12-year-old's vacuum expertise turns him into budding TV star

4/1/2007

ADRIAN, Mich. - A 12-year-old boy's hobby of collecting vacuums has turned the sixth-grader into a budding TV star.

Kyle Krichbaum's knowledge of vacuums has helped him land guest spots on programs such as ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.''

The Adrian boy has more than 150 in his collection. And he's been in Hollywood taping a game show pilot where he has to compete - while blindfolded - against contestants by correctly identifying vacuum models.

''I've been practicing, and I can notice the differences in the vacuums by sound,'' Kyle told the Detroit Free Press for a Saturday story. ''I'm getting pretty good at it.''

He told The Daily Telegram for a story before his Leno appearance earlier this year that he's always been fascinated by vacuums. He said get got his first working model at age 3 and keeps part of his collection in his room.

''When I was really little I would always follow my parents around when they were vacuuming,'' he said.

Randy and MaryLynn Krichbaum said their son played with a toy vacuum constantly as a toddler.

''At first we thought it was something he would grow out of because babies like noisy things,'' MaryLynn Krichbaum said. ''But his interest just grew stronger and stronger ... where he gets it from, I don't know.''

Kyle has aspirations of owning a vacuum shop.

''But I also want to be an inventor and invent something quiet,'' he told The Ann Arbor News for a story published last year.

Adrian is located about 50 miles southwest of Detroit.

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