Recently, a parent I know was looking to replace a blanket from her son’s childhood. Growing up in the 90s, her son was a huge fan of Toy Story. On his bed for years was a cuddly throw blanket featuring Buzz, Woody, and the gang from Andy’s room. She had thrown the blanket out or lost it years ago, but her son was moving into his first home, and she wanted something to remind him of those days.
Who knew character blankets, sheets, comforters, and bedspreads from the 1990s and 1980s would be collectible today? But they are, and it can make it hard to find one if you’re looking to replace a lost or ruined “lovey.” When adults collect items from their childhood, it’s about recapturing a bit of the days when a soft blanket and a favorite toy were all you needed to fix a bad day. Whether featuring Matchbox cars, Snoopy and friends, or Strawberry Shortcake, bed linens and accessories can bring us back to those days.
FINDING A THEME
Many parents decorated their children’s nursery spaces with cute duckies or puffy clouds and rainbows, but sooner or later, the kids wanted to ditch the baby stuff. Rather than have plain sheets or a generic theme like sports, sheets with characters from their favorite shows resonated with kids. In the first Toy Story movie, the cowboy doll Woody becomes concerned that a new toy, a space toy, would replace him. At one point, Andy’s beloved Woody bedspread is replaced by one featuring Buzz Lightyear, who is now in Woody’s former spot on the bed.
Movie merchandise, especially from Disney movies, Pixar features, and other programming aimed at kids, is popular, but there are different types. Character sheets that feature superheroes, toy lines, and comic strip characters are also popular.
There’s no shortage of fans and collectors of Peanuts merchandise; linens and other bedroom décor are a big part of it. As a college student in the mid-1980s, almost every room in my dorm had some kind of theme. Muppets, rainbows, and other characters were common, but Snoopy and friends seemed to be the most popular.
My sheets were travel-themed, with Charlie Brown and his crew going on road trips to “See America First,” and I had all the pieces. Being away from home for the first time can be difficult, so why not have some friends along? There would be time later in life to hone my tastes in Laura Ashley fabrics and matching duvets, but for my first year in the dorm, it was all about the Peanuts gang. The sheets weren’t expensive; I remember paying maybe $15-20 for the set, but a pillowcase can cost more than that today.
HOLDING ON TO A HERO
Superhero fans and collectors come in all age groups, and having a coordinated set of sheets and pillows featuring the Super Friends was a great way to match a kid’s interests to their room. Even once they are older, the familiarity of sheets and blankets with Superman and Wonder Woman adds a whimsical touch and the comfort of a childhood memory.
Chances are, if a kid was interested in superheroes and comic book characters growing up, the interest is still there. Who says you can’t have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sheets in your 30s? Sometimes, you need to change it up a little from damask and floral patterns, right?
FINDING YOUR FAVORITES
If you need to find a particular pattern or character, this website can help. It lists patterns for thousands of different characters, movies, and shows. There is even a set manufactured by Cannon featuring the work of legendary New Yorker cartoonist George Booth. Poking fun at the sport of jogging for fitness, it’s the only example of his work that appeared on bed linens.
Some of the older linens from the 1950s and 1960s are harder to find since they aren’t usually specific to certain characters or shows. General categories like sports are available, and in the mid-century period of post-WW2 prosperity, themes for children’s rooms manufacturers often sold sets along stereotypical gender roles, with pinks and florals for girls and sports and rocket ships for boys. As late as the 1970s, even the ads for bedding sets sorted them into options for boys and girls.
REUSING AND RECYCLING
Many who seek out vintage character sheets do so for the fabric. People create a variety of projects from sheets, such as curtains, pillow covers, or clothing. If you don’t have a sewing machine or the skills to stitch something up, never fear; vintage sellers often have curtains that the original owner made from flat sheets.
Sheets are a high-use item, making some versions hard to find. Changing the design of a room or moving out of a house means that sometimes sheets and blankets get lost in the shuffle. I came across the set of my college Snoopy sheets while cleaning out a closet and realized I had used them to wrap up some wine glasses. A friend donated some of her children’s sheets and blankets to an animal shelter, but the next day she had to rush back to retrieve a blanket that her college kid wanted as a reminder of home.
Thrift stores often have many blankets, bedspreads, and sheets since reducing textile waste is a sustainable initiative for many organizations. If you’re thrifting or hitting the yard sales on the weekend, you could easily come across a set of sheets or an old blanket that makes you long for sleeping late and watching Saturday morning cartoons. Pickers and resellers often find popular themes and movies for their inventory. Check out our PriceGuide to see which themes and characters are in high demand, and who knows, maybe that Buzz Lightyear blanket rolled up in the closet is a hot collectible.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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