Myrtle Nola Young (April 1, 1924 – August 9, 2014) was an American potato chip collector whose collection caught the eye of national news and talk shows.

Collecting

The

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

-born Young, while working as a potato chip inspector for Seyfert Foods in Fort Wayne, Indiana, selected potato chips that reminded her of something or someone for her collection. She started her collection in 1987 when she saved a chip that looked like a face from the conveyor belt. At the time of her death she was said to have between 250 and 300 chips in her collection.

Television appearances

She appeared with her chips on ''

Happy's Place ''Happy's Place'' is an afternoon children's television program that aired on WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 1980s and 1990s. Background The program was known for its two-hour block of children's programming (in later supplied by th ...

'', '' The Tonight Show'', and ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

''. When she appeared on ''The Tonight Show'' in 1987, her back was turned and host

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

pretended to crunch into one of her prized chips; in 1999, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' named it as the funniest moment ever on television, and was included in a collection of Johnny Carson's greatest moments. She also appeared on '' The Chevy Chase Show'', Bill Cosby's '' You Bet Your Life'', '' Geraldo'' and ''

Vicki! ''Vicki!'' (stylized as V''i''cki!) was a syndicated talk show hosted by actress and ''Carol Burnett Show'' alumna Vicki Lawrence from 1992 to 1994. The show earned a number of Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Talk Show Host ...

'' as well as appearances on shows in Amsterdam and London.

Later life

Young later became part of an advertising campaign for Seyfert's and at one point was named to a trade delegation from Fort Wayne that toured the Far East. After her retirement, Young continued to serve as a tour guide at the potato chip factory and showed off her collection of chips resembling Bob Hope, Rodney Dangerfield, animals and other curiosities until the plant closed in 2000.

Death

She died in Fort Wayne, Indiana, aged 90, on August 9, 2014, from congestive heart failure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Myrtle 1924 births 2014 deaths American television personalities American women television personalities American collectors Women collectors Place of birth missing People from Fort Wayne, Indiana