I've always loved them for sure, but I really became a 'superfan', to coin a phrase from Aardman, in April 2006, I've got the actual date written down somewhere!
I remember it all - I went shopping in the morning and when I got back I had the urge to watch all the Wallace and Gromit films again. I then played the game all day, and by night I'd entered a new stage of fandom it seemed. A few days later I started to build my 'shrine' of their merchandise and in the summer I built my website! I've never looked back!