A Texas woman's 20-year-old celebrity autograph book has gone viral online after she shared her 2001 project that saw her send mail to over 350 famous faces.
Kim Hoover, who was 31 in 2001, sent letters, material to sign and a return envelope to hundreds of celebrities. Some 20 years later, she has hit over 4 million views online for her impressive time capsule of Hollywood.
Set off by the death of Betty White on December 31, Hoover took to TikTok the next day to show one of the first autographs she received. "I do have Betty White's," she said, showing it to be the first autograph documented in the folder.
"To Kim, wishing you all the very best. Many thanks, Betty White," read the note. "Many thanks for including me in your delightful project."
"So in 2001, I sent 350 letters to famous people all over the world, asking them for their autograph on a piece of material, and these are all the people that I sent a letter to," explained Hoover, showing pages of tables containing the names and addresses of celebrities.
According to Hoover, she would send a letter detailing her project along with a piece of fabric to sign and an addressed envelope.
"I was an antique dealer at the time and I ran across an online auction which had a quilt with patches and autographs of celebrities. I loved the idea and decided to make one for myself but decided to ask for autographs of all types of influencers and not just celebrities," Hoover told Newsweek in an email.
The letter itself was shown to be a heartwarming message about how they had impacted her life so far: "My name is Kim Hoover and I live in Dallas, Texas. I am contacting you because I would like for you to autograph the enclosed piece of material and send it back to me in the enclosed, self-addressed, stamped envelope.
"You are receiving this request because you have affected my life in some fashion within the last 31 years. I am making a blanket that will be a reminder of how happy and full my life is today and the events, songs, jokes and movies that contributed to my search of self.
"I am a homemaker who has not affected the world the way you have, but who has found my place in this world not only with help of my close loved ones, but also with the unintentional influence from you and your work."
Hoover's mission was successful, and garnered autographs from the likes of John Travolta, Elizabeth Taylor, Dick Van Dyke, Robert De Niro, Bill Gates and Dolly Parton.
"There were so many great responses but I would have to say: Betty White, Dolly Parton, Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman, Jimmy Buffett, Phil Collins, Sally Field, Chevy Chase, Shirley MacLaine, Lily Tomlin... oh my, the list goes on and on," said Hoover on her favorite responses.
"Fun Fact, it was mainly the older celebrities who sent back the signed material. Ashley Judd, Kiefer Sutherland, and Wynonna Judd were the youngest I received back."
Her favorite of all, however, was from Kevin Costner, who vowed to "see you at the movies" in his note.
"I was very surprised how many influencers sent back the material. It made me realize that most of them are genuine, down-to-earth people just like the rest of us," she said.
Despite her hard work to track the best addresses, Hoover explained that almost a third were posted back to the sender.
Many, like Betty White, signed the fabric exactly as asked while others of Hollywood's favorite simply sent back pre-signed items. Nolan Ryan, for example, sent back a price sheet for how much he charged for autographs.
Ones who "didn't understand the assignment" include Reba McEntire and George Bush Sr., who were unable to sign it due to busy schedules—and office policies, of course.
"I decided not to make the quilt because several signatures were too close to the edge so I decided to preserve them in a notebook," explained Hoover. "I still may make the quilt because the TikTok community has offered some great suggestions on how I can still make the blanket."
With so many views on TikTok, many have been left impressed by the sheer amount of autographs and the peek into each of their characters through their chosen responses.
"You need to insure this," commented one user.
"Back when the world was so simple," noted another.
Now, Hoover is on track to update her project into 2022, sending out more letters to see if she gets the same luck 21 years later. Celebrities this time include Taylor Swift and Drew Barrymore, who she unsuccessfully wrote to the first time around.
Update 01/12/2021, 02:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Kim Hoover.
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