The Collector: A plethora of Piglets - Ainsley Ness’ collection started before she was born

It’s hard not to squeal when you see Ainsley Ness’ collection.

At 11, she’s already amassed an amazing assemblage of Piglets.

Her collection began before her birth.

“I bought a Winnie-the-Pooh and a Piglet and put them in her crib,” recalled her mom, Laura Ness. “When I was growing up, I loved Winnie-the-Pooh.”

Ainsley’s affinity for Pooh’s friend revealed itself early.

“When she was about a year old, we were watching ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh,’ and it was like a light bulb came on. She went to her room, grabbed Piglet, and it’s been Piglet ever since.”

Her daughter’s memories don’t stretch quite that far back. What she remembers is being a toddler and leaving her Piglet outside in a swing.

“It started raining,” Ainsley said. “We went looking and found him outside. He was soaked! We put him in the dryer because I wouldn’t sleep without him.”

She still sleeps with that original Piglet – and 40-plus others.

“I don’t know how she fits in there,” Laura said.

Ainsley shrugged and said, “I like to sleep with all of them.”

Her fondness for the A.A. Milne character is aided and abetted by her parents, both sets of grandparents and assorted friends.

“My Nana made me a quilt, and she bought me this shirt,” Ainsley said.

The T-shirt reads, “Once upon a time, there was a girl who really loved Piglet. It was me. The end.”

Her entire ensemble featured her favorite pig, including a baseball cap, earrings and a bracelet. Piglet ears from Disneyworld perched atop her cap.

Ainsley’s collection includes Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet salt and pepper shakers, a water bottle, a Pez dispenser, a wallet and a pen she got while staying at Aulani, a Disney Resort in Hawaii.

“Our waitress had a Piglet pen, and I told her I liked it,” Ainsley said. “She gave it to me.”

Tote bags, backpacks and a lunchbox also feature her favorite character. But she doesn’t take the lunchbox to school with her.

“I don’t want it to get dirty,” she explained.

Her items come in all sizes, from a 3-foot-tall plushie she found at a thrift store to a 3-inch Funko Pop.

In addition to a quilt, her Nana made her a Piglet pillowcase, and then Ainsley made one of her own.

“I made one for a reading pillow in fourth grade.”

Sometimes, she wishes for more advanced sewing skills. Two of her stuffed animals feature Pooh stitched to Piglet.

“I wanted to cut Pooh off, but it’s too hard to do without ruining it,” said Ainsley.

None of her items are exact duplicates, but she does have the same Squishmallow in three sizes.

Many of her Piglets wear costumes. She has a ladybug, a Lady Liberty and one dressed as an alien from the “Toy Story” movie.

“I found that one at a garage sale!”

She said her love of the timid pig is hard to explain.

“He’s really scared of everything, but he’s got a big heart,” Ainsley said. “I just feel happy when I see Piglet.”

Of the 80 items in her collection, the one her mom placed in her crib before her birth is her favorite. She plans to take him and probably a couple more with her when she heads to college.

It’s fair to say Ainsley doesn’t know a life without Piglet.

“He’s in almost every photo of me,” she said.