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Wallace and Gromit fan has 1,000 memorabilia items

Lewis Adams
BBC News, Norfolk
PA Media Part of Mel Harrison's Wallace and Gromit collection piled up on her sofa. It includes a door mat, teddies, books and tea bags.PA Media
These are just some of the items collected by Mel Harrison over the past three decades

A Wallace and Gromit superfan who owns more than 1,000 items of memorabilia said her sprawling collection started with a pen.

Mel Harrison, 43, said she had been "absolutely blown away" by all things Aardman since her childhood.

She admitted losing count of how much money she had spent on her trove, which was first funded by working a paper round as a teenager.

"I have lots of ornaments, I've probably got about 50 different mugs, there's kids' playsets, bubble baths…" said Ms Harrison, who lives in Wormegay, Norfolk.

"I've collected a few of the Gromit Unleashed figures, I have car mats, I found a Wallace and Gromit frisbee the other day.

"There's so much stuff, they seem to be able to put Wallace and Gromit on anything."

PA Media A papier-mâché of Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw in front of a brown fence in a garden. Wallace is wearing Union Jack trousers as his arms raised while holding medals. Gromit is holding an Olympic torch and Feathers McGraw is holding a yellow remote control.PA Media
Other people living in Wormesgay are fully aware of Ms Harrison's passion thanks to her efforts in a scarecrow competition in 2022
PA Media A dated photograph of Ms Harrison's bedroom as a child. It is covered with posters, teddy bears and all sorts of other Wallace and Gromit memorabilia.PA Media
Ms Harrison's childhood bedroom was dedicated to the hit Aardman series

Ms Harrison, who stores the items in both the loft and a room in her home, said her love affair with the series began when she was a child, with her first memory being the short film A Grand Day Out.

Her most prized possession was a signed poster from the franchise's creator Nick Park, which she received as a 16th birthday present.

Ms Harrison said the character she loved most was Gromit, even naming her pet spaniel, who died in November 2023, after Wallace's trusted best friend.

"I always wanted a dog called Gromit and I finally got my spaniel, who I lost a year ago, and the expressions on him and Gromit matched," she added.

'Blows me away'

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won in two categories at the Bafta Film Awards 2025 this month – animated film, and children's and family film.

The feature-length film ranked second in the Christmas overnight rankings, attracting 9.4m viewers to BBC One.

PA Media Mel Harrison wearing a hat and coat while standing with her dog in a wooded area. Her dog is a white and black spaniel and has its tongue hanging out.PA Media
There was only ever going to be one name for Ms Harrison's pet spaniel, Gromit

"It wasn't surprising at all, I'm just really pleased that they got the credit they deserved," she said.

"With the animation, it just blows me away how they do it all; it's just amazing and it's the humour – the humour is a big thing for me.

"You can watch the film 10 times or even 100 times and see something different every single time."

She added she would "absolutely love to meet Nick Park for cheese and crackers some day".

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