Oct. 8 (UPI) — A 22-year-old comic book fan from Indiana earned a Guinness World Record for her collection of 2,318 items related to Batman villain the Joker.
Bloomington resident Megan Pierce said she started collecting in middle school, and soon she had amassed items ranging from action figures and comic books to Joker rollerblades, a skateboard and milk caps from 1966.
Piece said she started posting content to social media about her collection during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was encouraged to apply for a Guinness World Record, a process she began in 2023.
Pierce had to measure and document each officially-licensed item, and the process had to be overseen by five expert witnesses.
“I had to provide a description of each item and a photo of everything,” Pierce told the Indiana Daily Student.
She took the record with 2,318 eligible pieces of memorabilia.
She said her hobby has allowed her to make connections with Joker fandom figures including actor Mark Hamill, who voiced the character in several animated and video game projects, as well as other collectors.
Pierce said she ended up forming a close friendship with Angel Young, who collects items related to Harley Quinn, the Joker’s sometimes-accomplice, sometimes-nemesis.
“Interacting with another collector that has such genuine passion for what they collect is one of the best feelings,” Young said. “It’s a sort of bond and understanding that this person gets what you’re doing.”
Young said her collection is always growing, and she isn’t afraid of losing the record.
“It will only inspire me to collect more,” Pierce said. “Go for it.”
