Dearest readers, we bring to you today news of an exciting new adventure – Doctor Who and The Merchandise Museum! The well-known Who-historian (Whostorian? Is that a thing? Has that term been invented yet? Oh, it’s in use by a podcast? Darn it) of all things Who merchandise related, David J. Howe has just launched a crowd funding campaign to get a private museum up and running.
Anyone who has been around fandom for a while will have heard of David in one of his capacities as historian, memorabilia and merchandise collector or host of Just a Minute at the fabulous Sci Fi Weekender conventions in Wales. He has written or co-written over 30 books about Doctor Who, including The Handbook, The Television Companion and The Target Book. He also runs an independent publishing house called Telos Publishing which is “a multi-award-winning independent press specialising in high quality books for everyone interested in cult TV, film, health and spirit and – including through our Telos Moonrise digital imprint – all kinds of genre fiction.” Naturally, Doctor Who features quite prominently in the Telos range.
The museum project has long been a dream of David’s, having amassed a vast collection of thousands of pieces over the years, and work had started on making this dream a reality but he suffered a setback last year when he had a heart attack and wasn’t able to work for a while. This campaign will allow you to donate to the project and to earn some great rewards for doing so.

You can read more about this exciting venture here on Indiegogo and, of course, make a donation yourself if you want to be a part of history! For instance, for the tidy sum of £20 you could have your name on permanent display on a special banner in the museum when it is completed. Or how about £130 for dinner with David and his lovely wife Sam Stone (herself a well-known author of horror fiction) in their own home? How cool is that?!?!
As the campaign page explains, this museum would be unique and very special to the world of Doctor Who. There have been displays of Doctor Who merchandise and memorabilia at other venues over the years and there is, of course, the Doctor Who Experience in its various forms… but there’s never been an actual museum dedicated to the wonderful, and often weird, world of Doctor Who merchandise.
This will be a unique venue which could be used for a variety of book or product launches, private open-day functions, etc.
Let’s help David and Sam realise their dream and add another must-see destination for Doctor Who fans from all over the globe!