A Fallout superfan with one of the world’s largest merchandise collections has filled her 1950s house with nuclear bunker rations, Geiger counters and Nuka Cola bottles in tribute to the video game series.
Nicole DiSanto, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, US, has spent the last 17 years collecting items from the video game franchise and the more recent Amazon Prime TV show, Fallout – a series based in a post-apocalyptic future after nuclear war has forced many humans into vaults underground.
Her collection of more than 5,000 products includes Nuka Cola bottles, hundreds of Vault Boy bobble heads and dozens of replica Pip-Boys – a wearable computer strapped to the arm of the protagonists in the series.
In keeping with life after a nuclear apocalypse, Nicole even purchases vintage Geiger counters and ration packs of emergency food and water and shares unboxing videos, toy demonstrations and recipes on her TikTok page.
With more than two million TikTok followers, Nicole has built a career from the fandom under the name Mrs.Fallout – which is evident from Fallout paraphernalia throughout her 1950s home, from towels and drinking glasses to the salt and pepper shakers in her kitchen.
Nicole said it is tricky to put a number on the amount she has spent on her collection but said was able to purchase one of her most valuable items, a miniature model replica Fallout car with an estimated value of 4,500 US dollars (£3,510), for 500 dollars (£390) in a “complete dumb luck moment”.
“My husband tells me frequently that if I was not a collector we could own a vacation bungalow on the beach,” Nicole told PA Real Life.
“My collection has not come to me easily and it has taken many years of dedication to accumulate but it has been worth it.
“Fallout has brought together a community of fans like no other from all walks of life – it has taught me to take chances, seize opportunities and enjoy the journey.”
Fallout is a series of post-apocalyptic video games set in a retro-futuristic world decades after a devastating nuclear war has rocked the globe.
In the game, many citizens seek life underground in vaults designed to protect them from radiation, mutants and bandits but one determined individual leaves the comfort of the bunker to explore the dangerous world outside.
In 2024, Amazon Prime released a drama series based around the games – but Nicole has been an avid Fallout fan since 2008 and she started her collection the same year as the release of Fallout 3.
“I started with a small shelf of just a few items and it has grown into what it is today,” she said.
“My collection is no longer contained on a shelf or used as decor – some of my collection is used in my everyday life from drinking glasses, towels, and salt and pepper shakers.”
Nicole has been able to develop a career from her passion and on TikTok she earns millions of views by showcasing her expansive collection – from opening 60-year-old packs of gum from her ration stores, testing the radioactivity of uranium glass and hunting for collector’s items in thrift stores.
One of her most popular videos, with a whopping 73 million views, sees her open a 70-year-old can of peaches from a Fallout shelter where she tips tar-black liquid into a bowl along with black peaches the consistency of jelly.
Another video raking in 67 million views shows Nicole testing tinned Fallout shelter water from the 1950s with test strips, before she shows her viewers the clear liquid in a glass jug.
Within her collection, some of Nicole’s most valuable items include a replica Fallout vehicle, named The Wand Company no. 19 racing fusion flea, with an estimated value of 4,500 dollars – but she was able to purchase the item for just 500 dollars in a moment she described as “complete dumb luck”.
She also has a 4ft wide statue of a Deathclaw, a monster in the game, which cost 1,000 dollars (£781) and a 6ft tall Vault Boy statue valued at around 3,000 dollars (£2,350), which she bagged for 600 dollars (£468) on eBay.
Some of her rarest collectables include a sealed Nuka Cola soda, which was only given out to journalists in 2008, as well as an iPod Nano which was also only given to the press to promote the release of Fallout 3.
Overall, Nicole has collected more than 5,000 products so far, including 531 clothing items, 214 Vault Boy bobble heads ranging from one inch to 6ft tall, 95 glass Nuka Cola bottles, 33 Pip-Boys, 29 lunch boxes, 26 watches and 15 video game controllers.
While she has a room in her home dedicated to her collection, items from the franchise can be found in “just about every room”, and the property itself was purchased in 2020 in tribute to the game – which presents an alternate reality where society and culture are rooted in the 1950s.
“With my love of the franchise, era and retro-futurism aesthetic, it only seemed fitting that I purchase a home from the 1950s that was large enough to house my collection with period accurate furniture and fixtures,” she said.
Nicole said there are “many layers” to her collection, and starting with the officially licensed items from the franchise sent her down a “rabbit hole”.
“This includes a collection of emergency food and water rations, uranium glass, vintage Geiger counters, and all types of items and memorabilia relating to the atomic bomb,” she said.
Nicole added she has stockpiled more than 100 food ration packs which include meat, such as chicken, tuna, turkey and ham, various canned fruits, cakes, bread, and spreads such as jams and peanut butter.
“The game really gave me something to grab hold of during a deep depression and I think that’s why I have taken so hard to collecting,” she explained.
“Being able to save up for something you have been eyeing for years and finally getting it in your hands is like no other feeling.
“(My collection) not only brings me a lot of joy, but I have found a community, developed relationships and have now built a career out of something that I love.”
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