Deb Hoffmann

As a child Deb Hoffmann lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She remembers always having had an affinity for Winnie the Pooh receiving her first stuffed plush Pooh when she was two years old. It wasn’t until her twenties when the collection started to take on size.

In 2015 Hoffmann followed a dream of participating in the World Pooh Sticks Championships. Pooh Sticks is based on a story in A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner. The event, run by the Rotary of Oxford Spires, moved to a new location at Cogges Manor Farm in Witney to accommodate the growing number of people participating in the contest. It is a fundraiser for the Rotary with proceeds going to charity.

In 2009 she created a business networking organization called BIG Networking (Business Introduction Group) a non-dues business referral organization.

In 2008 Hoffmann submitted her collection for adjudication to Guinness World Records and on January 17 received her first certificate for a collection totaling 3,891 unique items. The collection consists of items including clothes, jackets, watches, clocks, figurines, dishes, mugs, toys and plush stuffed characters. One plush in particular, a pre-Disney Piglet, was purchased from Victoria Price, the daughter of actor Vincent Price.

Hoffmann always wanted to start her own company with her husband who was a software engineer. In 2000, with the increased use of websites, the Hoffmanns joined their strengths of marketing and technology together and formed TechAnalysts, Inc. a custom software and website design company. They also started a mobile DJ company, A Special Request.

In 1999 Hoffmann ventured to White River, Canada to attend Winnie’s Hometown Festival. White River is the town in which Lt Harry Colebourn purchased a female black bear cub that would go on to become the inspiration for A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories. The Hoffmanns have returned to the festival each year since. When the festival committee learned that Hoffmann was the Guinness World Record holder for Pooh and Friends Memorabilia and that she and Gary owned A Special Request, they asked her to become the emcee of the festival. As continued support to the town "Where It All Began", Hoffmann has donated several Winnie the Pooh items to the White River Heritage Museum.

In 1987 Deb married her college sweetheart, Gary. She many times refers to him as, "the best part of her collecting". Gary has not only supported Deb with her collecting but has also encouraged her and aided in her never ending search for unique items.

Besides the passion for Winnie the Pooh, Hoffmann has always been involved in activities that brought people together. Her first job after graduating from Carroll University (then Carroll College) in 1987 was running the marketing department for an insurance company where she developed programs to help agents locate new customers. After several years she then took that experience and went to work for an advertising agency in Pewaukee, Wisconsin where she honed her ability to develop marketing programs to promote businesses.

Deb Hoffmann (born March 27, 1965) who resides in Waukesha, Wisconsin is recognized by Guinness World Records as the having the Largest Winnie the Pooh and Friends Memorabilia Collection.