Tim's Toy Collection

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-02/03/meet-tim-rowett

Old suitcases overflowing with toys and knick-knacks were meticulously labelled, dated and stacked on top of one another from room to room, floor to ceiling.

whatever its original purpose might have been, and replaced with the task of storing Tim's 25,000 toys, which he's been collecting for over 50 years.

For the last five years Tim has been entertaining a vast and varied audience of millions on YouTube, becoming a perhaps surprising viral success

With more than 28 million views and hundreds of thousands of subscribers, he's certainly no small presence.

 interested in entertaining and educating viewers with his endless collection of toys and gadgets, which often have mathematically or scientifically curious fundamental principles

scientifically-minded collector: "The mechanism is the key thing" he explained, "and some of them are quite remarkable. If a child breaks a toy I often think 'oh wonderful' because it means I can get into it."

"You can either explore the world outside, as people do," he placed a tiny cylindrical metal tube in my hand, "or you can explore the world inside, which is equally meaningful in my mind -- there are still dragons and dangers and treasures on the inside as well as the outside world." He then suggested throwing the cylinder in the air, and it burst into a large magic wand. 

The audience, according to analytics provided by YouTube, is growing

large core of dedicated viewers who regularly engage with the channel and are beginning to form a sort of micro-community. 

Tufnell, N. (2014) Meet Tim, a 71-year-old English eccentric whose toy collection has been charming millions online (wired UK). Available at: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-02/03/meet-tim-rowett (Accessed: 16 November 2015).