'I'm a 90s kid with a huge haul, and life feels like Christmas every day'

Samantha Hughes, 34, a nostalgia enthusiast who lives near Birmingham, has turned her passion for pop culture of the Nineties and Noughties into an impressive collection that makes every day feel like "Christmas every day".

With more than 350 games for platforms including PlayStation and Sega Mega Drive and rooms filled with figurines and toys, some from fast food kids' meals, her hoard could be worth upwards of £3,000.

Among her precious items, she owns a Nintendo 64 Pokemon Pikachu Edition console, which she values at about £350.

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Not content with just collectables, Samantha has inked memories onto her skin, boasting 20 tattoos featuring characters such as Lady and the Tramp, the stars of Beauty and the Beast, Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid', and Nurse Joy plus Officer Jenny from Pokemon. Her Instagram followers number almost 13,000, where she is known affectionately as "your nostalgic bestie".

She explained the gaming world can be male dominated, but she wants to continue sharing “super colourful” content and keep the nostalgia alive.

Speaking to PA Real Life, she described the continuous joy her collection brings: "Christmas time is a feeling and it’s like that – you’re in your own nostalgic, fuzzy, cosy bubble," adding, "It’s like Christmas every day... and it’s just what makes me happy. I’m a Nineties kid at heart.”

She added: “Growing up as a kid in the Nineties, everyone had similar interests and we could all bond over the same music, toys and TV programmes.

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"It’s not like today, where kids have a million options. We all went home and had the same five TV channels, we all had the same hobbies and interests, and I think we bonded much more."

Growing up, she loved playing games on her Game Boys, such as The Powerpuff Girls and Sabrina the Animated Series, and she has always been a Disney fan, collecting games and VHS classics.

Samantha's collection exceeds 350 games across various consoles, including PlayStation One and Two, Game Boys, Nintendo Wii, and Sega Mega Drives and Master System.

To avoid duplicates, she keeps a meticulous checklist. "I’ve got all the original Pokemons – red, yellow, blue, gold and silver – and I’ve got a fair few Disneys," she shared.

“I mainly play the Mega Drive and PlayStation One with my Disneys at the minute, so I’ve got all the Mega Drive Disney games except for one – I’ve got Aladdin, Lion King, Mickey Mania, Castle of Illusion, Little Mermaid and Pinocchio.

“Then I have some Cartoon Network-type games, like your old school Powerpuff Girls and Scooby-Doo.”

She added: “The coolest thing I’ve got is an N64 console and it’s the Pikachu one, so when you turn it on, his little cheeks light up and that’s really cute.

“They’re quite expensive now and, boxed, I think they’re something like £350."

The enthusiast's collection includes cherished items from her childhood such as two Furbys, numerous Polly Pockets – including an Addams Family Compact – alongside Pokemon play sets, Sky Dancers, Barbies, a Lizzie McGuire Funko Pop! and a treasured 1997 Together in Paris Anastasia doll.

Her fast-food memorabilia consists of toys from Burger King and McDonald’s kids’ meals, while her other collectables span Super Mario Bros characters to Powerpuff Girls, Mickey Mouse figurines, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, more Funko Pop! Trolls and even figures from Lilo and Stitch.

The Noughties are represented by her Meow-Chi robot, a Robonagi toy and Tiger Electronics' retro-inspired one-player handheld consoles featuring games like Toy Story and Hercules.

Sharing her collecting strategy, Samantha said: "I just try and pick up little bits of everything.

"When me and my partner first moved in together, money was tight, and the older games were cheaper – you could get your older games for a few quid, so we’ve always picked them up."

"In the last three years, I’ve thought, ‘OK, this is a nineties collection now, a nineties/noughties collection, with some pieces from the '80s'."

Samantha said she visits her favourite local retro shop twice weekly and monitors eBay meticulously to continue expanding her eclectic collection, finding games priced between £2 and £50.

She explained how she's turned her second living room into a "retro gaming nineties area" complete with a glitter lava lamp, and she adores the cosy "nostalgic feeling" it gives her.

Luke has contributed with his Halo Action Figures, and he often surprises her with gifts for her collection, like the Polly Pocket Friends Compact snagged in this year’s Black Friday deals.

“(My collection) reminds me of people and times,” she said.

“I lost my nan a few years ago and, when I look at my Furbys, I remember the time I left my Furby in my nan’s boot and it kept talking to her all the way home and she didn’t have a clue what was going on."

She treasures the memories linked to her collectables, adding: "I look at things and you can remember times and people – they bring back memories – and I think there’s something lovely about that."

Samantha started her Instagram journey around seven years ago as "a Disney page", but it has since morphed into a hub for Nineties and Noughties nostalgia, which she is thrilled about.

She has 20 tattoos dedicated to her favourite characters, including Jaq and Gus from Disney’s 1950 film Cinderella, Tom Nook from Animal Crossing and Ursula from Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid.

"It started out as more of a Disney page – I shared photos from my Disney trips," she reminisced.

"I feel like I’ve always been slightly embarrassed to put up the photos of my toys, but one day I just started posting it."

Samantha said the gaming world and “retro toy collecting” can be male dominated and she wishes there were nineties conventions around the UK and more people selling “girly stuff”.

Committed to expanding her assortment while sharing her passion online, Samantha dreams of acquiring an "old school Simpsons arcade machine" one day. Her advice to others is unambiguous: "Just do what makes you happy, buy what makes you happy."

To discover more about her collection journey, one can visit Samantha’s Instagram page by searching @90snostalgiagirl.