Gone are the days of hiding nerdy obsessions in the man cave, as people now embracing their fandoms and showing them off throughout their homes! Their house may have Frodo’s life-size sword from Lord of the Rings in the foyer, a guitar-shaped like Spongebob in the family room, or even an $850 statue of a World of Warcraft character in the basement.
Here at Lombardo Homes, we surveyed more than 1,000 people to ask them about their home decorating habits. We also analyzed more than 3,100 Google search terms and phrases relating to nerdy house decorations, including terms like “Hobbit wreath” and “Iron Man gaming chair,” to crown the nerdiest states in America.
Some states take their fandom to a whole new level. The nerdiest state in the U.S. is Nebraska! Apparently, there isn’t much to do there, since Nebraskans are searching the most for decorations based on their favorite TV shows, movies and games.
Also topping the list for nerdy states are New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Kansas. Surprisingly, both California (37th) and Florida (48th) didn’t make the top 20, despite being home to a number of amusement parks (we’re looking at you Disney and Universal)!
Overall, more than 1 out of 3 admitted they like to decorate their home with nerdy décor. Some items people have include a mini-fridge wrapped to look like a TARDIS or Baby Groot planters with succulents. More than 2 out of 5 people own decorations or furniture inspired by their pop culture obsessions.
On the internet, you can buy just about anything based on your favorite shows, movies or games. The most common types of decorations Americans go for are collector’s items (like a stuffed animal or figurine), blankets, kitchenware, wall art, holiday decorations, or furniture. These items top the list in 14 states and rank just ahead of furniture, which is the most popular type of decoration in 12 states.
It’s no surprise that in colder states like Alaska, Minnesota and Oregon the top decoration is blankets. Some survey respondents told us they own Sailor Moon, Totoro, and even Animal Crossing blankets.
Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, and New Hampshire decorate with more than just tinsel and lights and include some nerdy ornaments, tree toppers, and even inflatables when decorating for the holidays.
The most Googled nerdy decoration by state varies across the nation. Only six states had the same top item. Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming all prefer Charizard Pokémon card blankets.
Stuffed animals are a theme for many states. People in California want a Hello Kitty Plush, those in Ohio and Pennsylvania prefer Stitch Squishmallows, and people in Michigan would like a Minecraft stuffed animal. Hawaii’s most popular decoration was a Hello Kitty Hawaiian plush!
You better watch out for the Batmobile on the streets of West Virginia, the most popular decoration there is a Batman license plate! Some Midwest states are also drawn to superheroes. The most googled decoration in Indiana is a Marvel light, and people in Missouri want a generic superhero night light to brighten up rooms in their homes.
People are willing to spend a lot of money on fandom items to prove they’re the biggest fan in town. In our survey, Americans admitted to spending up to $10,000 on a nerdy item for their home!
On average, fans are willing to drop about $103 for an item, but if there is something they’d really want, they’d be willing to spend an average of $160. The top decorations fans own are stuffed animals/figurines, wall decor, mugs, blankets, and Christmas ornaments.
More than 7 out of 10 surveyed said they decorate with fandom items because of their love of the show, movie, or game. Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) consider themselves collectors, and about 1 in 10 (9%) actually make decorations themselves. But not everyone buys nerdy decorations, as 40% said they were actually gifted them.
As for the fan favorites, people are the biggest fans of Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Harry Potter, and Nintendo. So, whether you have an entire wall of Marvel Infinity Saga framed posters for your movie room, or a Star Wars dutch oven to serve up food at a dinner party, don’t be afraid to embrace your inner nerd. Others certainly aren’t!
In June 2022, we surveyed 1,053 people to get their feedback about decorations for their homes. Respondents were 49% women, 48% men, 2% nonbinary, and 1% transgender. The average age of respondents was 37. 64% live in homes, 24% in apartments, 4% in townhomes, 4% in condos, 3% in mobile homes, and 1% listed other.
We also analyzed the Google search volume of more than 3,163 terms related to “nerdy house decorations” such as “Darth Vader mug,” “Mickey Mouse pancake maker,” and “Harry Potter string lights” to determine the nerdiest states. The rankings were based on states that had sufficient data available. The data we analyzed was from April 2020-April 2022 (the most recent data available at the time of this report).
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