A college student has collected more than 250 Randall Boggs items from Monsters, Inc. - a passion that helps ease her anxiety.

Nicky Sauseda, 20, has spent thousands amassing figurines, plushies and rare memorabilia of the sneaky, purple lizard with her priciest pieces shipped all the way from Japan.

Her obsession began in childhood, when she received her first Randall toy after watching Monsters, Inc. as a toddler.

But it wasn't until two years ago that her collecting took off in full force.

For Nicky, who is autistic, the collection is more than just merchandise, it's a source of comfort and calm when the world feels overwhelming.

Nicky, a college student from Chicago, Illinois, said: "I always loved the character of Randall even from when I first watched the film as a toddler."

"Then I got into Steve Buscemi as an actor in his own right and have since watched all of his filmography."

"Since I've started collecting, it's provided me with a lot of comfort and has helped me become a lot calmer. "

"Especially in really overwhelming situations."

Nicky was diagnosed with autism when she was 14 and before her diagnosis, she struggled with her mental health.

For reasons she can't quite explain Randall, and by extension, Steve Buscemi brings her a sense of calm.

She said: "Before my diagnosis I had struggled with that and a lot of other mental health things and both Randall and Steve Buscemi calmed me in some way. "

"It just helps me feel better knowing that no matter what, Randall's always there for comfort. "

"And Steve Buscemi as well. "

"Plus different items on my shelf I like to fidget with to help calm down during panic attacks."

Nicky began curating her collection two years ago and has since amassed over 200 pieces of Randall Boggs merchandise.

She started by scouring eBay and other second-hand and resale sites, racking up an estimated total in the thousands of dollars.

Her most expensive item cost around $200 (£148) and was shipped from Japan, while other pieces range in price from $2 to $150.

Nicky said: "My favourite and most expensive item is my three-foot-tall Randall plushie."

"It cost me about $200 but a lot of that was for the shipping because it was a lot heavier than I initially thought!"

Nicky plans to keep growing her collection, saying new Randall merchandise is always popping up.

She said: "I don't see myself stopping any time soon."

"It helps with my autism and is just a really fun passtime."

"Also, I keep seeing different companies launching new merch that has a Randall figure or a Randall version, so I don't think I will run out of things to collect."