Wisconsin Man Has Over 100,000 Pieces of McDonald's Memorabilia

If you've seen the documentary Super Size Me, you might remember Don Gorske.

Don was the friendly, lanky fellow with perfectly round glasses and a long, flowing bowl cut. He proudly shared with documentarian Morgan Spurlock that he's eaten at least one McDonald's Big Mac almost every day since he first tried the sandwich in 1972. When I first wrote about Gorske a couple of years ago, he had eaten 32,944 Big Macs. As of early-afternoon Saturday, September 14th, 2024, he's consumed 34,643. He was just re-awarded the Guinness World Record for the feat in February.

Since I interviewed Don back in May, we've become good friends, exchanging letters back and forth. Shortly after our interview, Don invited me to visit him and his wife, Mary, at their Fond du Lac, WI home. I couldn't pass up the opportunity, for he not only wanted to have lunch with me and my girlfriend, Catherine, but also wanted to show me all his "McStuff."

Over his 50+ years of eating Big Macs, Don has collected an assortment of McDonald's-related memorabilia that will blow your mind. Catherine and I only saw a fraction of it. His house is too small to display every single thing he has. That's why he has his attic, which houses more than 100,000 pieces of McTreasures, from Happy Meal toys to signage, toys, games, and he-only-knows what.

Don has been eating Big Macs regularly for over 52 years. While he used to eat as many as nine-a-day, now he's got his process down to a science. Every Monday, he goes to his local McDonald's and orders six, one for each day through Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, he returns and orders eight, which will get him through Sunday night. Outside of a before-bed snack like potato chips, Big Macs are the primary food in Don's diet.

You cannot tell the story of Don Gorske without noting how his own obsessive-compulsiveness plays into it. Don and I share a lot of the same mannerisms, where our brains both tell us to do something until it's "done" or "complete." Part of Don's collection, while a token of personal pride and achievement, is on account of his own OCD. He will not throw away anything somebody sends him, or remove a piece of his ever-growing collection.

Don even keeps each Big Mac carton and drink cups from each McDonald's visit (you'll see a portion of them below).

Don and Mary couldn't have been sweeter to us on our visit. They showed us the sights of their quaint, homey town of Fond du Lac, WI, and were as hospitable as could be to a couple of strangers, endlessly fascinated by him, his world-record, and his dedication.

Take a look at some photos of Don's most prized pieces in his collection of "McStuff" below. Take a listen to my interview with Don Gorske here, or embedded above too!