Stuffed animals, etc...

[Sherlock77]

In my childhood I don't remember ever having a teddy bear or stuffed animal of any sort, or is that a common thing with boys?

Now as an adult I have a very small collection of three stuffed animals

I've always been a fan of the Bloom County cartoon and a few years ago found a stuffed Opus the Penguin, had to have it! Opus has lived on my desk ever since... Since then I've found a much bigger Opus who is in my bedroom...

And I've always been a fan of Charlie Brown, awhile back I found a "Joe Cool" Snoopy stuffed animal, once again had to have, also now living on my desk... Along with two vintage photography related diecast car models...

Is this perhaps a common experience with other Aspies... Photographic proof...

 

[Judge]

As a small child I cherished my little stuffed rabbit...even when it lost an ear. And a "Casper The Friendly Ghost" as well...things I didn't give up until I was around seven years old.

 

[Pariah Dog]

As a kid I had a dog stuffed animal I was very fond of.

When you wrote about "Joe Cool Snoopy" I was thinking of a Joe camel stuffed animal for a minute. That would be something for kids!

 

[Lady Penelope]

I've always been fond of soft animals but the really tactile soft ones. Probably different in women.
I think my dad's aspie and he didn't have soft toys as a kid but has a Japanese ninja white lion that says heeeya when you push it's belly. He used to like snoopy joe cool too.

 

[xudo]

I still have soft toys. I can't help myself when I see a really nice one, but I have to check what it feels like first. The last one I bought was a big shark from a car boot sale and I named him Colin. I name them all...

 

[Laughingowl1975]

I had a one-eyed teddy bear (called One-eye) that I always kept on my bed until I was about ten, I also had a small stuffed dog called Sofa (I don't know why). Sadly they have both fallen apart but I have lots of stuffed exotic animals (mostly now in storage due to lack of space) including a Stegosaurus, a Red Panda, a Shark, lots of Owls and my favorite an Anteater. Buying soft toys makes me feel young and happy.

 

[pjcnet]

I've never been into stuffed animals, however my younger brother who has very severe autism (he can't count to 5 for instance) carried around a soft teddy bear for years and was obsessively attached to it. Eventually the material wore so thin it leaked and the whole thing started falling apart. When he was asleep my parents had to sneak it away from him to keep repairing and patching it up as if anyone tried to take it from him while aware he would literally start screaming in extreme distress. He didn't move on from this until he was roughly 10 years old, but he has always carried something "special" around with him to this day (he is now in his mid 40s). At one stage he was carrying around a long bit of plastic, I think it was a old plastic straw, but he used to be as attached to this as he was the old teddy bear and he would go into a frenzy even if he dropped it.

PS: I have 2 brothers, both diagnosed with severe autism to the extent that they can't count, read, write or in fact do most things a "normal" person can. Both will require 24/7 care for the rest of their lives, but my brother mentioned above is the most severe of all, so much so that I think some of his disabilities are even beyond full autism, he had to be resuscitated at birth in the early 1970s when technology obviously wasn't very advanced compared to today and I have always in addition suspected brain damage.

 

[Coupe]

@Sportster My aunt has a Cecil the Sea Serpent too! She looked for him in my Grandpa's storage units for years and then one day, she found him! He doesn't talk anymore (his pull string is gone) but she has him displayed with some other favorite stuffed animals in her guest room.

As for me, I absolutely LOVE stuffed animals and plushies! I always have. I still have a bed full of them even in my 20s - I just sleep better that way. When I was a kid, I also loved books and stories about toys coming to life, such as The Velveteen Rabbit, and my favorite comic strip has always been Calvin and Hobbes.

Most of my plushies are smallish, beanie baby-type ones...Beanie Babies were one of my favorite 90s toys growing up (the ones they make now *are* kinda cute, but I miss the old designs) and they were easier to transport in pockets, backpacks and purses without anyone knowing. I really like Disney Tsum Tsums and Itty Bittys, which are also very small but cute and cuddly. One of my favorite Tsums is one of Dory from the Finding Nemo movies. I carry her in my pocket and squeeze her and take pictures of her that I post to Instagram. In fact, I post pics of lots of my stuffed animals, not just her....if I see a cute photo opportunity, I set up my little animals and take pictures. It's just fun.

I also experience anxiety, depression, might have some post-traumatic stress from 11 years of emotional abuse, coercive therapy throughout my teen years, and trying to pass as neurotypical, and I don't really have any real-life friends, so my stuffed animals and plushies (and non-plush friends too) are still a great comfort to me and my only real source of companionship and self-soothing. Just touching or petting a soft plushy surface can stop me from dissociating or melting down like nothing else can. I love hearing stories about other peoples' favorite stuffed animals and toys, like in this thread. In addition, Plush Animal Lovers' Day is this month - October 28th!

 

[dragoncat16]

After having a teddy bear (Fred) as a toddler, I had no stuffed animals at my dad's place growing up, but a lot of them at my mom's place. I didn't need them but they were a comfort. The weird thing about me was that I thought of them as alive, and I would be careful not to drop them or hurt them, and I felt sorry for any of them that were apart from the others, because I thought they'd be lonely. They were always carefully arranged on the furniture (there were too many for my bed), and still I have them all, even Fred.

 

[Ebu004]

It's normal as an adult I think. Honestly I think it's because they make me feel someone is there. They silently understand me and don't judge me.

I have my Milky Bear from 20 years ago. Stuffed animals were my obsession as a child. I had hundreds upon hundreds. All had their own names and I took care of them. I have maybe ten now. But I love having little toys with me that I can carry inconspicuously. Like a tiny animal or action figure...army men etc...I feel like they're a secret friend in my purse or pocket. When I was younger I had the plastic mice and cockroaches you would get for Halloween and I made them a shoebox house and kept them in my locker...

I also recently got some very tiny and some small but not quite as tiny "worry people" that I call 'my family'. I love them and I'm making them a shoebox house. Will add pics later

 

[onlything]

I had a few and one special Rabbit. May be silly but he lived in my bed for more than 15 years and I like him there.

 

[ZebraAutismo]

I love snoopy. I have a snoopy plushi. I have a lot of plushies though.

 

[Grover210]

I have a lot of plushies and I love them but some I can’t do without I feel the social stigma of being 21 and collecting sometimes holding them but they comfort me and relax my mind especially when I’m really lonely which is a lot and especially when I’m having an emotional breakdown I can just grab one of my plushies and snuggle with them to relax me

 

[Ronin82]

I love my stuffed critters, mostly for the tactile input. As a kid I had several, and still have most of my favorites from childhood stored in a tote in my parent's garage. When I had to move out of state for a new job, I couldn't bring my real dogs with me, so I brought a large stuffed German shepherd instead, knowing I would need him. Sure enough, I had to use him to self-soothe for a bad emotional melt-down from the stress of moving and starting over in another state.

As soon as I can afford it, I plan on getting a small stuffed critter to go on my desk at work (I'm a case manager at a mental health clinic, soft critters come in handy!). If I had my way, I'd buy a whole bunch of stuffed animals, but if I REALLY had my way, I'd bring my two dogs out here from my parent's house...I miss my Service Dogs, and need them badly...they're soft and furry and cuddly and safe, just like my stuffed critters.

 

[Rasendra]

I had quite a few growing up but my mom would sneak them off and get rid of them whenever she thought I didn't notice. However she seemed to leave the beanie babies alone, maybe because they were smaller? I had quite a few I collected over the years, and actually still have them. But I didn't have a special stuffed animal growing up, I had a special blanket that I couldn't sleep without. Actually into middle school I slept with it until I lost it on a trip and I think my parents were happy it was finally gone.

Years later though, as an adult, a friend gave me a stuffed turtle that I slept with for years. I can't have any on my bed anymore due to my dust mite allergies but I still keep it in my room.

 

[Flinty]

However she seemed to leave the beanie babies along, maybe because they were smaller?

Well, that and THESE THINGS ARE WORTH ALL THE MONEYZ. (There are still people who are expecting them to come back. I don't think I'm making that up.)