RAYVILLE, La. (KNOE) - An 11-year-old Rayville boy has spent years building one of the most extensive personal Toy Story collections his family has ever seen, and the people closest to him say his autism is the reason why.Jey Strickland has filled his room with hundreds of Toy Story toys, drawings, and photos. He was diagnosed with autism at age 4.A collection years in the makingJey said the collection started with a toy of the character “Bullseye” from the film.“When I saw it one day, I said I...
RAYVILLE, La. (KNOE) - An 11-year-old Rayville boy has spent years building one of the most extensive personal Toy Story collections his family has ever seen, and the people closest to him say his autism is the reason why.
Jey Strickland has filled his room with hundreds of Toy Story toys, drawings, and photos. He was diagnosed with autism at age 4.
A collection years in the making
Jey said the collection started with a toy of the character “Bullseye” from the film.
“When I saw it one day, I said I want to start a Toy Story collection,” Jey said.
His sister, Evy Strickland, said the family spent a full year searching online to track down items.
“We were searching eBay, I remember a whole full year we searched for all of this stuff,” Evy said.
His mother, Jan Strickland, said Jey’s connection to Toy Story began when he was 2 or 3 years old.
“Jey is a very passionate and creative person, we saw his passion for Toy Story, I think he was 2 or 3 years old and he fell in love with this miniature Woody that was very hard to come by,” Jan said.
Family sees autism as a strength
Family members said Jey’s ability to focus on the things he loves has helped him develop skills including visual processing and memory.
His grandmother, Angela Hales, said she has contributed handmade pieces to the collection alongside vintage items sourced online.
“He showed me the picture of them, we got them off the internet and then he asked me to make them, so I was able to make these and we were also able to source some of the vintage toys that are on Toy Story,” Hales said.
Jan Strickland said she hopes Jey’s story encourages other families to lean into their child’s interests.
“You can view his autism as such a positive light and thing, when you embrace it and jump in and see what it can do,” Jan said.