The Collector: Florence Young giraffe collection started with a gift from her parents

As a fourth-grader, Florence Young fell off a swing at home and sprained her ankle. She couldn’t leave the house for several days, so her parents bought her a couple of gifts to cheer her up.

“They gave me a china panda bear and a giraffe,” Young said. “The panda lived its life, but I still have the giraffe, and now it has over 200 friends.”

Actually, before giving up her count, her collection numbered 220.

Need a sink brush? Young has a giraffe for that.

A mug for your hot chocolate? A hand towel, screen cleaner or bar of soap? She’s got a giraffe for that, too.

Young cradled the gift that launched a herd in her palm.

“He doesn’t look beautiful or exciting,” she said.

But he piqued her interest enough that she soon began searching for companions for him.

Wearing a shirt with a glittery giraffe decal and gold giraffe earrings, Young reached into a curio cabinet filled with the spotted critters. Their markings are usually dark brown, orange or chestnut and are set against a white, tan or cream-colored background. The mammals’ markings are unique to each one, similar to human fingerprints.

Her menagerie is made of all sorts of materials including pewter, porcelain, glass and metal. She even has one made from bent screws and nails.

“Once you begin collecting, you start seeing them everywhere,” she said. “And people start giving them to you as gifts.”

A winsome-faced model with one hoof raised came with a printed stone that reads, “Tiptoe: When you are destined to become a tower of strength, every little inch helps!”

“It was a gift from my brother,” Young said.

A giraffe’s head bobs from an unusual shell body – the knickknack is a memento from her visit to Africa.

“My sophomore year in college, I traveled with World Campus Afloat,” she said.

In the cabinet, two vintage Avon perfume bottles topped with graceful giraffes and filled to the brim with To a Rose fragrance sit side by side.

A giraffe print blanket hangs over a chair in the living room, with a giraffe cross-stitch pillow made by her sister tucked next to it.

Nearby, a white wicker giraffe planter, a gift from her father, is almost as tall as her and is the largest item in her collection. The smallest is a tiny charm meant for a bracelet or necklace.

Rows of decorative pins and brooches line a box near a sleeping plush animal that snores when you push its hoof.

A larger plush item plays “Hooked on a Feeling.”

“It was a birthday or Valentine’s gift from Harold (her husband),” Young said.

A wooden picture frame featuring two smooching giraffes holds a picture of the couple who’ve been married 57 years.

Puppets from finger to sock size beckon visitors to slip them on, and a familiar face peers from behind a group of smaller quadrupeds. Before the demise of Toys R Us, Geoffrey Giraffe served as the chain’s mascot.

Her favorite members of her zoo are a pair of giraffes with their calf tucked between them, perched on a stick bench.

“It’s made by Plainfolk Kin and was a centerpiece on a table at the 1992 American Association of University Women convention in San Francisco,” she said.

The collector quickly realized if she spotted a Noah’s Ark item, a giraffe was usually included, so she has a variety of arks from picture frames to figurines.

Prints and pictures of her favorite animal line in almost every room of her home, and plush versions perch atop shelves.

“Look up!” she said. “There are giraffes everywhere.”

One print features bamboo and banana leaves.

“It was a gift from the organist at our church.”

Young has almost 50 giraffe Christmas ornaments. If she needs change, she can shake down her tall plastic bank.

The collection spawned from a gift meant to console a kid with a wounded ankle, continues to delight this collector.

“I don’t know anyone else who collects giraffes,” Young said. “I love that I never get tired of them and I’m always finding new things to notice about them.”