San Antonio jewelry maker Vanessa Irino’s love for Casper the Friendly Ghost started when she discovered the original cartoons at the age of 5. While most kids would credit Casper’s cuteness and gentle nature as reasons the sweet-hearted specter is so adored, Irino’s affection stemmed from something else.
“I got into Casper because I related to him,” Irino, 37, told the Current during a recent interview. “I was the ghost of the family. People know the term ‘black sheep,’ but I was always the ghost at family gatherings. I was the kid in the corner crying because I was being bullied by my aunts and cousins.”
While the story of Irino’s fondness for Casper started with loneliness and heartbreak, it has since grown into a symbol of hope and resilience.
“I felt connected to Casper because he wanted to make friends,” she said. “Not only did I want friends, I wanted to be accepted by my family. I wanted people to love me. So, I turned my trauma into something positive.”
In 2023, Irino was officially named the Guinness World Records holder for owning the largest collection of Casper memorabilia. However, it took a time commitment to work with Guinness to establish the record. For one, there wasn’t a category for Casper, so the governing body had to create one.
Next, Guinness officials told Irino she needed to own at least 1,000 pieces of memorabilia to be considered for a place in the record book. At that time, she had a little over 800 pieces but was counting certain items individually instead of parts of a set. For example, she wasn’t allowed to count her Casper Pogs, or milk caps, separately.
“I was emailing back and forth with [Guinness] to find out what counted and how to count everything,” Irino said. “I was like, ‘Oh, come on, you guys! Do you know what you have to do to make a full set?’”
Despite the hurdles, Irino finally reached the 1,000-piece threshold and earned a place in the world record book two years ago with 1,153 individually licensed pieces of Casper memorabilia. Since then, her collection has grown to 1,684. She’s come a long way from her very first item – a plush doll given to her by her great grandmother.
“I cuddled with him every day and every night,” she said. “I would cry into him when I was hurt. He’s seen it all.”
As a kid, Irino started her collection slowly. After the doll, her grandparents gifted her VHS copies of Casper cartoons purchased at the dollar store.
“Once I discovered eBay, it was all over,” she said. “As a little girl, I always wanted the Casper bed sheets, [but] my parents never bought them for me, so I bought them for myself 30 years later.”
Every piece of Casper memorabilia Irino has ever purchased or been gifted is now part of the “Casper room” in her home which houses her collection. Toys, trinkets, comic books, candy, keychains, candles, buttons, board games, lunch boxes and other curios flood her in-house museum.
She also owns dozens of VHS copies of the 1995 live-action-plus-animated Casper movie, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this week.
The entire Irino family, including her 9-year-old son, enjoy relaxing in the Casper room and popping a VHS tape into the player. Luckily, her son understands that any of his mom’s unopened collectibles need to stay in their original packaging.
“He’s never done anything to disturb [the collection],” she said. “It’s naturally embedded into him. He just likes to hang out in the Casper room and watch movies. It’s just a nice, little sanctuary.”
Irino is grateful her son loves Casper for different reasons than she does. She never wants him to feel as isolated as she did when she was a little girl — or even sometimes now as an adult. She describes herself as “a specter that people don’t see,” but added that she’s always trying to step out of the shadows.
“My son loves [Casper] because he sees the good in him, and he wants to be like that,” she said. “For me, I’ve learned how to embrace my ghostness. Sometimes I feel like you can only talk to me through a Ouija board or something. I still find myself in situations where it’s hard for people to see me. But Casper has given me more of a voice.”
With her world record in hand, Irino still has a few goals she wants to accomplish as a Casper superfan. She’d like to grow her collection to 2,000 items before the end of the year. Since her husband is from Japan, her family travels there at least once a year, and she takes full advantage of shopping for Japanese Casper collectibles. Their next trip is planned for July.
“I bring back over 100 Casper items every time we go,” she said. “They love antique Americana cartoons over there. Japan has some really good stores. It’s like a toy lover’s heaven. The owners already know me.”
Irino has met celebrities who played a part in a Casper project, including actors Devon Sawa, who played the human form of Casper in Casper, and Joe Nipote, who voiced Stretch in Casper). However, actress Christina Ricci, who starred in the 1995 movie, remains the elusive final piece.
“Meeting Christina is my dream,” Irino said. “I’ll scream it to the world and to the universe: ‘Christina, you have seen one friendly ghost. Can you please see this one?’”
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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.