I guess I'm rather strange. I grew up on a farm where all the animals were real. My first pet was a yellow kitten that I adopted about the time I started walking. That cat followed me everywhere for the next seven or eight years. By the time I started school, I had adopted a dog, pig, some chickens, a turtle, and several lizards. My younger sisters always had stuffed dolls, but they always liked to play with live pets.
Things were a lot different with my children. Barbies and action figures were the choice. My daughter had a large bunny that she always slept with. You could always find a stash of hot wheels, matchbox cars, and legos in my sons' bed.