Ortrud Kastaun, a 61-year-old woman from Germany, has set a new Guinness record for the world’s largest collection of clown related items.
Orty, as her friends know her, has been collecting clowns for the last 15 years, and has so far amassed 2,053 different clown-related items. She’s had to move to a bigger house that would accommodate all her creepy smiling buddies, and has even opened a small clown museum close to her home, in Essen. But Kastaun hasn’t always been obsessed with clowns; it all started in 1995, when she was a recovering alcoholic going through therapy. “I remember being in therapy one day putting a jigsaw together. The image was of a clown in a jack-in-the-box. Something just clicked. From that I day on I began collecting clowns,” Orty remembers. It was a tough time for her but she credits clown for helping her get passed it.
Photo by Ranald Mackechnie/Guinness World Records
The passionate clown collector admits her friends often ask her if she finds the clowns scary, but she always answers “no” and says she sees them as “absolutely positive characters” that helped her get over her alcoholism. Ortrund says she opened her little museum to allow people to discover her wonderful world of clowns. If you ever want to stop by, all you need to to is schedule a visit. You can find contact details on Orty’s Clown Museum website.
Photo via Orty’s Clownmuseum
Photo via Orty’s Clownmuseum
Photo via Orty’s Clownmuseum
via Laughing Squid
