AUBURN — She saw him and couldn’t resist the little plastic white tiger jumping through a hoop.

But at 13, Kelsey Philbrick didn’t need a whole set of toddlers’ Fisher
Price Peek-A-Blocks circus blocks. So she bought the set for her
2-year-old cousin and carefully removed that single clear plastic
bauble with the tiger trapped inside before giving it as a gift. The
little girl was none the wiser.

“It was kind of like a selfish move,” said Philbrick, now 16, laughing.

But it was worth it.

“I think it’s the cutest thing ever, I love it.”

She started collecting white tigers about 10 years ago, when her
dad, Dan, brought her home a stuffed animal from the Siegfried &
Roy show in Las Vegas.

Philbrick named him Lucky and, 53 other stuffed white tigers later,
he’s still her favorite. Lucky survived a near-miss three years ago
when he was left behind at a vacation house her family rents every
fall. She didn’t realize she’d dropped Lucky under the bed, only to be
discovered by the homeowner.

The next year, “He was just right there on the dining room table
when we walked in, it was great,” Philbrick said. “When I got him back,
he seemed so much smaller.”

She likes about anything white tiger. Philbrick has a white tiger
bedspread, wind chimes, a cell phone holder, slippers, puzzles,
statues. Story Land in New Hampshire is a good source for stuffed
animals, she said.

She always keeps on the lookout, but telltale black stripes can be a tricky pattern to catch the eye.

“When I’m out shopping, to see a print like that and see it be zebra? It’s the most disappointing thing,” Philbrick said.

A junior at Edward Little High School busy in marching band, choir
and tennis, she said she thinks some of the collection will follow her
to college.

“I think they’re pretty. They’re simple yet they’re very pretty.”

Know a collection that’s caught your eye? We’re always looking for
ideas. Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or
[email protected]

Kelsey Philbrick, 16, of Auburn displays her collection of more than 50 white tigers.

Kelsey Philbrick’s collection of white tigers includes some ceramic figures and snow globes.