Bookseller David Lemmo has had a lifelong interest in Modern Myth, and at Book Fairs in Northern California became known for specializing in genre characters: Tarzan; Annie Oakley; Muhammad Ali; Wonder Woman, etc.

Wanting a designation other than Pop Culture, David came up with Modern Mythology in the late 1970s, and made this subject his main specialization through the 1980s.

David moved to San Diego in 1990 and finally decided to create a personal collection of what he renamed Modern Mythology and Pop Culture.

In 2004 David and a couple of friends took a road trip through Route 66 to St. Louis, stopping off at the museums along the way. David already had an idea of what he wanted to do with his collection, and seeing these weird and wonderful museums helped get him started on the project; he began by cataloging his collection.