My Inner Sanctum

Over his long career as a stand-up comic and actor, the host of NBC's hit Deal or No Deal (season finale, June 5 at 8 p.m.) has amassed a collection that makes his L.A. home office as offbeat as the Mandel himself.

STROKES OF GENIUS
Mandel's portrait of Einstein is by Denny Dent, who would paint a celebrity's likeness in the time it took to play a few songs. ''He did that in seven minutes! He died [in 2004]. I bought the rights to his life. Hopefully [it'll be a] film.''

PAPER MOON
Why an automated toilet-seat-cover dispenser? ''I'm a germaphobe. My wife got me that for our anniversary. I have a key so nobody else can waste my [seat covers].''

GIFT FROM A FRIEND
''Jennifer Aniston, my very first guest on my talk show [in 1998], brought me this. I imagine it's a pencil holder. I was so blown away. You wouldn't imagine Jennifer would have a metal lathe.''

ALL DOLLED UP
''Bobby's World'' — Mandel's 1990s animated series — ''was a big hit, but they didn't do much licensing. Just this one Bobby toy. It's got, like, a 30-pound head, and [his hair] could put out three eyes at once.''

GAME BORED
While wooing Mandel, one Deal or No Deal exec presented him with this poster board. ''I imagined him at home with his scissors. I go, 'It's a good game, but this is not good production value.' I thought it was a joke. I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher; I thought I was being Punk'd.''

MODEL PRISONERSpeaking of arts and crafts, this mini-jail cell is a Mandel favorite. ''A big fan of mine in prison made that out of tongue depressors and other things. It's his cell.'' The comedian plans to return the favor: ''I'm making a replica of my house to send him. It's harder because I live in a bigger place. I think I'm going to do papier-mâché.''