More than 40 pairs of eyes watch Stephanie Gruner, communication studies graduate student, sleep at night.

In the corner of her bedroom on a black shelf that is over 6 feet high, Gruner displays her collection of 42 Mr. Potato Head toys.

The shelf is a burst of color as the toys constantly smile, their bright red lips dominant and their eccentric costumes giving the toys’ shapeless tan bodies life.

Gruner has had to add shelves several times to accommodate her growing collection.

“I just keep adding shelves, but soon I am probably going to have to expand again,” she said.

In black construction paper, Gruner has cut out a sign for the shelf: Tower of Tater.

Gruner’s love of Mr. Potato Head did not grow as an extension of childhood days spent with the toys. Rather, her collection began with a birthday present from a friend.

The first Mr. Potato Head toy she received was from a friend for her 17th birthday. The toy’s name was Spiderspud, and its entire body is wrapped by a Spider-Man costume.

“(My friend) got it for me just because I love Spider-Man, but then it turned into a collection,” Gruner said.

One of the aspects of Mr. Potato Head that Gruner finds most appealing about the toy are the puns that serve as the toys’ names.

Among the many names of Gruner’s toys are Darth Tater and Mashter Yoda, puns on the Star Wars characters Darth Vader and Master Yoda.

“I love that they all have puns for their names,” Gruner said. “That’s one reason why I love them so much because I love puns.”

Gruner also said she loves the various costumes and themes of Mr. Potato Head that are constantly coming out.

“I never have to worry about running out of Potato Heads because they always come out with new ones,” she said.

For each holiday season, Gruner places the appropriately themed toy in her living room. For Halloween, she has a toy named Trick-or-Tater, whose entire body is enveloped in a sheet except for a pair of eyes pegged through the fabric.

Gruner has so many different Mr. Potato Head toys that she has a list of all 42 so that her friends and relatives do not buy her one she already has.

She even has a toy her friend made to resemble Gruner’s likeness named Potephanie, complete with blonde hair and a T-shirt.

However, Gruner said there is one Mr. Potato Head she wants that has not been made yet.

“I wish they had a ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ Potato Head with Gene Kelly tap dancing,” she said, “But I doubt they will ever have that one.”

As Gruner gets older, she still plans to collect the toys.

“I don’t think that I would ever stop collecting Mr. Potato Heads,” she said.

And if Gruner ever has children, she joked that she will not likely let her children play with her collection.

“They can start their own collection if they want,” she said, laughing.

Tim Deters can be reached at 581-2812 or tadeters@eiu.edu.