stuffed critters past or present?

[enril]

does anyone have/have had any stuffed critters in the past that meant anything orthat you loved? they dont need to have been your own.
@the Cat no owl shaming .......................jk..
(insert many words here)

 

[seoulsearch]

does anyone have/have had any stuffed critters in the past that meant anything orthat you loved? they dont need to have been your own. @the Cat no owl shaming .......................jk...(insert many words here)

Hooray!

An entire thread about stuffed friends! Winston will surely approve!

As a kid, I used to "talk" to my Mom through various stuffed animals, and because it still makes her laugh to this day, I keep right on doing it. She also used to vacuum all my plushies regularly (dust, you know,) and as a kid, I used to "complain" that she was suffocating them. Sugar Plum (critter on the left in my avatar) occasionally loses a tuft of fluff, and so when I bring her to visit, my Mom still threatens to haul out the vacuum every now and then.

Sometimes I pick up interesting-looking children's books at the library just to remind myself that there is still some innocence and goodness left in the world. A while back, I picked up this:



It included the very interesting fact that alligators and crocodiles will sometimes balance sticks on their snouts, tempting nearby birds to collect free nest building materials -- while allowing the croc or gator to snag a quick, convenient lunch.

My current avatar is a recreation of this fun fact (done so for the amusement/annoyance of my parents and chat buddies.) In the lower right, Chompy, is technically a crocodile (according to his tag,) but a good friend sent him to me thinking he was an alligator. He also lives in a nest of owls, so I like to say that Chompy is a croc-owl-dile who identifies as an owl-i-gator.

In this picture, Chompy is balancing treats on his snout (one Snickers bar and two Reese's peanut butter cups) in order try to lure in BB (purple owl,) and Sugar Plum (purple bigfoot, whom I classify as a Footie) to come a little closer. Fortunately, Chompy is trying to reel them in as friends, and NOT as food.

Each critter is a very concentrated dollop of a part of my personality -- for the good, and for the bad.

Sugar Plum is adventurous and carefree. She'll try anything once -- and she's a part of me I wish I could be more of.

BB (short for "Bianca Beatrice", two names chosen by chat friends, and also because she has a dimple that resembles a belly button) is anxious, insecure, and at times, petty -- which is very much a lot like me more times than I should admit!

Chompy is laid-back, a little over-protective (no one gets too close to his friends,) and loves to feel like he has a purpose and is making a difference (guarding an entire nest of fellow stuffed critters is a big job!)

These are the kinds of pictures and stories my poor parents and chat friends are subjected to on a regular basis.

Yes, I know you feel sorry for them. But for some reason, they keep responding to my texts!

I know Winston, the turquoise owl who says @RodB651 is his best friend and @Lynx is.. well, you know how cats and birds get along... is quite famous in his own right, but for this version of my avatar, he was off raiding the cookie jar rather than posing for this picture.

Great thread, @enril -- thanks so much for posting it!

 

[seoulsearch]

@Mem ,

I think the last time we discussed Hebert, he had gone missing?! 😭

Has the poor little chap been found and made his way back home 🏡? 🥺

 

[Mem]

During my last trip to the grocery store, I nabbed a couple bottles of premium EVOO at clearance prices (one for only $2 and some change) and on my way out through the checkout, I came upon a bin of squishmallows that had like two little flying monkeys (all that was left of the advertised Wizard of Oz Squishmallows line) and a big bottle of olive oil named "Odette." I noticed the bin because it said, "Squishmallows 70% off" But it confused me because I didn't remember any big bottle of olive oil in the movie. And, I didn't want the flying monkeys, but I couldn't put Odette back, even if she wasn't on sale. So, I took her to the checkout, and she scanned for only $6.42! So, she does certainly mean something to me, with all the 'coincidence' surrounding her discovery.

@Mem ,

I think the last time we discussed Hebert, he had gone missing?! 😭

Has the poor little chap been found and made his way back home 🏡? 🥺

I don't remember where I found Heber when he came up missing, but this reminded me to check for him and I saw him sitting on the children's bookshelf in the corner. He's rather small so he's not quite the sort of a 'go-to' snuggly size for me even though that is what he is designed for (sorry, Hebert, it's nothing personal. I'm mean, it's not you...it's me). Odette, on the other hand, is 12" and the perfect size to lull me to sleep just as she did as recent as last night.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

does anyone have/have had any stuffed critters in the past that meant anything orthat you loved? they dont need to have been your own.
@the Cat no owl shaming .......................jk..
(insert many words here)

I kept my very first plush that Mom said I had as a baby. It's a red horse.
It's on the top shelf of my closet right now. It's an early reminder of my parents love.

My favorite stuffed animal as a toddler was King Kong with Billy Banton on his arm. You pull the string and he'd say "Are you hungry? Have a banana!"
I can't find a picture of it, but here's the one I got when I was a little older because the original was starting to lose it's arm.


I bought my baby brother's first toy as soon as he was born. The first time I was allowed in the hospital, I took my allowance.50¢/ week, looked around the gift shop at the University Hospital and bought Allen Dumbo the Elephant.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

I kept my very first plush that Mom said I had as a baby. It's a red horse.
It's on the top shelf of my closet right now. It's an early reminder of my parents love.

My favorite stuffed animal as a toddler was King Kong with Billy Banton on his arm. You pull the string and he'd say "Are you hungry? Have a banana!"
I can't find a picture of it, but here's the one I got when I was a little older because the original was starting to lose it's arm.

Correction: Bobby Bond was the little boy's name.

 

[enril]

Hooray!

An entire thread about stuffed friends! Winston will surely approve!

As a kid, I used to "talk" to my Mom through various stuffed animals, and because it still makes her laugh to this day, I keep right on doing it. She also used to vacuum all my plushies regularly (dust, you know,) and as a kid, I used to "complain" that she was suffocating them. Sugar Plum (critter on the left in my avatar) occasionally loses a tuft of fluff, and so when I bring her to visit, my Mom still threatens to haul out the vacuum every now and then.

Sometimes I pick up interesting-looking children's books at the library just to remind myself that there is still some innocence and goodness left in the world. A while back, I picked up this:

View attachment 276594

It included the very interesting fact that alligators and crocodiles will sometimes balance sticks on their snouts, tempting nearby birds to collect free nest building materials -- while allowing the croc or gator to snag a quick, convenient lunch.

My current avatar is a recreation of this fun fact (done so for the amusement/annoyance of my parents and chat buddies.) In the lower right, Chompy, is technically a crocodile (according to his tag,) but a good friend sent him to me thinking he was an alligator. He also lives in a nest of owls, so I like to say that Chompy is a croc-owl-dile who identifies as an owl-i-gator.

In this picture, Chompy is balancing treats on his snout (one Snickers bar and two Reese's peanut butter cups) in order try to lure in BB (purple owl,) and Sugar Plum (purple bigfoot, whom I classify as a Footie) to come a little closer. Fortunately, Chompy is trying to reel them in as friends, and NOT as food.

Each critter is a very concentrated dollop of a part of my personality -- for the good, and for the bad.

Sugar Plum is adventurous and carefree. She'll try anything once -- and she's a part of me I wish I could be more of.

BB (short for "Bianca Beatrice", two names chosen by chat friends, and also because she has a dimple that resembles a belly button) is anxious, insecure, and at times, petty -- which is very much a lot like me more times than I should admit!

Chompy is laid-back, a little over-protective (no one gets too close to his friends,) and loves to feel like he has a purpose and is making a difference (guarding an entire nest of fellow stuffed critters is a big job!)

These are the kinds of pictures and stories my poor parents and chat friends are subjected to on a regular basis.

Yes, I know you feel sorry for them. But for some reason, they keep responding to my texts!

I know Winston, the turquoise owl who says @RodB651 is his best friend and @Lynx is.. well, you know how cats and birds get along... is quite famous in his own right, but for this version of my avatar, he was off raiding the cookie jar rather than posing for this picture.

Great thread, @enril -- thanks so much for posting it!

i too have many critters some of whom have absorbed some of my character.

i recieved what i believe was my first one at who knows what age.
he is a large bear that my dad got while in the hospital at i think 17.
hint: big bear.

i also got a rabbit from a drawing contest.
hes so much like a real hare that hes less nice to hold. although hes softened up a bit.

i at one point had 97? i think critters.

i have a 28 year old pink bunny that i got from my mom.

hand a mouse named mouse house (someone called him a house mouse) he was (besides big bear) my biggest one (in heart not volume)

i mostly have moved past those days but i still have bb and br(badrabbit not bigrabbit (but he is big))

 

[enril]

i too have many critters some of whom have absorbed some of my character.

i recieved what i believe was my first one at who knows what age.
he is a large bear that my dad got while in the hospital at i think 17.
hint: big bear.

i also got a rabbit from a drawing contest.
hes so much like a real hare that hes less nice to hold. although hes softened up a bit.

i at one point had 97? i think critters.

i have a 28 year old pink bunny that i got from my mom.

hand a mouse named mouse house (someone called him a house mouse) he was (besides big bear) my biggest one (in heart not volume)

i mostly have moved past those days but i still have bb and br(badrabbit not bigrabbit (but he is big))

but 'i miss the days'

 

[Lynx]

Do action figures count? I think they should. Brainstorm (Transformers: Headmasters line) was my version of a teddy bear. He was much cooler than a stuffed bear though. He could fly and shoot lasers and stuff.

 

[Gideon300]

does anyone have/have had any stuffed critters in the past that meant anything orthat you loved? they dont need to have been your own.
@the Cat no owl shaming .......................jk..
(insert many words here)

Not me, but my daughter has a stuffed lamb. It's stuffed in both senses of the word. It is now about 35 years old and only the head is original. It was a sanity saver for me. I was able to get her to sleep with the thing when she was tiny. It cost 20 cents at the op shop. Best investment ever.

 

[Subhumanoidal]

When I was young I had a decent number of stuft crus... I mean stuft animals.
I can only remember one. A simple teddy bear with a bow around it's neck.
I came up with this super creative name for him. Teddy. 🤯
But he was my absolute favorite. Probably why I can only remember him.
When I was maybe preteen or early teen I had a fairly large tiger. He was pretty cool. No clue where I got him.

As far as action figures, I was quite a fan. I had G I Joe's, tons of He-Man, Transformers, Go-Bots. Probably more i can't recall.

Not quite action figures, but an honorable mention. I used to have tons of M.U.S.C
L.E. characters.
These were little plastic wrestlers. But not of real people but of crazier looking characters. They were pretty small, maybe an inch or two, but I had so much fun with them, especially since they were easy to take with you in the car, and have plenty to choose from.



A bit off topic, but you can blame Lynx for that. 😇

 

[seoulsearch]

Do action figures count? I think they should. Brainstorm (Transformers: Headmasters line) was my version of a teddy bear. He was much cooler than a stuffed bear though. He could fly and shoot lasers and stuff.

When I was young I had a decent number of stuft crus... I mean stuft animals.
I can only remember one. A simple teddy bear with a bow around it's neck.
I came up with this super creative name for him. Teddy. 🤯
But he was my absolute favorite. Probably why I can only remember him.
When I was maybe preteen or early teen I had a fairly large tiger. He was pretty cool. No clue where I got him.

As far as action figures, I was quite a fan. I had G I Joe's, tons of He-Man, Transformers, Go-Bots. Probably more i can't recall.

Not quite action figures, but an honorable mention. I used to have tons of M.U.S.C
L.E. characters.
These were little plastic wrestlers. But not of real people but of crazier looking characters. They were pretty small, maybe an inch or two, but I had so much fun with them, especially since they were easy to take with you in the car, and have plenty to choose from.

View attachment 276603

A bit off topic, but you can blame Lynx for that. 😇

I love hearing about people's collections and favorite childhood toys!

Action figures and collectibles definitely count!

 

[seoulsearch]

Not me, but my daughter has a stuffed lamb. It's stuffed in both senses of the word. It is now about 35 years old and only the head is original. It was a sanity saver for me. I was able to get her to sleep with the thing when she was tiny. It cost 20 cents at the op shop. Best investment ever.

I loved this story, thanks so much for sharing it!

I love it when people have some poor mangled old friend from their childhood, but there's always a heartwarming tale behind it. ❤️

 

[seoulsearch]

During my last trip to the grocery store, I nabbed a couple bottles of premium EVOO at clearance prices (one for only $2 and some change) and on my way out through the checkout, I came upon a bin of squishmallows that had like two little flying monkeys (all that was left of the advertised Wizard of Oz Squishmallows line) and a big bottle of olive oil named "Odette." I noticed the bin because it said, "Squishmallows 70% off" But it confused me because I didn't remember any big bottle of olive oil in the movie. And, I didn't want the flying monkeys, but I couldn't put Odette back, even if she wasn't on sale. So, I took her to the checkout, and she scanned for only $6.42! So, she does certainly mean something to me, with all the 'coincidence' surrounding her discovery.

I don't remember where I found Heber when he came up missing, but this reminded me to check for him and I saw him sitting on the children's bookshelf in the corner. He's rather small so he's not quite the sort of a 'go-to' snuggly size for me even though that is what he is designed for (sorry, Hebert, it's nothing personal. I'm mean, it's not you...it's me). Odette, on the other hand, is 12" and the perfect size to lull me to sleep just as she did as recent as last night.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only adult (though some would say in my case it's questionable,) who is drawn to Squishmallows.

If I'm in a store and have the time, I have a hard time resisting going and checking the latest ones.

The one problem is... all the competition.

More than once, I've had to pretend to patiently wait my turn behind small children and 12-year-old girls who are digging through the bins and displays ahead of me. And the one thing that saves me from buying too many (besides budget restraints) is that I am extremely picky!

I've only bought 2 in about the last 4 years, which is pretty good for me, but one time I had to wait for a mom and her son to finish pawing their way through all the new Halloween arrivals in front of me. I promptly spied and fished out my coveted victim (a Halloween owl,) and the little boy pointed and said, "Mommy, is that lady... buying a Squishmallow?!"

Now look here, kid -- I'm not judging you, so don't judge me, ok?! Do we have a deal?!

But I'm sure that somewhere along the line, I must be reaping what I've sown.

Sometime in the past, I'm sure I must have been in awe of seeing some "old" person doing something I thought was only for the "young", and now it's coming back to bite me.

 

[enril]

I loved this story, thanks so much for sharing it!

I love it when people have some poor mangled old friend from their childhood, but there's always a heartwarming tale behind it. ❤️

have you ever read the picture book called something like the calico rabbit?

 

[shittim]

Is that "The Velveteen Rabbit"?

 

[seoulsearch]

have you ever read the picture book called something like the calico rabbit?

I'm not familiar with a story called The Calico Rabbit, but I've read The Velveteen Rabbit -- and it's definitely a tearjerker.

 

[enril]

Is that "The Velveteen Rabbit"?

I'm not familiar with a story called The Calico Rabbit, but I've read The Velveteen Rabbit -- and it's definitely a tearjerker.

yep.

 

[Billyd]

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.

 

[Mem]

I divided up a set of Street Sharks between my sons. The others didn't take to them as much as my youngest son who carried Slammu around like a Teddy Bear. I remember it had boxing gloves and liking that I could get a hold of one to give him for his 33rd bday, I noted the vintage, 1994 collection's asking is over $300 at Ebay and that for Slammu alone on Etsy. I realize that he isn't that toddler anymore, but the memory is priceless.

@seoulsearch. I wouldn't have missed that rare opportunity to speak Kiddiesian that I've managed to retain even after all these years. I'd have stuck my tongue out at him with my thumbs in my ears.