I started collecting autographs when I was a kid. I got some inperson when there were concerts (yep my folks took me to them), when guests came to visit our town for a signing (Ben Jones aka Cooter from the Dukes of Hazzard) and I wrote for autographs. I didn't know it could take time sending via ttm. but it didn't stop me from going to the mail box each and every day. When I did get something in the mail, it was better than Christmas. Now I am 37 years old and my 9 year old daughter is writing for autographs on her own from folks in Disney shows, some are PP or AP, but she does get the real deal now and again. She knows that it will take time for some to reply and she's gotten patient with them. She has her own notebook full of autographs and some framed on her wall. It helps her practice her writing skills and how to put together organized thoughts on paper. So in short, yeah kids should be encouraged to write their favorite actors and performers.

When I was younger I wrote to a few of my favourite celebrities telling them how much I admire them etc. but at the time I didn't even know it was possible to ask them for an autograph in a letter so I didn't even bother, it was more about the excitement of them reading my letter. It wasn't until I was about 14 and one of my favourite bands at the time actually wrote back to me, that's when I got more into it and found this site. But yes my point is, if the child doesn't write with the intention of getting anything back then there isn't a problem. Or if the child understands that there are no guarantees and waiting to hear back doesn't rule their lives, but if they're going to obsess over it then it's no good for them. But I personally don't think you can categorise people like that as I know of some adults who obsess over hearing back from particular celebrities, children may even be able to handle the waiting period better.

When I was a little kid (talking like 9 years old), my idols and favourite stars were a big part of my dream world!
(But truth to be said, I mostly loved the characters, rather than the actual actors Singers etc. is of course something else).

We did not have internet or anything so every picture in a magazine or something was incredibly valuable! And I mean incredibly, because while other kids loved f.e. Leo DiCaprio etc. *Titanic mania* I loved stars from f.e. seventies which of course were "out" and not very popular topics.

So I wrote many sincere, polite but probably a little embarassing childish letters :razz: Response was either none at all or I received a signed pic (as anybody else who wrote, I guess). And it meant a world to me! I was totally obsessed.

So no, looking at it now, I do not think it is a good idea However I would never take that passion away from my kids.

I started collecting TTM when I was 10. I seemed to have a good reply rate and actually got some of my best autographs in that time period: Dick Van Dyke, Vint Cerf, David Copperfield, Gerald Ford, Sir Edmund Hillary etc.

If I were a celebrity, I think I'd just find it cute if a young kid wrote me a letter asking for an autograph. Granted, it may be hard for the kid to understand, but if their parent is a collector, I'm sure they'd understand.

I dont have kids but i would say its probably not a good idea for kids to start this hobby before about age 12 because they might just end up dissapointed and sad if they dont hear back from the people they like because truthfully at least half of the people you write to you never hear back from and a kid might have a hard time understanding why the person didnt write back where an adult understands they might be really busy or never have received it or honestly the person might not be as nice as they act on tv or in the movies...Thats just my opinion.

Our nine-year-old has sent a letter off, but I've drummed it into her that it is likely to take ages and might not come back at all. Hers has been gone for a couple of months, but I daresay it will come back eventually. Her letter was actually more concise than any of mine and I was quite impressed, actually.

I had the same conversation with a friend of hers, a couple of years older, who wrote a frankly insane letter but heard back quickly.

I would encourage kids to write as long as they are old enough to understand how it works and to be able to live with disappointment if they never hear back, I wouldn't worry so much about letters being cliched or disorganised, the people they are likely to be writing to are probably people who a lot of kids have written to already, and whose work is geared to that demographic.

What I have done with the two I've overseen is to give them a small notelet (like a blank birthday card), so that they have to keep it very short, plus thinking out aloud what they want to say before writing it down.

For myself, I don't usually worry about there being no successes listed on here, but if I were helping a child to write to someone I would check the feedback and report it honestly in terms of the likelihood of their hearing back.

kids sending requests be a good idea?

i am partially leaning against it for 2 reasons
when kids write, their thoughts are all over the place and the letter will be very cliched, and handwriting might be hard to read if you arent used to reading kids writing.

my second reason is that the kids might get hung up on hearing back from the star, regardless of you telling them there is no guarantee they will receive anything back.

what are your thoughts on it?
have you as a kid wrote? or had your own kids/ lil bro lil sis write?

howd it turn out?