<p>Anyone’s kids bringing their stuffed animals to college? Got stories of turning a car around to go back and get a treasured stuffed animal when your kids were little?</p>
<p>My mom bought S a bear when he was 9 months old, and it became his “lovey” (Brazelton terminology). When S was in elementary school I was convinced that Bear was going to college with him. Bear went EVERYWHERE with us. In 2nd grade we finally convinced him that Bear could stay in the car during church. The only place Bear didn’t go was school. When S sprained his ankle at age 4 and Bear came with us to the emergency room, the nice x-ray technician took an x-ray of Bear for S after she x-rayed his ankle. We still have that x-ray.</p>
<p>D had a stuffed frog in elementary school that was like her imaginary friend. He went to school in her backpack. My MIL discovered that doll clothes fit Froggy, so he had his own wardrobe. When we went on a cruise, we had a family portrait taken on Formal night. Now hanging in our entryway, it includes D holding Froggy, who was wearing a little tuxedo. </p>
<p>As it turned out, Bear now lives in S’s closet at home. Froggy stayed home at first, but joined D at college after her first Thanksgiving break.</p>
<p>Nah, boys at least mine don’t bring stuffed animals to college. I kept each boy his favorite or two from babyhood and the rest we’re giving to the dog…one on his birthday and one for christmas.</p>
<p>My son had a stuffed bear named Jack and he took it everywhere. When his sister was born, son gave Jack the Bear to his little sister “to keep her safe” at night. “little” sister is now in high school and Jack the Bear stays on her bed unless we go out of town and stay in a hotel, then Jack is along for the ride.</p>
<p>I live in NYC. Very few kids in our neighborhood had live pets. </p>
<p>Not realizing this, our [then] new pastor announced that he would be “blessing the animals” on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, which is a Catholic tradition. </p>
<p>About 50 children showed up with their animals for the blessing. All but one were stuffed. Father blessed each and every one of them.</p>
<p>NO WAY! Some relative gave him a HS grad present dog to autograph- pristinely sitting in his closet. I just repacked the chosen few stuffed animals that are being saved (my idea). You got me thinking about the life of a preschooler. There was the bunny - a small square of blanket with a corner bunny head that went everywhere. A couple of stuffed animals had names- without looking up in the baby book I remember one- “Lisa”, a teddy bear. Never had a clue how he came up with that name- no friends, classmates at daycare, teachers, relatives, books…with the name. Early 1990’s.</p>
<p>My husband and a group of his friends (guys and girls) from HS had a stuffed animal mascot, (with a name that the censors wouldn’t like here but it was named after the dog in the movie The Jerk - enough said there)</p>
<p>Anyway, when they all graduated they agreed to send the mascot on a trip to visit the various colleges that they were all going to - so it traveled to Rose-Hulman, Lafayette, West Point, Cornell, even the University of Hawaii, with a few stops in between.</p>
<p>The travels did not stop there - after college graduation, the travels continued as the group started relocating to new cities, starting new jobs, marriages (he showed up to at least one wedding back in NJ), etc. We have not seen him in quite a few years, but he has made at least one visit here to Western NY, during which he got an extensive repair job!</p>
<p>This year is the 30th class reunion - hopefully whoever has him now will bring him along!!!</p>
<p>I have had a stuffed pongo since I was 3 that came to college with me, like from 101 dalmatians. He sits on a shelf. I slept with it until maybe my junior year before he had started to become too fragile, then he retired to she shelf. Just a comfort from home and simpler times I guess. I have hundreds of stuffed animals at home, but just my pongo and a bear from bf at college. </p>
<p>As for stories, I think both my pongo and my little sister’s baby doll have been left on airport shuttles only for my frantic father to go chasing after them to hunt them down. He was successful both times, but I am not surprised. When my older sister was little she accidentally left her baby doll in a movie theater and was up all night wailing, and my dad actually snuck into the movie theater after it was closed to get it for fear that the ratty old thing would be thrown out before morning.</p>
<p>Bought my freshman D a huge pale pink chenille bear with a note pinned on it to please hug as needed .I saw it on her bed with the eyelet pillow cover and fairy duvet very girlish but sweet looking -more like a pre-schooler !!</p>
<p>S1 had a stuffed clown named “Pudgie”. MIL gave it to S1 when he was abut 6 months old. He loved it to death literally. His nylon fabric nose came off. Both arms came off and were sewed back on. We found a new smaller one and tried to substitute but S1 would have none of that. S1 gave Pudgie up when he was about four. Pudgie is now wrapped in paper laying on the closet shelf in S1’s room… </p>
<p>S2 had a small stuffed bunny called “BunBun”. MIL gave BunBun to S2 on his first Easter. Luckily for us MIL also gave S1 the same bunny. S1 didn’t care a thing about it because Pudgie was his main squeeze. Recalling what had happened when we tried to substitute the new Pudgie with S1, I quickly confiscated S1’s unwanted bunny and started rotating it out with S2’s BunBun. S2 never knew there were two BunBuns because I never had both of them out at the same time. Both were equally loved and worn. S2 was a thumbsucker but would only do it while holding BunBun by the paw with the rest of his fingers except for the thumb jammed in his mouth. Once he was well past two, I only allowed him to have BunBun in his bedroom (trying to break the thumb sucking). He gave BunBun and the thumbsucking up around three years old. BunBun is also in the top of the closet.</p>
<p>D’s hs BF won her a stuffed frog at a carnival. They named it “Cash” because it cost the bf a lot more to “win” it than it would have to just buy it, lol. Cash came to college and lived on D’s bed. After about a month, she skyped bf and told him very sadly that she had lost Cash. Somehow he just disappeared, she had searched and couldn’t find him. BF was ticked. The next day bf got a box in the mail. It was Cash, with a note in D’s handwriting that said, “Dear daddy, I missed you so I decided to run away and visit you at your college.” Bf got on Skype with a sheepish look on his face for getting mad about Cash disappearing… eventually Cash returned to D. They have since broken up, not sure where Cash is now.</p>
<p>When S was little someone gave him a stuffed bear about a foot high that talked if you squeezed its paws or ears. Sometimes when I would be cleaning his room the bear would say something to me at random when I was nowhere near it. I thought it was kind of creepy and was glad when the batteries finally died…</p>
<p>S1 had a small stuffed clown with a rattle inside that he kept in his crib. When he would wake up in the morning or after a nap, he would play quitely in his crib for a while, but once he was ready to get out of the crib he would shake the clown at the baby monitor. If that didn’t bring me he would take the clown and hurl it at the monitor. I can still hear the “rattle, rattle, thwack!” That meant I had about 30 seconds to get to him before he started bellowing. Clown is now tucked away.</p>
<p>S2 had two little teddy bears, White Bear and Brown Bear, that fit into the side pockets of his overalls like a gun slingers’ holsters. Every morning he would get up, put on his overalls, load up his bears and be good to go for the day. Both bears are hibernating.</p>
<p>DD collected Boyd’s Bears when she was younger. She has a Christmas bear dressed as Santa, which quickly became known as “Santy Bear”. That bear has made more trips over the years, including college. He is limp as he can be, but so loved by DD. When she graduated college in May, and eventually moved in to a rental home with friends, Santy stayed here. She still sleeps with him when she visits us. </p>
<p>Not a stuffed animal story, but many years ago DD (when she was a meat eater) got a toy giraffe in her happy meal. I would occasionally find that giraffe under my pillow, in my purse, on the dash of my car, etc. I, in turn, would place it in DD’s lunch, in her backpack, in care packages to college, etc. That giraffe has been back and forth between us for many years. Every time I see that giraffe, it makes me smile!</p>
<p>Someone at work gave me a blue bear for my S when he was born. When his sister was born 18mos later, he gave the bear to her. It has gone everywhere with her: Europe, Asia, etc. Bluebear is now in his second year at college. A little incongruous when she was packing up BCPs along with Bluebear.</p>
<p>Orchestragirl was home for winter break. For some reason (nostalgia? wistfulnessness?)she decided to open the box with her childhood stuffed toys and brought “Muttsie” out for cuddling (this limp, raggedly, drooled over stuffed dog was always her absolute favorite, though he did not go to college with her but stayed behind). Our new (living and quite lively)) puppy decided “Muttsie” was a delectable new toy for him. NOT. Serious diplomatic incident ensued. The riot act was read. Chastened puppy retreated, tail-between-legs. Muttsie removed to safety, high atop dresser out of reach of uncontrollable puppy. Peace reigned once more.</p>
<p>No stuffed animal stories. However, my S was given a beautiful blue woven blanket the day he was born. It was more a decorative blanket than a functional blanket. Nonetheless, my S grew very attached to Bunky. Bunky has evolved into nothing more than a dirty, tangled, smelly knot. However, Bunky has been to 4 summers at CTY and just graduated with honors last year. Bunky also spent a year at Oxford and has travelled all throughout Europe. Bunky is very discrete - he usually lives inside a pillow or in a backpack pocket.</p>
<p>OMG D2 has a “bunbun” too. He looks awful. The only reason he doesnt go to college with her is the fear of losing whats left of him. He sits on the bed at home. However her two stuffed dogs do go back and forth to school with her.</p>