Brent Birnbaum

Suetonius, ca. 69 – 130 AD, recalled that Emperor Augustus "had his villa embellished, not only with statues and pictures but also with objects which were curious by reason of their age and rarity."

The taste for oddities is an ancient invention. The collecting of such curiosities was however cultivated to an extreme degree during the Renaissance. If the curiosities were of exotic origins or procured with much effort, their material value was equal to that of the most lavish luxury items of precious metal. Whether objects of natural wonders were horrid or strikingly beautiful, they frequently were given multiple symbolic meanings. The wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, embodied this symbolic image of the elements, of dimensions of time and space, and mirrored the place of man in the universe.

Wunderkammers were first assembled in mid-sixteenth century Renaissance Europe. They were encyclopedic collections of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined and might contain a mix of fact and fiction. They were a demonstrable expression of the Renaissance’s all-embracing view of knowledge. Meant to provide an expanded awareness of the complexity of nature as well as an altered vision of the world, these formed collections were precursors to museums.

Welcome to my wunderkammer, The Hairy Trinity of the Big D. The Hairy Trinity of the Big D is Brian Bosworth, Vanilla Ice, and Dennis Rodman. Besides all attending high school in Dallas, known as the Big D, their hair stood out. Here are the first 588 objects in my collection. 



3 autobiographies


12 books



3 trading cards




19 pin back buttons, 1 poker chip




magazine, photo, homemade book





DVD, poster, phonecard, poster





11 backstage passes





12 foot sign, life size cardboard advertisement





12 CDs




Wheaties box, Milk ad, box of bubble gum cassettes, box of lollypops



2 comic books




20 T-shirts



4 hats




2 small advertisements




5 bags



3 dolls



magazine, trading card, poster




5 laserdiscs




3 CD longboxes




board game, temporary tattoos



3 magazines



magazine, CD, DVD




 watch, 2 necklaces




12 small newspapers




2 pairs of shoes




magazine, VHS, autographed photo




3 small advertisements




25 T-shirts




2 magazines, 1 book



12 tickets




1 cup, 1 thermos



2 Halloween party advertisements




3 patches, headband, tie




3 magazines




1 drawing, 1 nesting doll




30 magazines



framed poster, basketball, sign, stamp, keychain, matchbook, coin





4 pennants




2 magazines




press photo, TV ad





basketball program, Dancing on Ice flyer




2 books on tape, 2 newspapers, 2 VHS tapes




3 magazines



2 figurines




25 T-shirts



9 pins




3 collectibles



sunglasses, 3 small ads, 1 poster




16 magazines



2 signs, 1 poster



5 playing cards




2 magazines




2 posters, 1 print


3 magazines



2 foreign ads, 1 VHS




1986 Southeastern Oklahoma State University yearbook, 1982 Irving MacArthur High School yearbook




3 magazines




Concert ads, postcards, signed photos



2 magazines



16 posters


3 magazines



1 magazine, 1 book



1 sign, 1 magazine



29 magazines




magazine ad, press photo




3 magazines




17 T-shirts



3 posters



3 posters



10 toys



1 magazine, 1 record




photograph, advertisement




6 magazines



2 magazines



1 pillow case, 1 sleeping bag



2 folders, 1 spiral notebook




15 VHS, 2 DVDs




2 screen grabs



3 magazines



8 records



3 magazines




1 table cloth, 1 beach towel




5 small magazines




2 state fair prizes




Concert Tour book, VHS




14 magazines




3 sweatshirts






12 tapes




16 foreign magazines




6 stuffed animals




2 T-shirts




10 stickers, 2 window decals




3 magazines




1 sweater, 1 long sleeve T-shirt, 3 jerseys, 3 tank-tops




2 magazines




3 T-shirts

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