
“Why stop doing something that I love so much? If there’s more Scooby, I’m going to try and find it.”
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