Dollieh Sanctuary

Who is your oldest plushy? Where did you get them? When?

Mine is Swingy the dolphin I got at Marineland of the Pacific in 1978, followed immediately by his BFF Seamore the Sealion from the grocery store so they're considered as one. I have a picture from then but I have to scan it. They were my favorite toys for ever, went everywhere, and still sleep on my bed.

Mine is doggie (husky I think), whose name translates as "Placid". Got him my 7th x-mas gift from my dad (23years ago). He's worn down with age, lost his left eye, and more than half of his fur. But I still keep him, as he's been so long part of my life. ^^ I could see, if I have any piccies of him.

I still have a bunny plushie that I never named but I used to put all kinds of dresses on. Had her since I was 4 or 5 She's falling apart, but I keep her safely tucked in a bag in the closet so she won't get any more damage. I lost my Bambi plush that I got when I was 2 at some point through all the times I've moved. It may still be in my mom's storage unit, but I wouldn't hold my breath

Mine is the gigantic Raggedy Anne doll my grandmother's friend made for her the year I was born. Anne lived with my grandmother for a few years, and I used to play with her (and dress up in her clothes) when we'd visit. Grandma gave her to me for keeps when I was seven or eight years old. I remember dragging her to school with me one day for show-and-tell. She was nearly as tall as me, so it was fun dragging her on the bus.

I also used to have a ginormous handmade Minnie Mouse, made for my grandmother by that same friend and later given to me. She was even bigger than Anne. I could hardly carry her when I was young, because she was all arms and legs. lol Unfortunately, I think she bit it a long time ago, or else my mom has her stored in a chest somewhere. I haven't seen her in years. She was a little worse for wear by that point, I think.

Oh my, that is difficult. There was a very old plush and vinyl Mickey Mouse and a similar Boo Boo from Yogi Bear. Then there is the little dog. I am not sure which one is older, probably Mickey, but the dog was the most important. It is a sleeping cocker spaniel, and it used to have a music box in its tummy. When the music box broke we replaced it with a little hidden pocket. I couldn't sleep without that little dog, and later with a "Miss Merry Mouse". They were left behind on one of our vacations, and I was inconsolable! Fortunately the hotel was really sweet and mailed them back to me.

The oldest stuffed animal I have is my darling unicorn Sparkles. I got him from Toys R Us when I was about 7 or 8, so 11 years ago. His white fur is now very off-white (he could use a wash), and the sequins that used to cover his horn have fallen off. I love him very much and I imagine he will be with me for the rest of my life. He has always been a good friend.

I also have a stuffed dinosaur from when my dad was a child, but I don't have as close a connection to him as I do to Sparkles.

I believe my oldest plush that I still have is my sheep/lamb plushie, purchased for me by my grandmother, who wanted to buy us remembrance gifts, and was visiting from overseas at the time, when we all went to the big mall together. I was 5 or 6 at the time, and there is a story that goes with this sheep!

We found her in one of those 'variety' stores in the mall, without any tags, pushed behind a bunch of other novelty gifts but I fell in love with her at first sight. There was only one of her, and they didn't even know what to charge, since she had no tags at all!

But finally, my grandmother was able to purchase her and I happily carried the sheep in my arms through the mall!

At one point, when we were about to leave, I was holding my dad's hand with one hand and my sheep in the other, when a mother and a similarly aged little girl passed us.....

And the girl grabbed my sheep! She just kept going for about twenty-thirty feet. I'm a 'freeze silent' type of person, even then, so I didn't even shriek or cry or anything but just stopped short and pointed helplessly! That's when my dad realized what had happened and he called out to the woman that her kid took my sheep plush, and that's when the mother realized her child had stolen my plushie right out of my hand!

Well, that mother promptly grabbed her kid, and smacked her hard, which caused the grabby hands girl to wail and wail and refuse to hand over my plush! The mother kept yelling and smacking her, finally managing to wrestle my plush from the girl! Then the mother came back, returned my sheep to me, and apologized profusely to my father and I.

I was only 5 or 6, but I can remember this all so clearly, even how the mall looked, what time of day it was, etc. I guess I do especially since there was such a kerfuffle about it! My own mother, grandmother and little sister were about 10 steps ahead of us and were just shocked by the whole scenario!

The sheep plushie is about 31-32 years old now, and definitely shows her age, but I still think of this and my sweet grandmother, every time I look at her.

My oldest plushy is my stuff dog, Gabby. My grandmother gave her to me for my birthday when I was six or just over fifteen years ago. She's very dirty but otherwise still together, and she sleeps on my bed.

My oldest is a teddy bear that hold the balloons at my first birthday. I also had a large hound dog, large Ty lamb, and a Barney I got as a toddler. My dog keeps losing his tail and my lamb an ear. When we clean we'll find the missing body part but forget where the plush is, and vis versa. My most...favorite(?) was a bunny I had found at a store. He clearly was left behind there. My mom said I could keep it only if no one claimed it before we left the store. Short story I got to keep him.

I still have my stuffed animals I mentioned and then some. I've only keep the ones with the most happy memories.

I have a few of my childhood stuffed animals that have been with me for longer than I can remember.

Caddy the caterpillar and Oscar the black shark might be the only ones left that are that old...