Animal allure
Men are diabolically attracted to gadgets, power tools and magazine fantasy women who don't exist. Women are psychically drawn to beautifully uncomfortable shoes, dangerous men who make them cry, and many variations of chocolate.
Gross generalizations, I'll grant you, but definitely true for a large percentage of the population.
Which brings me to young girls between the ages of 4 and 6, who (if my twins are indicative of the zeitgist) are irresistably drawn to cloyingly cute, soft, furry stuffed animals. Of all shapes and sizes. From alligators to zebras, with a strong concentration of bears, mice, cats and dogs, and families of bears, cats and dogs (with larger animals serving as the parents of the smaller animals)
Their love for these furry critters knows no bounds. They spend weeks coming up with the perfect name (right now we have Woof, Woofie, Cheese, Meowy, Tigery, Cheddar, Cattie, Ruffle, Lovely and Quackly - to name a few). They tend to them more lovingly then their real-life cats, bestow upon them full-fledged personalities and are heartsick when the weekly favorite is missing at bedtime.
And like a Hummel nthusiast who can't pass up a new variation on an old theme they are always on the lookout for new specimens to add to their collection.
I know there are women and men in the world who also grew up loving stuffed animals and may still keep a few by their bedside, but this type of stuffed devotion was never my thing. I can't remember having any stuffed animals, much less a favorite one, as a child., although I'm sure there were some lying around. I was much more into dolls with long hair that I could braid and twist and shampoo and comb for hours (a favorite was the Crissy Doll whose hair lengthened when you pushed a button on her belly and then got shorter again when you twisted a knob on her back - I was thrilled beyond belief when I ggot her as a present after a tonsillectomy.
But I digress.
As their mother, I think it's incredibly cute when L&J engage in elaborate role-playing with their aniimalss, racing through the house to save Cheddar from the evil bear (who then miraculously turns good whenever L has control - she's the softie in the crowd).
But as someone who's trying to keep the clutter under control (I'll never live in a Pottery Barn catalog but I don't want to end up on the cover of Garbage magazine either), their obsession is threatening to spiral out of control. And I seem to have misplaced the ability to say "no" when one of them sees a new, particularly adorable Ty critter, grabs it to her little breast and assures me she can't live without it.
I'd conservatively estimate that since they turned 4 (they'll be six this summer), we've spent at least $500 on this hobby, with no end in clear sight.
That's still less than a few pairs of shoes lurking in my closet or the telescoping ladder and obscenely large lantern F just had to have a few months back, but I wonder if they'll develop lifelong links to their furry friends or if the majority of them are destined for garage sales or the Salvation Army.
For now, it's a kick to watch their imaginations at play, and hey, if they ever get sick of them, maybe I'll start them on a new obsession. I hear you can get a mint condition Crissy doll on EBay for about $100....
Gross generalizations, I'll grant you, but definitely true for a large percentage of the population.
Which brings me to young girls between the ages of 4 and 6, who (if my twins are indicative of the zeitgist) are irresistably drawn to cloyingly cute, soft, furry stuffed animals. Of all shapes and sizes. From alligators to zebras, with a strong concentration of bears, mice, cats and dogs, and families of bears, cats and dogs (with larger animals serving as the parents of the smaller animals)
Their love for these furry critters knows no bounds. They spend weeks coming up with the perfect name (right now we have Woof, Woofie, Cheese, Meowy, Tigery, Cheddar, Cattie, Ruffle, Lovely and Quackly - to name a few). They tend to them more lovingly then their real-life cats, bestow upon them full-fledged personalities and are heartsick when the weekly favorite is missing at bedtime.
And like a Hummel nthusiast who can't pass up a new variation on an old theme they are always on the lookout for new specimens to add to their collection.
I know there are women and men in the world who also grew up loving stuffed animals and may still keep a few by their bedside, but this type of stuffed devotion was never my thing. I can't remember having any stuffed animals, much less a favorite one, as a child., although I'm sure there were some lying around. I was much more into dolls with long hair that I could braid and twist and shampoo and comb for hours (a favorite was the Crissy Doll whose hair lengthened when you pushed a button on her belly and then got shorter again when you twisted a knob on her back - I was thrilled beyond belief when I ggot her as a present after a tonsillectomy.
But I digress.
As their mother, I think it's incredibly cute when L&J engage in elaborate role-playing with their aniimalss, racing through the house to save Cheddar from the evil bear (who then miraculously turns good whenever L has control - she's the softie in the crowd).
But as someone who's trying to keep the clutter under control (I'll never live in a Pottery Barn catalog but I don't want to end up on the cover of Garbage magazine either), their obsession is threatening to spiral out of control. And I seem to have misplaced the ability to say "no" when one of them sees a new, particularly adorable Ty critter, grabs it to her little breast and assures me she can't live without it.
I'd conservatively estimate that since they turned 4 (they'll be six this summer), we've spent at least $500 on this hobby, with no end in clear sight.
That's still less than a few pairs of shoes lurking in my closet or the telescoping ladder and obscenely large lantern F just had to have a few months back, but I wonder if they'll develop lifelong links to their furry friends or if the majority of them are destined for garage sales or the Salvation Army.
For now, it's a kick to watch their imaginations at play, and hey, if they ever get sick of them, maybe I'll start them on a new obsession. I hear you can get a mint condition Crissy doll on EBay for about $100....
posted by workinmom at 7:18 PM
7 Comments:
Just this week, my daughter acquired a 3' high stuffed dinosaur, which is green. She named it Tina Greena Sophina (for some reason, all her stuffed animals have three names, mostly girls' names--Naia Kiki Brianna is my personal favorite). Landisdad asked her if it was a ballerina, but she just thought that was silly.
I am right now taking a break from reading gender-based consumer research, which is twisting my stomach a little as I think of how my weekend revolves around my gender-based activities (laundry, meal planning, etc.)...so your opening was especially amusing.
I've been mooning over the American Girls catalog, but realizing that my daughter is not interested in dolls. She does love her stuffed animals, but her true love is BUGS.
G-d forbid you get rid of any single stuffed animal. They will sense it, supernaturally, and insist on having THAT ONE, now!
I still have my Crissy doll! I loved that thing.
My boys just love stuffed animals. Dogs are their favorite. What to do with the ones that end up in the closet or as the dog's chew toy!
Janis
LOL! Nope, I was never animal-obsessed, though I did have a teddy bear collection for a while as a teenager! And as a mom-of-boys, we're largely free of the stuffed animals, with the exception of a few treasured loves.
I think I'd be like you though, and give in at every little whim. It would be hard to resist the lure of that special love!
ali :)
I enjoyed finding your blog. I have three boys - the first two were almost indifferent to soft toys, but you should see Ocarina-Kid's bed: it's covered in cuddly animals of various kinds. So, it's not just a small girl thing! As for Crissy - in the UK, the same kind of doll was called a Tressie doll. I wanted one with all my heart, but I don't think I had one. "Two Sindy dolls is enough for anyone" would probably have been my mother's response!
Hey, thanks everyone for your posts - and welcome pseudo supermom from across the pond!
My next blog topic will be sleep - ready to go back to that issue, Janis, LOL!
T
$500 on stuffed animals! Wowie Zotzola that's a lotta money. We troll thrift stores when we're in cities because in our rural area the thrift stores are really picked over. In cities you can find good toys for $.25/each. The kids love them as much as new after we take them home and wash them. 6 year old Greta's really discovered how $5 will buy nothing at a store but a complete outfit at a thrift store.
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