The Largo resident and social media phenomenon is nearing 3,500 copies of his treasured “T on V,” which appear alongside his homemade Jack Dawson dolls and tributes to James Cameron in the newly released “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” book.
But they’re no longer at “House of T,” a makeshift museum inside a Dunedin Smokeshop DiGangi has been hosting tours at for the last five months.
“My friend sold the smoke shop and the new owner asked us to leave,” he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “They didn’t see the vision.”
A couple hundred of his 160,000-plus social media followers stopped by the museum IRL, bringing about 500 VHS tapes for the collection.
“Lots of them drove hours to see the collection,” he said. “It was a fun experience that we didn’t think we could actually pull off.”
Until his shrine of dreams can find a new home, it will move back into its original spot in DiGangi’s house.
The 32-year-old started his collection 10 years ago, scrounging 110 copies from local thrift stores. After posting it on TikTok two years ago, he’s gotten a few thousand copies shipped from around the world to his PO box.
DiGangi has traveled the country touting the collection wherever he can bring his creepy, yet lovable life-size Jack Dawson doll. And he’s been featured in local and national news including Variety and Good Morning America.
With or without a museum, he won’t stop until he gets at least 1 million copies.
“There’s been some high seas and low tides since we started this adventure. But it’s the most fun I’ve ever had being a creator and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he said.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
