Memorabilia
According to the dictionary, the meaning of “memorabilia” is: “things worthy of being remembered”.
The word “things” is what really defines its meaning. In other words, they are not facts, people, places or smells. They are things.
It must be understood, therefore, that memorabilia is a collection of things worth remembering. But where does the word “worthy” fit into this story?
Since we are referring to things, we must then adopt the meaning “suitable; appropriate; fitting”. But wait… does being suitable make something “worthy”? Never mind…
I am just a “thing”.
A miniature of Ringo Starr. That’s right. The Beatle who plays the drums, only ten centimetres tall. Just a Beatles toy. An inanimate object that has never actually “been something”.
Besides my own weight, I’m attached to a miniature drum kit. Ringo Starr means drums, so a Ringo toy must consist of a doll plus a drum kit. It’s a rather questionable idea, but in my case, I had no choice. My fate is to live with this attached instrument, whether I like it or not. No individuality whatsoever. It will always be me and her.
I live in a shop window among other miniature Johns, Pauls, Georges and Ringos. There are several of my kind here, and I’m fine with that. We are even friends now. My closest mate is a chubby Ringo. It may sound funny, but yes, there’s an overweight Ringo here. He might be the result of a design error, but he prefers to think of himself as unique, representing Ringo’s “Indian days”, when he was a bit on the plump side. I’ve never heard of that, As far as I know, Ringo didn’t like the food and returned home before the famous expedition because of dietary issues. He should therefore have been thinner. But, anyway, I believe him…
To be honest with you, I think I’m the most handsome one around here. Some of them have ridiculously exaggerated noses. Others are rather grotesque. They look as if they had stepped straight out of a goblin story. Goblins with drum kits… Now, that’s fancy…
It’s weird having to keep this smile on my face all the time. I have my bad days too, especially since I’m stuck in a museum, looking at the same faces every single day. It’s rather dull. Things only get a little better when children show up. That sparkle in their eyes, which adults seem to have lost… It’s refreshing.
“It’s Ringo!” they say.
Okay. Ringo… That’s fine, then. Just keep smiling. And here I am, stuck with an expression that someone once decided I should have. Ringo is nice and funny, so he’s supposed to smile. I really wish I could experience what it’s like to smile without wanting to, and yet feel the way I do.
Once the lights go out…
It’s nothing like the characters in that film, Night at the Museum. Nobody here turns into a human when the museum closes its doors. That’s just pop fiction. We remain static and suitably accommodated. Just as the dictionary says. Can you imagine how awkward it would be if a bunch of miniature Beatles started playing and nodding their heads until late at night? Or little Magical Mystery Tour buses going back and forth all over the place? Even George Martin would join in the commotion. Well, this is highly unlikely to happen in real life.
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There are people who would like to take me home. I’ve heard this several times:
“Is it for sale?”
Yes, my friends, as memorabilia, we have a price. In fact, being a Beatle makes the price even higher. But that’s not my case. I’m not for sale. I’ve lived in a house before, but my owner sold me to this museum, and I can no longer leave. Perhaps it was for the best. After all, there’s less risk of being forgotten, lost or, even worse, smashed. I’ve had several colleagues who have been through this. Some of them were repaired in an emergency, but the results were horrible. Rejection came with time, and they eventually ended up being discarded. What a pity…
Oops! Let’s stop talking… People are coming. Quite a crowd, actually! Is there some special event today that I don’t know about?
I can’t believe it! It’s him! The Man himself: Ringo Starr.
He’s coming closer…
“I like this one. I’ve never seen such a worthy likeness,” he says.
It took the original Ringo to come here and explain to me the meaning of things worthy of being remembered. Things like that, or like me, must have some special value to someone.
Peace and love, Ringo!
Note
Following the rise of Beatlemania in the first half of the 1960s, everything related to the band became a source of great interest to passionate fans.
All sorts of collectible items were released bearing the band’s name: mugs, plates, clothes, miniatures, pillows, shampoo and much more.
Even locks of hair were sold as if they belonged to the Beatles.
Aunt Mimi — the woman who raised John Lennon — once said that fans would stand outside her house in Liverpool, sometimes for hours, just to get a simple button or something of the sort. That’s right. One day, a particularly persistent fan got on Aunt Mimi’s nerves. To calm the screaming woman down, Mimi gave her the first thing she could lay her hands on: a button. It worked so well that, from then on, she started handing out buttons… even if they didn’t belong to John.
Some accounts mention that although many products were released under The Beatles brand, the band itself earned absolutely nothing from these sales at the time. Merchandising contracts, as we would call them today, were not properly drawn up or negotiated. Today, it is Apple Corps that looks after The Beatles brand, enforcing strict quality and copyright controls before a product can receive the official seal of approval. Unfortunately, however, unauthorised copies of all kinds of products bearing this valuable brand name are still sold around the world.
Beatles memorabilia can be extremely valuable, especially when items date back to the period in which they were originally released. The Beatles Story, in Liverpool, is the world’s largest museum dedicated to the band and houses an extensive collection of memorabilia. However, Rodolfo Vazquez, owner of the Museo Beatle, is listed in the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest individual Beatles collector. He keeps his collection open to curious visitors in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
