13 months old when my mom died in a car crash when we were coming home from the zoo. I've kept the stuffed mama and baby dolphin that she bought me from the souvenir shop minutes before all my life.
I still have a stuffed animal (a dog) my mom gave me as a baby. I lost her when I was 18y so I did get some time with her but it’s never enough
It’s been more than 25 years and I still treasure the memories
Lost my mom in a car crash, as well, at the age of 9. The last Christmas present she got me was a cute Lion King 2 outfit, but it had been late arriving so I didn’t get it till after her passing. I never wore it, just couldn’t bring myself to risk ruining it. To this day, I still have that outfit.
When I was 7, we were literally backing out of the driveway to move to another state and my neighbor friend ran up to the car and gave me her favorite doll. I still have it. As I got older, I realized how much that gesture meant.
I have thought about it over the years. I will ask my mom to reach out to her mom and if the woman remembers the doll, I may send it back. She was so young, she may not remember the doll and it means a lot to me, even if it doesn’t mean anything to her. Does that make sense?
Yep, my lion (aptly named Roar) and my giant teddy bear (Big Bear)
Did not come up with the most creative names as a child, apparently
Edit: Though I did have a hermit crab named Active, so at least I understood irony
You think those are uncreative? I had one of those fisher price little people named Somebody. I also had one named Bus Driver
The most creative I got with those was a cat named Taco Bell because his collar was painted in a way that looked like a bell
Pet Rocks were the best!
Our friend group in high school had one called Jaques le Roc and for some reason I had kept it all these years. I have been ‘decluttering’ and managed to throw some items out. Bye bye Jaques!
My brother has been missing for 11 years and he had this bear named Paddington. Paddington looks like he’s been through the war. But, I keep him in case my brother comes home and wonders where he went
So sorry your brother has gone missing.
Decades ago, the son of a family friend went missing too when he was I think around his late teens or just around the cusp of being an adult. We figured it was intentional that he went missing. A little over a decade later, he was "found". I don't recall if they found him or he decided to show up again. They're now all back together, as far as I know. Hopefully you have a happy conclusion too.
That’s the ending I hope for too. When he disappeared he was very unwell mentally and I have a feeling he still is. Nothing could have kept him from our nephews or our late Father. He wasn’t that kinda man. I believe he’s alive out there.
I think when the son of our family friend disappeared, he was resenting his parents whom he felt treated his brothers better than they treated him. Seemed like he wanted them distance to “cool off”. Hopefully your brother returns soon.
I am a grown ass, 240lb man with a big boy job and god damnit I miss my childhood stuffed animals.
I have to live vicariously through my 2 year old now because he has this stuffed penguin he picked out when we went to the aquarium on vacation when he was 10 months old and he still cuddles it every night. I am so scared something will happen to that thing that I ordered a back up on Amazon of the same exact one.
My son turns 18 tomorrow, starts Uni in the fall, and we're both still bummed out about the Bowser Jr. stuffy that he left on the train a decade ago. We both feel he's still out there riding the rails somewhere. 😢 We bought him a new one shortly afterward but he's just not the "real" BJ!
I have a lab set up with all the mechanical tools. I had this weird habit of making diy things for my day to day problems. Like i made an very long extension cable, made a double motor toy car for drag racing with friends, extending charger cable ( i lost an iphone while making this at first) but it worked later, speakers and microphone for my helmet(what you call intercom now, i made this back in 2015)etc. i still have lot of unfinished tasks, lot of tools, cables, motors etc. i stopped it after getting into a job.
I still have my second stuffed animal. My first one got lost on a walk, but they couldn't find an exact replacement, so they got me another bear that had a different color scheme and called it Backup Bear (BB). By the time they found an exact replacement, I had grown attached to BB and didn't want the new one. But he did become my sister's favorite a few years later and, true to form, she named him Bear. She also had a dolly named Dolly, a tiger named Tiger...she wasn't the most creative 😂
ETA - just realized that at ~28, this bear is older than my bf (27)
My 35th birthday is coming up. I still have my beloved Cubby bear that dad bought for me on the very day I came into this world. And a little white teddy bear with a Yankees hat sewn on. The Cubby bear has seen better days but I took it everywhere with me. He now sits safely in a drawer at me and my partner’s home, with Mr. Yankee bear 🤣
Same. Eeyore is still on a bookcase in my childhood bedroom. My mom uses it as a craft room now. All my remaining stuff is in a corner of the closet. Except Eeyore. When I stopped sleeping with him, I set him on that bookshelf so he could watch me sleep. That’s his home now. Has been for 25+ years.
Slightly off topic but my son's stuffed animal (which will likely also be with him for life) is falling apart a bit. Has anyone successfully fixed theirs up themselves or using a service?
Same here. It's a clown fish and i still have it in very good condition. I used to collect plush toys my hole life. When i moved out my parents stored them all in the garage. A few months ago my mum told me that she checked on them and she found that mice made themselves some lovely homes out of my plushies, destroying everything. I'm almost 30 and i cried my eyes out after i found out. At least i still have my first toy and now i started a new collection, i will take better care of them.
Same, I have my stuffed doll that I named Leelee that my mom had to sew back on it's leg and it has a sharper marker as one of it's eyes. Damn that thing is 42 years old.
Same. The Lion King was always one of my favorite films. When the Disney Store was closing in the early 2000's, I picked up two giant Kiara plushes. I still sleep with one today.
The first is for now, and when it gets worn out I have a backup.
I'm a grown man, and yes, I sleep with a plush. My partner even thinks it's cute. She's basically a fuzzy body pillow.
My God, are you me? My 42-year old self also has my bear from when I was 7 (possibly 6 or 8?). Except mine moved from the closet to the bed when I started getting nighttime anxiety last year.
I was on Vacation when my Niece was born and on the day of her birth i got her a turtle from the Aquarium and named it Shelly, she still keeps it in her little collection. She is 14 now :)
I slept every night with a quilt made for me 55 years ago. Except for a corner that got a little burned by fireworks when I used it as a picnic blanket in my teens it's in remarkably good shape.
Quilts made back then were just built different. The ones my grandma made in the 80s and 90s just survived almost any abuse. She's passed now, and the quilts got lost over the years from my asshole parents. I need to find some new grandmas to make me another
Same here! I reluctantly let my beloved kitty cat claim it as a nice cozy bed but I still have it at least. My aunt actually re-knitted it years ago, out of the same yarn. I don’t know why I wanted her to make one for me. I think she did for my baby cousin. Also, I never really had a baby blanket but I had my stuffed bear.
My uncle gifted me a small cat figurine to say thank you for helping to house sit (I was 11/12) with my gran. I was on school holiday for a week so stayed with her the whole time. It’s of a grey tabby and it’s in a sleeping position. I still have that. It sits on my book case. At the ripe old age of 43 I finally adopted my own kittens (have loved cats my whole life but never been able to have as an adult due to various circumstances mainly body corp rules of previous residence). I happen to notice the figurine when choosing a book and realised he is almost identical to one of my kittens. A silver Tabby.
Edit to add - forgot to mention it emigrated with me from UK to South Africa.
https://imgur.com/a/WfG9ggS
I moved around quite a bit as a late teen and it’s always come with me. I moved to South Africa from UK in 2003 and as most of my larger stuff had to stay behind except for clothes, only small items like jewellery, photos and of course this little figurine came along.
I was 8 weeks early, bacteria in my bloodstream, 0% body fat and all the doctors were telling my mom to prepare for me not making it out of the NICU. She bought me a little ugly stuffed dog. His name is Baby Woof Woof and he's perched up in my closet, and I'm keeping him til the day I croak. Or, since preemie births run in my family, if I ever have kids, I'll pass it on. Maybe.
In case you wanted to know, my friend delivered a baby at 23 weeks!! Her water broke early, and now she has a beautiful 2.5 year old girl who is actually catching up to her peers in development. I am AMAZED with modern healthcare.
That's what Reddit is good for! Go unload on every sub or thread you can think of, it's very liberating.
Speaking from experience lol. I've gotten a lot of help/understanding/validation, and best of all, I've made comments of my own that resonated with others.
So come on, in the wise words of Samwais Gamgee: share the load.
I laughed so hard because I relate so well I dropped my phone and couldn't breath for a minute. Hugs fellow internet human. I know the struggles.
You're not alone.
I love you're reply and it's made my day better. Thank you for existing.
All the wooden toys my Grandad made me. He was a quiet man and I was terrified of him for the majority of my childhood. Looking back he just didn’t know how to communicate with kids but each toy is signed and dated in his handwriting and lovingly made by him.
My baby blanket. It’s a small quilt my mom made. It lives in a closet now, but I slept with it most nights until I was in my late 20s. I took it out the other day and it still smells the same :)
EDIT: [I found a picture I took of it a couple years ago.](https://imgur.com/a/8rdd3XR) Shown with the matching crib bumper my mom also made. Obviously the blanket has been well loved.
I have two of mine. At least I think I do. We just moved and I hope they weren't tossed. I'm 70 and those are the only things left. I gave away or tossed most everything else. Trying to minimize the number of things like that left behind when I go....no one wants that stuff.
Juuuuust making the ‘childhood’ cutoff here, but when I went off to college (I was 17) I left behind a little stuffed bear that my 9yo brother gave me. He was sad that I didn’t take it with me, like I didn’t like it. On my first visit home, I packed it to take it back with me. That was 40 years ago, and I still have it. One of my cats has adopted it, but in our family, that’s the ultimate compliment.
I still have all of my old comic books and Manga. I have a nephew who might want them at some point, if not I'll read them with my kids when I get 'em.
Eeeeh probably not too much if it's late 90s or early 2000s. Now if it would have been one of the first few sets around 93-95 and you still had them sealed you'd have a gold mine. You should check what set or sets you have and then what cards from it draw value. You may still have a few worth more than you expect but I wouldn't hold my breath for like thousands of dollars per card or anything.
Look into them, and make sure you also check uncommon and foils. There's some unexpected gems that go for a surprising amount. TCG player is a good site that you can type in a list and get decent value for what you send in
When I was in 1st grade, my “girlfriend” gave me her grandfathers handkerchief to bring to our future wedding when we grow up.
Even though I’m gayer than a 3 dollar bill, I’ve always kept that and she’s still my best friend! We are both 37!
I have my dad's P38 can opener he got from the army when he was drafted. He always had it as a key chain. I remember he had it with him always since i was very little. When he passed , I put it on my key chain. It's been in my life all 39 years and reminds me to think about him whenever I feel around for my keys.
In addition to the beloved stuffie and a few dolls, I've got a couple things that my grandfather made for me - a table for my bitty teddybear and a wooden treasure chest - plus some doll blankets that my great-grandma sewed.
All my lego got passed on to my nephews, as I'm unlikely to ever have kids of my own. Makes me happy that they have fun with it and keep making new stuff.
I had a lady bug toy when I was a baby. I kept it safe and had hidden it places of my house to avoid my mother destroying the last thing that was mine as a child. Buggy has traveled with me all over the states in suitcases and safes until I had my first child. My baby boy is 4 months old now, and he loves Buggy. My lady bug toy has another adventure in its life now and will hopefully continue on if wear and tear doesn't catch up to it. Buggy is 26 years old
My mother & father divorced. She did everything she could to keep us apart but the times I did go against her will were the best of times with my father.
He asked me what I wanted for my 12th birthday and I asked for a teddy bear. He asked why because to him it seemed a bit childish and I explained my mother always bought dolls, but I wanted a teddy as I didn’t have one. I always admired the teddy on uk tv series Playschool - he was called Big Ted. On my 12th birthday I got medium Ted. Jointed, made a bear growl noise when turned over and beautiful golden fur.
Eight months later my father died and my mother wouldn’t let me go to his funeral even though she and my sister went. That Teddy and the fact that my father listened to me, are the most precious things I have from my childhood. Ted is now 48.
Six years ago I went to do a photo essay of my father as i had no knowledge of how or where he died, no autopsy, no police report, nothing. For years my mother lied and manipulated the truth about him to make her seem like the heroine - spoiler alert, she isn’t. I brought the teddy and asked the now owners of the last house I stayed in with him, if I could take a photograph there. They were really interested and welcoming. I told my story - more details than here - and shockingly the husband had been a friend of my father’s and had participated in the search to find him and the two others friends that perished at Glencoe. The poor guy was white as a sheet and truly shocked but once his brain started processing he was thrilled to meet me.
They never knew my father was the first owner of the house, they were the third owners and he’d discovered a pearl-handled cut throat razor on a beam in the garage. Owner two said it wasn’t his, so it turned out to be my father’s and the third owner gave it to me. My father was a fly fisherman and used the razor to cut his fish gut (line). So now I have an actual possession that belonged to my father. And I got a perfect picture of Ted at sunset on the wall outside their house.
I have a teddy bear my mom gave me named Grumpy Alexander. A Pinewood Derby car I built with my grandfather. A set of Fisher Price Woodseys my daughter now plays with. All the memories of my family that I will cherish my whole life.
Can’t post a photo in the comments , but when I was around 5yrs old (I’m 29 now) my family was on a vacation in Virginia and me and my dad had found a perfectly preserved dead cicada . He’s beautiful , wings and legs intact (now missing a few legs from years of handling him to show people lol) has this beautiful green and yellow coloring , just a cool ass bug lol . I named him Freddie and we put him in an old fishing hook box and he’s been with me ever since lol . When I moved out of my parents house he was one of the first things I took to bring with me lol I even got him tattooed on my arm 🥰
My godmother gifted me a waffle textured baby blanket with silk trim. I’m 33 and sleep with it every night. Recently gave birth to my daughter and found the same blanket for sale at Dillard’s bought her one.
I kept my original X-men action figures and collectible cards, Original Optimus Prime and Bumblebee VW Bug, cub scout pinewood derby cars, and a bunch of stuffed animals.
My young boys and wife have seen all of it and the kids think it’s amazing; and my wife gets teary eyed about watching the boys play with my toys.
Makes me happy I kept it all.
Oh, and my 120 spoke, ape hanger chromed out low rider bike from before I could drive is hanging in my garage. I made this when I lived in the hood(white kid), now I live in the burbs when I can display it and think back. I might electrify it though.
An autograph from Magic Johnson. Met him in line at an airport in ‘98, and he was very friendly (though perhaps a bit perturbed as he had been keeping a low-ish profile).
Later that year, my parents would split for the first time, mother attempted suicide, and I caught my old man having an affair on my birthday. In the years after, they split for good, and there were nights where we didn’t know where we would be sleeping.
Today, it hangs in my office.
I always kept it with me, even when all I had was what was in my backpack. I had to, because for one brief moment one of the best basketball players ever gave me a moment of his time, and it made me feel special even when things weren’t going well. If I ever got the chance, I’d love to thank him. The smallest things can mean everything.
I still have a teddy bear that was giving to me 54 years ago when I was a baby by my beloved grandfather who was killed by a drunk driver. I still have it in mint condition I will always cherish it
I still have my first stuffed animal (teddy bear) my parents got me when I was an infant.
But my parents loved Nintendo as much as I did and I'd always get games for holidays/random cheaper games throughout the year. I've kept and cherished them all and want to continue the tradition with my kids when they're old enough
A letter to myself, it was some school activity that you were supposed to write to your future self when you graduate 3 years later. Little did i know that 10 years later i still read it and feel so proud at myself for knowing those activity were a little forced and cringy.
have a stuffed cow affectionately named "moo moo" which I stole from my mom on Mother's day when I was 3. I took him to college with me.
....please don't tell my friends
43 years with consistent use of my baby spoon. It's got initials and b day engraved or I would post pics. I use baby spoons for yogurt, ice cream, pudding, etc. And have the entire 43 years.
Edit: the generational family stool. My car. My teddybear and 2 baby blankets. Fuck, I can go on, but the spoon is the most used.
I had a small stuffed bear someone gave me as a baby. My pup tore off one leg and my Mom sewed it on backwards. Fur missing, backwards leg, missing an ear...I still love him.
My favorite childhood books. One is the Little Golden Book Library (set). I read the stories so often that the spines are falling apart. Then I read them to my children. Maybe they will want to read to theirs - if they have any.
When I was a small child, my class went on a field trip to one of the historic missions in Monterey, CA. We made tortillas and branded leatherette, all while learning history.
I'm 31 and I'm looking at that piece of leather as I type this lol
You know, it sucks sometimes. My wife has quite a few things from her childhood, and I just... don't. We have photos of her as a kid... not me.
I still get sad about it sometimes, but at the end of it all, it's just *stuff*. I cherish the memories instead. And try to focus on making new memories.
Though I admit I maybe spend a bit much on *new* stuff, possibly as an attempt to fill a hole in my life where the old stuff used to be. I dunno.
My collection of Breyer model horses. I played with them a lot as a kid in the late 70's and early 80's. They have always come with me even if they were sometimes stored away for years. Now I have a place to display them and add to the collection. I really enjoy having this bit of nostalgia from my childhood.
In my closet I have a memory box filled with cards, newspaper clippings, and other meaningful things from my childhood.
As far as things I just haven’t gotten rid of, I have a blanket still, some old cubs jerseys I had in middle school and a specific pad of graph paper. Probably some other random stuff that I ain’t thinking of.
Oddly none. My mom is a minimalist and she taught me to be one as well. So every 6 months or so we'd go through my toys and I'd pick ones to donate. Usually toys I had not touched in awhile.
I am the same as an adult. Some people say my house seems empty, but the idea of living with clutter scares me. It's much more peaceful the way I live in my opinion.
Had an old coca cola polar bear doll that I held onto since I was a kid, and gave it to my little brother so he can give it to his daughters. He takes good care of it.
My Mom did some substitute teaching for my first grade class. The teacher and my classmates loved her so much that they hand made a vase and everyone signed it. I’m 50 now and lost her when I was almost 18 and keep this on my mantle as a reminder of how special and sweet she was.
A few stuffed animals from my Dad, a trophy from getting the most Accelerated Reader points in 3rd grade, and a handful of old video games from growing up.
I’m 63 and still have two stuffed animals I used to sleep with. I also have my christening gown, and a snake plant that someone gave my mother when she gave birth to me.
13 months old when my mom died in a car crash when we were coming home from the zoo. I've kept the stuffed mama and baby dolphin that she bought me from the souvenir shop minutes before all my life.
I'm sorry to hear that...I hope you look after the stuffed mama and baby dolphin well :"(
I'm sure they look after her.
Wish the best for you. I am sure your mama loved you very much
This just broke my heart.
Right in the feels, man this is heavy
I still have a stuffed animal (a dog) my mom gave me as a baby. I lost her when I was 18y so I did get some time with her but it’s never enough It’s been more than 25 years and I still treasure the memories
That legit made me tear up. I’m sorry you went through that and it’s amazing you still have stuffed animals
Lost my mom in a car crash, as well, at the age of 9. The last Christmas present she got me was a cute Lion King 2 outfit, but it had been late arriving so I didn’t get it till after her passing. I never wore it, just couldn’t bring myself to risk ruining it. To this day, I still have that outfit.
Well now I am crying 😭
And now me too!
As a parent, this is soul crushing. I'm so sorry for your family's loss. I hope your father has healed.
she loved you so much, as a mother myself i hope you know that.
I am heart broken for you and your mama. Wild guess, she loved you so much!
Then the stuffed became the most treasured souvenir
🥀🥀
When I was 7, we were literally backing out of the driveway to move to another state and my neighbor friend ran up to the car and gave me her favorite doll. I still have it. As I got older, I realized how much that gesture meant.
Oh my heart 😭
It’s been almost 60 years and I still look at that doll with so much love. It’s the little things in life that can have such a huge impact.
Have you ever heard from that friend ever after?
I have not. I think my mom still talks to her mom. I need to send a photo. She was a bit younger than I was so am curious if she remembers.
Send her the doll back. Or even better, show up with the doll!
I have thought about it over the years. I will ask my mom to reach out to her mom and if the woman remembers the doll, I may send it back. She was so young, she may not remember the doll and it means a lot to me, even if it doesn’t mean anything to her. Does that make sense?
Perhaps stalk them on social media first though. People change.. sometimes for the worst
So what are you waiting for?!?? 1. Contact friend 2. Record it 3. Make viral YT video 4. Profit It's too easy! 😆
I hope you reach out and find out. I am willing to bet she does remember and would be overjoyed to know how much that still means to you.
It made my day a little better hearing this story, I’m glad you commented
Only thing I still have is my first stuffed animal, it’ll probably be with me till death
Yep, my lion (aptly named Roar) and my giant teddy bear (Big Bear) Did not come up with the most creative names as a child, apparently Edit: Though I did have a hermit crab named Active, so at least I understood irony
I had a lion named roar as well! One of the only things I still have.
Mins a dog with a beanie and scarf I named snowball
You think those are uncreative? I had one of those fisher price little people named Somebody. I also had one named Bus Driver The most creative I got with those was a cat named Taco Bell because his collar was painted in a way that looked like a bell
Mines a hound dog named floppy, kids are very creative
I had a pet rock (we weren't well off back in the 70's) called Myrtle the Turtle
Pet Rocks were the best! Our friend group in high school had one called Jaques le Roc and for some reason I had kept it all these years. I have been ‘decluttering’ and managed to throw some items out. Bye bye Jaques!
My brother has been missing for 11 years and he had this bear named Paddington. Paddington looks like he’s been through the war. But, I keep him in case my brother comes home and wonders where he went
So sorry your brother has gone missing. Decades ago, the son of a family friend went missing too when he was I think around his late teens or just around the cusp of being an adult. We figured it was intentional that he went missing. A little over a decade later, he was "found". I don't recall if they found him or he decided to show up again. They're now all back together, as far as I know. Hopefully you have a happy conclusion too.
That’s the ending I hope for too. When he disappeared he was very unwell mentally and I have a feeling he still is. Nothing could have kept him from our nephews or our late Father. He wasn’t that kinda man. I believe he’s alive out there.
I think when the son of our family friend disappeared, he was resenting his parents whom he felt treated his brothers better than they treated him. Seemed like he wanted them distance to “cool off”. Hopefully your brother returns soon.
I'm sorry for you and wish your brother the guidance to return home
I am a grown ass, 240lb man with a big boy job and god damnit I miss my childhood stuffed animals. I have to live vicariously through my 2 year old now because he has this stuffed penguin he picked out when we went to the aquarium on vacation when he was 10 months old and he still cuddles it every night. I am so scared something will happen to that thing that I ordered a back up on Amazon of the same exact one.
My son turns 18 tomorrow, starts Uni in the fall, and we're both still bummed out about the Bowser Jr. stuffy that he left on the train a decade ago. We both feel he's still out there riding the rails somewhere. 😢 We bought him a new one shortly afterward but he's just not the "real" BJ!
You need to cycle them so they wear evenly. He'll know if the OG penguin goes missing and you hand him a brand new one!
Well then OP will need a back up to the back up
Me too almost 40 years with me
I have a lab set up with all the mechanical tools. I had this weird habit of making diy things for my day to day problems. Like i made an very long extension cable, made a double motor toy car for drag racing with friends, extending charger cable ( i lost an iphone while making this at first) but it worked later, speakers and microphone for my helmet(what you call intercom now, i made this back in 2015)etc. i still have lot of unfinished tasks, lot of tools, cables, motors etc. i stopped it after getting into a job.
I still have my second stuffed animal. My first one got lost on a walk, but they couldn't find an exact replacement, so they got me another bear that had a different color scheme and called it Backup Bear (BB). By the time they found an exact replacement, I had grown attached to BB and didn't want the new one. But he did become my sister's favorite a few years later and, true to form, she named him Bear. She also had a dolly named Dolly, a tiger named Tiger...she wasn't the most creative 😂 ETA - just realized that at ~28, this bear is older than my bf (27)
My 35th birthday is coming up. I still have my beloved Cubby bear that dad bought for me on the very day I came into this world. And a little white teddy bear with a Yankees hat sewn on. The Cubby bear has seen better days but I took it everywhere with me. He now sits safely in a drawer at me and my partner’s home, with Mr. Yankee bear 🤣
Same. Eeyore is still on a bookcase in my childhood bedroom. My mom uses it as a craft room now. All my remaining stuff is in a corner of the closet. Except Eeyore. When I stopped sleeping with him, I set him on that bookshelf so he could watch me sleep. That’s his home now. Has been for 25+ years.
Was in the same boat until an ex stole it :(
That’s a god damn crime man that sucks
Bear Bear!
Slightly off topic but my son's stuffed animal (which will likely also be with him for life) is falling apart a bit. Has anyone successfully fixed theirs up themselves or using a service?
They have “doll hospitals” you can send the doll into. I saw it on TV not so long ago. Worth a google.
My mom used pieces of an old family blanket to stitch mine back together
Same. I’ve asked my siblings to bury it w me 😆
Same. Best Ted. Had him since I was a baby.
Same here. It's a clown fish and i still have it in very good condition. I used to collect plush toys my hole life. When i moved out my parents stored them all in the garage. A few months ago my mum told me that she checked on them and she found that mice made themselves some lovely homes out of my plushies, destroying everything. I'm almost 30 and i cried my eyes out after i found out. At least i still have my first toy and now i started a new collection, i will take better care of them.
Same, I have my stuffed doll that I named Leelee that my mom had to sew back on it's leg and it has a sharper marker as one of it's eyes. Damn that thing is 42 years old.
Like wise, and it’s been passed down to my son
Same. The Lion King was always one of my favorite films. When the Disney Store was closing in the early 2000's, I picked up two giant Kiara plushes. I still sleep with one today. The first is for now, and when it gets worn out I have a backup. I'm a grown man, and yes, I sleep with a plush. My partner even thinks it's cute. She's basically a fuzzy body pillow.
I still have my teddy bear I was given when I was 7. His name is Bobby. He sleeps peacefully in my closet. He is 35 years old.
Charge him rent.
First thing to make me laugh out loud today. Upvote for you.
I wheezed. Hard! 😂😭
This Ass, Cash or Grass, no one lives rent free.
I'm good on cash and grass
[удалено]
My younger brother had a blanket named Bobby. He still has a scrap of it to this day.
Does he pay taxes?
My God, are you me? My 42-year old self also has my bear from when I was 7 (possibly 6 or 8?). Except mine moved from the closet to the bed when I started getting nighttime anxiety last year.
A Mortal Kombat pog (slammer) from like 1996. It's followed me ever since
Trade you for my chocolate milk
But that's a depreciating asset
I see your choco milk and raise a Jungle Juice
I'll trade you my Michael Jordan Space Jams slammer.
Playing for keeps? You must have been damn good.
Test your might
Happy cake day
My first plush toy, a turtle named Shelly.
omfg you just made me understand a pun from two months ago that fully went over my head. jesus skateboarding christ. I'm going back to bed.
"Jesus skateboarding Christ" is the best thing I've heard all week
I'm also partial to Jesus Tapdancing Christ.
And “Good Lord on a Skateboard”
"Christ on a bike" is what I'm familiar with
Why did I read that like Cypress Hill singing the line, “Insane in the membrane”?
I was on Vacation when my Niece was born and on the day of her birth i got her a turtle from the Aquarium and named it Shelly, she still keeps it in her little collection. She is 14 now :)
I have a blanket that my Aunt made me when I was a child. I don’t know how old it is, I have had it for as long as I can remember. I am 48 now.
I slept every night with a quilt made for me 55 years ago. Except for a corner that got a little burned by fireworks when I used it as a picnic blanket in my teens it's in remarkably good shape.
Quilts made back then were just built different. The ones my grandma made in the 80s and 90s just survived almost any abuse. She's passed now, and the quilts got lost over the years from my asshole parents. I need to find some new grandmas to make me another
The one I made in 1986 is pretty worn out, my little sister loved it to death I never made another one because ADHD
Same. Had mine for almost 40 years and it’s absolutely ripped to shreds but I don’t have the heart to get rid of it.
Same here! I reluctantly let my beloved kitty cat claim it as a nice cozy bed but I still have it at least. My aunt actually re-knitted it years ago, out of the same yarn. I don’t know why I wanted her to make one for me. I think she did for my baby cousin. Also, I never really had a baby blanket but I had my stuffed bear.
My uncle gifted me a small cat figurine to say thank you for helping to house sit (I was 11/12) with my gran. I was on school holiday for a week so stayed with her the whole time. It’s of a grey tabby and it’s in a sleeping position. I still have that. It sits on my book case. At the ripe old age of 43 I finally adopted my own kittens (have loved cats my whole life but never been able to have as an adult due to various circumstances mainly body corp rules of previous residence). I happen to notice the figurine when choosing a book and realised he is almost identical to one of my kittens. A silver Tabby. Edit to add - forgot to mention it emigrated with me from UK to South Africa. https://imgur.com/a/WfG9ggS
This genuinely made me tear up a bit
I moved around quite a bit as a late teen and it’s always come with me. I moved to South Africa from UK in 2003 and as most of my larger stuff had to stay behind except for clothes, only small items like jewellery, photos and of course this little figurine came along.
I was 8 weeks early, bacteria in my bloodstream, 0% body fat and all the doctors were telling my mom to prepare for me not making it out of the NICU. She bought me a little ugly stuffed dog. His name is Baby Woof Woof and he's perched up in my closet, and I'm keeping him til the day I croak. Or, since preemie births run in my family, if I ever have kids, I'll pass it on. Maybe.
My favorite stuffed toy was a dog named Woof Woof, He was given to me before I was born and now sits on a shelf in my home office 58 years later.
Keep the tradition going if it happens but give a new one for them to love
Maybe take a picture and use Google lens to find similar if not the exact same toy
Mine is named Daddy Dog. There was indeed an unrelated dog I called Baby Dog.
In case you wanted to know, my friend delivered a baby at 23 weeks!! Her water broke early, and now she has a beautiful 2.5 year old girl who is actually catching up to her peers in development. I am AMAZED with modern healthcare.
Baby pictures. And I’m 70.
So they’re drawings then I’m assuming?
Cave paintings
My traumas.
If you need any more, I have a few I need to get rid off.
That's what Reddit is good for! Go unload on every sub or thread you can think of, it's very liberating. Speaking from experience lol. I've gotten a lot of help/understanding/validation, and best of all, I've made comments of my own that resonated with others. So come on, in the wise words of Samwais Gamgee: share the load.
I was looking for that specific response .
Same. My parents pretty much sold or pitched anything I had kept or planned to keep when I was away.
Same. I literally have nothing tangible from my childhood. We were very poor so I didn’t have much anyway.
Same! Gave me one box of guilt trippy items. Nothing that makes me feel overly good. I managed to get a few items before things went sideways though
My mom gave away most of my childhood stuff, I think, because she was mad at me. So nice.
I laughed so hard because I relate so well I dropped my phone and couldn't breath for a minute. Hugs fellow internet human. I know the struggles. You're not alone. I love you're reply and it's made my day better. Thank you for existing.
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This is awesome
All the wooden toys my Grandad made me. He was a quiet man and I was terrified of him for the majority of my childhood. Looking back he just didn’t know how to communicate with kids but each toy is signed and dated in his handwriting and lovingly made by him.
My baby blanket. It’s a small quilt my mom made. It lives in a closet now, but I slept with it most nights until I was in my late 20s. I took it out the other day and it still smells the same :) EDIT: [I found a picture I took of it a couple years ago.](https://imgur.com/a/8rdd3XR) Shown with the matching crib bumper my mom also made. Obviously the blanket has been well loved.
I also have my blanket. I was brought home in it, its traveled the country with me, and will probably be buried with me
I have two of mine. At least I think I do. We just moved and I hope they weren't tossed. I'm 70 and those are the only things left. I gave away or tossed most everything else. Trying to minimize the number of things like that left behind when I go....no one wants that stuff.
I find it painful to downsize but I also don’t want my kids to have to deal with a mountain of stuff (like I had to when my mom died)
Juuuuust making the ‘childhood’ cutoff here, but when I went off to college (I was 17) I left behind a little stuffed bear that my 9yo brother gave me. He was sad that I didn’t take it with me, like I didn’t like it. On my first visit home, I packed it to take it back with me. That was 40 years ago, and I still have it. One of my cats has adopted it, but in our family, that’s the ultimate compliment.
I still have all of my old comic books and Manga. I have a nephew who might want them at some point, if not I'll read them with my kids when I get 'em.
I had so many goosebumps books that even after my nieces and nephews packed off several my kids still have a pretty solid collection.
My collection of Pokémon cards that I swore would make me rich one day... still waiting.
Have you gotten them checked? Some are insane
I have an old box of Magic the Gathering cards. From the late 90s early 2000s. Don't know if their worth anything.
Eeeeh probably not too much if it's late 90s or early 2000s. Now if it would have been one of the first few sets around 93-95 and you still had them sealed you'd have a gold mine. You should check what set or sets you have and then what cards from it draw value. You may still have a few worth more than you expect but I wouldn't hold my breath for like thousands of dollars per card or anything.
Look into them, and make sure you also check uncommon and foils. There's some unexpected gems that go for a surprising amount. TCG player is a good site that you can type in a list and get decent value for what you send in
When I was in 1st grade, my “girlfriend” gave me her grandfathers handkerchief to bring to our future wedding when we grow up. Even though I’m gayer than a 3 dollar bill, I’ve always kept that and she’s still my best friend! We are both 37!
That is too bloody cute!
A box of crayons with only the black one left, because apparently, I was preparing for my goth phase early on.
I have my dad's P38 can opener he got from the army when he was drafted. He always had it as a key chain. I remember he had it with him always since i was very little. When he passed , I put it on my key chain. It's been in my life all 39 years and reminds me to think about him whenever I feel around for my keys.
I've carried my P-38 on my key ring since getting it in C-rations 47 years ago.
How else can you open a 4oz. can of Ham and Motherfuckers...... I mean Ham and Lima Beans.
In addition to the beloved stuffie and a few dolls, I've got a couple things that my grandfather made for me - a table for my bitty teddybear and a wooden treasure chest - plus some doll blankets that my great-grandma sewed.
All my Lego, loads of it. Some of it is as old as me, 45yrs. I've now passed it on to my kids and hopefully they'll do the same.
All my lego got passed on to my nephews, as I'm unlikely to ever have kids of my own. Makes me happy that they have fun with it and keep making new stuff.
photo album
Just one. It’s a small Snoopy bean bag stuffed animal.
My uncle got me one too! Its nose is gone and it’s so old (68) but it’s one of my most beloved items.
I had a lady bug toy when I was a baby. I kept it safe and had hidden it places of my house to avoid my mother destroying the last thing that was mine as a child. Buggy has traveled with me all over the states in suitcases and safes until I had my first child. My baby boy is 4 months old now, and he loves Buggy. My lady bug toy has another adventure in its life now and will hopefully continue on if wear and tear doesn't catch up to it. Buggy is 26 years old
My mother & father divorced. She did everything she could to keep us apart but the times I did go against her will were the best of times with my father. He asked me what I wanted for my 12th birthday and I asked for a teddy bear. He asked why because to him it seemed a bit childish and I explained my mother always bought dolls, but I wanted a teddy as I didn’t have one. I always admired the teddy on uk tv series Playschool - he was called Big Ted. On my 12th birthday I got medium Ted. Jointed, made a bear growl noise when turned over and beautiful golden fur. Eight months later my father died and my mother wouldn’t let me go to his funeral even though she and my sister went. That Teddy and the fact that my father listened to me, are the most precious things I have from my childhood. Ted is now 48. Six years ago I went to do a photo essay of my father as i had no knowledge of how or where he died, no autopsy, no police report, nothing. For years my mother lied and manipulated the truth about him to make her seem like the heroine - spoiler alert, she isn’t. I brought the teddy and asked the now owners of the last house I stayed in with him, if I could take a photograph there. They were really interested and welcoming. I told my story - more details than here - and shockingly the husband had been a friend of my father’s and had participated in the search to find him and the two others friends that perished at Glencoe. The poor guy was white as a sheet and truly shocked but once his brain started processing he was thrilled to meet me. They never knew my father was the first owner of the house, they were the third owners and he’d discovered a pearl-handled cut throat razor on a beam in the garage. Owner two said it wasn’t his, so it turned out to be my father’s and the third owner gave it to me. My father was a fly fisherman and used the razor to cut his fish gut (line). So now I have an actual possession that belonged to my father. And I got a perfect picture of Ted at sunset on the wall outside their house.
My scuba diving shirt.
I have a teddy bear my mom gave me named Grumpy Alexander. A Pinewood Derby car I built with my grandfather. A set of Fisher Price Woodseys my daughter now plays with. All the memories of my family that I will cherish my whole life.
Sadly, I don't have anything, not even family photos. Sometimes, I feel like I didn't have past or childhood.
Mental scars
Micromachines
The first onesie I wore after I came earth side. It was white with red hearts on it. It’ll go to my firstborn
I was a premie. Kept mine. My son was too chubby to fit in mine lol. Be prepared for big baby just in case
My first stuffed animal was that of an octopus. I've had it since I was a baby. It is the one item I've always had throughout my entire life.
I have all my Dungeons and Dragons manuals and several Avalon Hill strategy games.
I still have my first toy, given to me within minutes of birth, a little cow plush with a bell. I'll be 30 this year.
A stuffed animal.
My cassette tapes. Couldn't let go, don't know why.
Royal Doulton bunnykins set. Bluebird baby jewellery. All of which just went to my granddaughter on her first birthday.
Can’t post a photo in the comments , but when I was around 5yrs old (I’m 29 now) my family was on a vacation in Virginia and me and my dad had found a perfectly preserved dead cicada . He’s beautiful , wings and legs intact (now missing a few legs from years of handling him to show people lol) has this beautiful green and yellow coloring , just a cool ass bug lol . I named him Freddie and we put him in an old fishing hook box and he’s been with me ever since lol . When I moved out of my parents house he was one of the first things I took to bring with me lol I even got him tattooed on my arm 🥰
My godmother gifted me a waffle textured baby blanket with silk trim. I’m 33 and sleep with it every night. Recently gave birth to my daughter and found the same blanket for sale at Dillard’s bought her one.
I kept my original X-men action figures and collectible cards, Original Optimus Prime and Bumblebee VW Bug, cub scout pinewood derby cars, and a bunch of stuffed animals. My young boys and wife have seen all of it and the kids think it’s amazing; and my wife gets teary eyed about watching the boys play with my toys. Makes me happy I kept it all. Oh, and my 120 spoke, ape hanger chromed out low rider bike from before I could drive is hanging in my garage. I made this when I lived in the hood(white kid), now I live in the burbs when I can display it and think back. I might electrify it though.
An autograph from Magic Johnson. Met him in line at an airport in ‘98, and he was very friendly (though perhaps a bit perturbed as he had been keeping a low-ish profile). Later that year, my parents would split for the first time, mother attempted suicide, and I caught my old man having an affair on my birthday. In the years after, they split for good, and there were nights where we didn’t know where we would be sleeping. Today, it hangs in my office. I always kept it with me, even when all I had was what was in my backpack. I had to, because for one brief moment one of the best basketball players ever gave me a moment of his time, and it made me feel special even when things weren’t going well. If I ever got the chance, I’d love to thank him. The smallest things can mean everything.
I still have a teddy bear that was giving to me 54 years ago when I was a baby by my beloved grandfather who was killed by a drunk driver. I still have it in mint condition I will always cherish it
Some rocks, a teddy bear and a couple Of books
My pink panther stuffed animal my dad gave me when I was 10 and had just had an emergency appendectomy.
I still have a few piano books
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I still have my first stuffed animal (teddy bear) my parents got me when I was an infant. But my parents loved Nintendo as much as I did and I'd always get games for holidays/random cheaper games throughout the year. I've kept and cherished them all and want to continue the tradition with my kids when they're old enough
A letter to myself, it was some school activity that you were supposed to write to your future self when you graduate 3 years later. Little did i know that 10 years later i still read it and feel so proud at myself for knowing those activity were a little forced and cringy.
have a stuffed cow affectionately named "moo moo" which I stole from my mom on Mother's day when I was 3. I took him to college with me. ....please don't tell my friends
Trauma?
43 years with consistent use of my baby spoon. It's got initials and b day engraved or I would post pics. I use baby spoons for yogurt, ice cream, pudding, etc. And have the entire 43 years. Edit: the generational family stool. My car. My teddybear and 2 baby blankets. Fuck, I can go on, but the spoon is the most used.
I had a small stuffed bear someone gave me as a baby. My pup tore off one leg and my Mom sewed it on backwards. Fur missing, backwards leg, missing an ear...I still love him.
My favorite childhood books. One is the Little Golden Book Library (set). I read the stories so often that the spines are falling apart. Then I read them to my children. Maybe they will want to read to theirs - if they have any.
Almost everything I could keep, Toys, school work, random random things. I’m VERY sentimental
My trauma.
When I was a small child, my class went on a field trip to one of the historic missions in Monterey, CA. We made tortillas and branded leatherette, all while learning history. I'm 31 and I'm looking at that piece of leather as I type this lol
Nothing. I lost my entire childhood in Katrina.
Sorry to hear that
You know, it sucks sometimes. My wife has quite a few things from her childhood, and I just... don't. We have photos of her as a kid... not me. I still get sad about it sometimes, but at the end of it all, it's just *stuff*. I cherish the memories instead. And try to focus on making new memories. Though I admit I maybe spend a bit much on *new* stuff, possibly as an attempt to fill a hole in my life where the old stuff used to be. I dunno.
My collection of Breyer model horses. I played with them a lot as a kid in the late 70's and early 80's. They have always come with me even if they were sometimes stored away for years. Now I have a place to display them and add to the collection. I really enjoy having this bit of nostalgia from my childhood.
Height
In my closet I have a memory box filled with cards, newspaper clippings, and other meaningful things from my childhood. As far as things I just haven’t gotten rid of, I have a blanket still, some old cubs jerseys I had in middle school and a specific pad of graph paper. Probably some other random stuff that I ain’t thinking of.
My poetry book
Oddly none. My mom is a minimalist and she taught me to be one as well. So every 6 months or so we'd go through my toys and I'd pick ones to donate. Usually toys I had not touched in awhile. I am the same as an adult. Some people say my house seems empty, but the idea of living with clutter scares me. It's much more peaceful the way I live in my opinion.
Had an old coca cola polar bear doll that I held onto since I was a kid, and gave it to my little brother so he can give it to his daughters. He takes good care of it.
A doll sized cradle my great grandparents handmade for me when I was a toddler.
My Mom did some substitute teaching for my first grade class. The teacher and my classmates loved her so much that they hand made a vase and everyone signed it. I’m 50 now and lost her when I was almost 18 and keep this on my mantle as a reminder of how special and sweet she was.
I'll always have a pic of my uncle (died to cancer 2022)
Nothing
A few stuffed animals from my Dad, a trophy from getting the most Accelerated Reader points in 3rd grade, and a handful of old video games from growing up.
My hairstyle
I have a patch blanket that my great grandmother made for me when I was born. I'm 40 now. It's still my favorite blanket.
Nothing, I don’t even remember my childhood.
Anger
I’m 63 and still have two stuffed animals I used to sleep with. I also have my christening gown, and a snake plant that someone gave my mother when she gave birth to me.
Daisy Red Ryder. Hangs on my wall. >!Didn't shoot my eye out!!<
Report cards lol
As much stuff as I physically can (apparently it's part of my ADHD to keep more souvenirs than the average person)
All my mums stuff, she died when I was 10.
My dissociative survival skills
My uncle's (Dads younger brother) watch. He drowned in 1931. My dad, now 96, still wonders what it would have been like had he lived.