I met Mike via a video game we both play called “MyVmk.” It is a fan-made recreation of the popular MMO RPG called VMK AKA Virtual Magic Kingdom. The original VMK was created in 2005 by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Sulake Corporation, and released by The Walt Disney Company. The game would go on to close though in 2008 since it was originally only supposed to be a short-lived promotion for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary Celebration. To this day fans of the original come to MyVmk.com and frequent the discord and forums, which is how I found out about Mike’s collecting and cosplaying hobbies.
Full Name: Michael A. Janda | Socials: @VirusElite524
When did you begin the collecting hobby and what got you first into it?
“A lot of my current collections started within the past few years when I started college since I got a job and could afford them. Although I started collecting at a young age around 6 or 7 when my family would go to local malls around Orlando and I would pick up theme park maps from these travel agency kiosks and with my passion for Disney, I had a lot of Disney ones. To this day, I’ll pick up a park map when I do visit and I have a large container of maps that I’ve been collecting since I started back then.”
What is your biggest passion right now in your hobby? (genre, brand, etc). What drew you to this subject?
“Prior to the pandemic, I was in a Star Wars craze with all the new movies and content going out and the new land at Disney World but I’ve slowly receded from it. Right now has been a mix of anime and video games. With the pandemic going on in the past year, I had a lot of time to catch up on both of these and also exploring new ones as well.”
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now in your hobby? Is there anything new you’d like to branch out with (other collections, cosplay, etc)?
“Well as of right now, my room is filled with collectibles. I would say maybe 80% of my wall space has been filled, all my shelves are mostly full, and whatever space I have on my computer desk and the dresser is mostly filled up. I do plan on adding more wall shelving to add more stuff in the near future but I would start focusing on very exclusive items that would be displayed on those shelves instead of collectibles that are mass-produced. As for cosplays, I have an Ezra Bridger cosplay from Star Wars and a Roxas cosplay from Kingdom Hearts II that are currently ongoing, and I have a Kirito cosplay from Sword Art Online on my wish list on Amazon.”
Tell me something unique about your collection(s) (display, DIY, anything you can think of).
“My collection spans a wide variety of different mediums from Disney, RoosterTeeth, animes, video games, comics, shows, and even to some YouTubers. Probably the most unique set of my collection is the stuff I got from the Disney Parks since I’m a local and also a Cast Member (aka employee). I would say half of the belongings in my room are either from the Disney Parks while the other half is all the geeky and nerdy stuff. Otherwise, I have a wide range of things from posters and wall scrolls, artwork, different figures, plush, novelty items, weapon replicas, autographs, and even shirts which range from special events at the Disney Parks, anime shirts, or annual events from RoosterTeeth.”
The Geek Stop 