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05/16/2018 08:30 AMNot many people can say that a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle jumpstarted them onto their career path, but that is the case for Joe DeLorenzo of North Haven. A self-proclaimed “toyologist,” Joe, 33, has worked for the past 17 years at almost every Toys “R” Us in the state. His obsession with toys began at an age when it’s the norm: around age five he was looking everywhere for that one specific Ninja Turtle figure he had to have.
“We couldn’t find it anywhere,” he says.
Finally, while on vacation, his family found the coveted Ninja Turtle on the shelf at a toy store.
“My mom bought two, thus corrupting me for all eternity,” says Joe.
From then on, Joe bought two of every toy, keeping one intact in its packaging. He has Ninja Turtles, Hot Wheels, My Little Ponies, Muppets—every toy you can name. Many are eBay purchases; others were sent from a friend in Australia. He has his parents’ toys, which date back to the ’50s: his mom Donna’s robots and his late father Joe Sr.’s Erector Sets and American Flyer Trains.
“My collection of Neopets is arguably the largest in the world,” he says. “Not only do I have everything that was ever released, I have everything in duplicate and triplicate. Every time I saw something, I bought it.”
His grandmother’s Barbie collection reveals that the bug might run in the family.
“We have every Christmas Barbie that’s ever been released and then some,” says Joe, who helps his grandmother Marion, 92, track down dolls. “You’re never too old to play with toys.”
Toys have a rich history in North Haven. It was the home of Alfred Carlton Gilbert, the inventor of the Erector Set. His company, the A.C. Gilbert Company, became one of the largest toy companies in the world. Joe can’t help but covet Gilbert’s historic mansion on Ridge Road.
“That would be a great place to put a toy museum,” he says, but “they want a million and a half, so that’s not going to happen.”
However, Joe’s desire for a toy museum isn’t an idle thought. With Toys “R” Us going out of business this year, he knows he’ll need to find something new. His mom and some of his friends recently started a GoFundMe campaign centered around the idea. Not one to take the spotlight, Joe’s not keen on crowdfunding. However, there’s no doubt his collection is worthy of attention.
“There’s something for everybody,” but, “it’s not on display, I don’t have a space to enjoy what I have,” he admits. “I told people sarcastically, ‘I’m going to open a toy museum’—the more I say it, the more it’s a really good idea. I’d absolutely love to do it.”
Beyond missing his job because “you get to essentially be Santa Claus,” Joe will also miss the charitable events associated with Toys “R” Us. Last Christmas, he helped Angel Sanjurjo at the North Haven Fire Department deliver three truckloads of donated toys to the Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital.
“[Sanjurjo] set the whole thing up,” says Joe, who’s helped out at numerous community functions. “I just showed up with an eight-foot-tall giraffe and made sure that anything Toys ‘R’ Us was donating got sent in their direction. It’s honestly disappointing, because Toys ‘R’ Us won’t be there any more to support all of these great causes.”
Still, Joe finds other ways to give back that will continue after Toys “R” Us has closed its doors. Currently he’s assembling the exhibitor guide for the North Haven Fair. As part of his role on it the fair’s board of directors, he does “anything that’s related to the kids,” including encouraging them to exhibit their work at the fair, where he’s been exhibiting his own work since age two.
Although he’ll still be working with kids, Joe is going to miss helping those kids out who—like him—just had to have that one specific toy.
“That’s the best,” he says, “when you have the toy the kid wants and you can bring it to them, and you know the parents have been looking forever.”
To donate to Joe’s toy museum, visit www.gofundme.com/joes-toy-museum. For more information on A.C. Gilbert’s history in North Haven, visit www.eliwhitney.org.