Jeydaliz Negron
A Bundle of Memories
Stuffed animals, one of the first gifts given to a person as a baby that can be held and loved throughout their infancy. Some people, like myself, have their own stuffed animals which hold many memories. Stuffed animals typically correlate with comfort. Not just cute and fluffy, stuffed animals can sometimes remind a person of safety. The fluffy friend stands as an item that some people carry or used to carry everywhere due to the sense of solace released. At around age seven my dad bought a beanie baby of my own, a pug whose name tag states Pugslie. My dad has bought me many stuffed animals, but Pugslie holds a special place in my heart.
Over time, Pugslie grew pretty flimsy making it easy to fold and tuck away into small spaces when necessary. My tiny self felt content when shaking Puglie and listening to all of the tiny pellets inside move around. It felt satisfying to squeeze and let my little fingers find each pellet within. Stuffed animals can simulate a stress ball while still maintaining a pleasing exterior. The fluffy friend acts as a comfort item if there happens to be a build up of emotions. Pugslie fits perfectly in the small of my neck turning into a soft hug some nights. He was carried to every sleepover with my friends and family to remind me of home. Although I do not tend to hold him as often as I used to to during my childhood, all those feelings come rushing back when I do.
A popular stuffed animal brand called Beanie Babies arose in 1993. The big eyes, fluffy exterior, and name tags brought kids rushing towards any rack holding them. The company that created them—Ty Inc. was named after its founder Ty Warner. Warner aimed to sell these various animals in small independent toy stores, rather than large retailers. Warner sold these toys for 5 to 10 dollars each. Warner eventually began artificially restricting items shipped to the stores in order to drive up demand. He would continuously release new items after discounting old items as a way to sell those fresher items first. This constant release and discount cycle resulted in Ty earning over $700 million in profits in a year.
Shortly after, Ty Inc. came up with a brilliant new idea that would soon shock consumers. Mcdonald's added Teenie Beanies into Happy Meals in 1997 in order to reel in customers in both areas. The craze ended up causing many fights due to people not getting the Teenie Beanies which had been desired. People would get angry if the Teenie Beanie they were surprised with happened to be different then expected. From 1997 to around 1999 Ty Inc. sold Teenie Beanies, and the stuffed animals returned in 2009 as Beanie Babies 2.0. To continue luring in new customers, Ty inc. created the idea for customers to log onto Ty.com and play with their virtual pets. Adding on to Ty’s collection, later in 2014 Teenie Beanie Boos became introduced and in 2019 Ty Inc. released Teenie Teeny Tys. As can be imagined, Ty Inc. experienced loads of recognition throughout the United States.
The excessive amount of germs stuffed animals hold onto stands as a downside. The germs attach from sitting in the stores where multiple people lay their hands on them. Germs stick on when the stuffed animal is transported to a home of a loving child. Stuffed animals get the love from a child constantly dragging and dropping it which leads to an excess amount of germs. A child’s love for a new fluffy friend comes from the large amounts of comfort accessible. Although acting as a comfort when a child falls ill, the stuffed animal holds onto germs spread during that time period. Stuffed animals pose usually as washable and dry-able although ones that cannot, remain spot cleaned. Some children will get attached to the scent of their animal. This can occur especially if the child has had their stuffed animal for a while. The child might notice a difference in their fluffy friend and throw a tantrum due to the realization. To children the scent of their friend holds tons of comfort and memories. At such a young age a stuffed animal is crucial at all times. Passed created memories and comfortably cannot be washed away.
Stuffed animals pose as yet another item which leads a human to consolation. The stuffed animals present as support items which can help in times of sadness, anxiousness and even when someone exudes happiness. A sign of frightfulness due to the dark, can result in tight hugs by the child. The form of the animal mostly never changes, making nights that much more comforting. If a child displays tiredness, the stuffed animal can serve as a relaxer to calm their bodies down. Even adults can grab their fluffy friend and use it as a ball until their anxiety slowly vanishes.
For the ability to destress and comfort, I give stuffed animals 4.5 stars.
A Bundle of Memories
Stuffed animals, one of the first gifts given to a person as a baby that can be held and loved throughout their infancy. Some people, like myself, have their own stuffed animals which hold many memories. Stuffed animals typically correlate with comfort. Not just cute and fluffy, stuffed animals can sometimes remind a person of safety. The fluffy friend stands as an item that some people carry or used to carry everywhere due to the sense of solace released. At around age seven my dad bought a beanie baby of my own, a pug whose name tag states Pugslie. My dad has bought me many stuffed animals, but Pugslie holds a special place in my heart.
Over time, Pugslie grew pretty flimsy making it easy to fold and tuck away into small spaces when necessary. My tiny self felt content when shaking Puglie and listening to all of the tiny pellets inside move around. It felt satisfying to squeeze and let my little fingers find each pellet within. Stuffed animals can simulate a stress ball while still maintaining a pleasing exterior. The fluffy friend acts as a comfort item if there happens to be a build up of emotions. Pugslie fits perfectly in the small of my neck turning into a soft hug some nights. He was carried to every sleepover with my friends and family to remind me of home. Although I do not tend to hold him as often as I used to to during my childhood, all those feelings come rushing back when I do.
A popular stuffed animal brand called Beanie Babies arose in 1993. The big eyes, fluffy exterior, and name tags brought kids rushing towards any rack holding them. The company that created them—Ty Inc. was named after its founder Ty Warner. Warner aimed to sell these various animals in small independent toy stores, rather than large retailers. Warner sold these toys for 5 to 10 dollars each. Warner eventually began artificially restricting items shipped to the stores in order to drive up demand. He would continuously release new items after discounting old items as a way to sell those fresher items first. This constant release and discount cycle resulted in Ty earning over $700 million in profits in a year.
Shortly after, Ty Inc. came up with a brilliant new idea that would soon shock consumers. Mcdonald's added Teenie Beanies into Happy Meals in 1997 in order to reel in customers in both areas. The craze ended up causing many fights due to people not getting the Teenie Beanies which had been desired. People would get angry if the Teenie Beanie they were surprised with happened to be different then expected. From 1997 to around 1999 Ty Inc. sold Teenie Beanies, and the stuffed animals returned in 2009 as Beanie Babies 2.0. To continue luring in new customers, Ty inc. created the idea for customers to log onto Ty.com and play with their virtual pets. Adding on to Ty’s collection, later in 2014 Teenie Beanie Boos became introduced and in 2019 Ty Inc. released Teenie Teeny Tys. As can be imagined, Ty Inc. experienced loads of recognition throughout the United States.
The excessive amount of germs stuffed animals hold onto stands as a downside. The germs attach from sitting in the stores where multiple people lay their hands on them. Germs stick on when the stuffed animal is transported to a home of a loving child. Stuffed animals get the love from a child constantly dragging and dropping it which leads to an excess amount of germs. A child’s love for a new fluffy friend comes from the large amounts of comfort accessible. Although acting as a comfort when a child falls ill, the stuffed animal holds onto germs spread during that time period. Stuffed animals pose usually as washable and dry-able although ones that cannot, remain spot cleaned. Some children will get attached to the scent of their animal. This can occur especially if the child has had their stuffed animal for a while. The child might notice a difference in their fluffy friend and throw a tantrum due to the realization. To children the scent of their friend holds tons of comfort and memories. At such a young age a stuffed animal is crucial at all times. Passed created memories and comfortably cannot be washed away.
Stuffed animals pose as yet another item which leads a human to consolation. The stuffed animals present as support items which can help in times of sadness, anxiousness and even when someone exudes happiness. A sign of frightfulness due to the dark, can result in tight hugs by the child. The form of the animal mostly never changes, making nights that much more comforting. If a child displays tiredness, the stuffed animal can serve as a relaxer to calm their bodies down. Even adults can grab their fluffy friend and use it as a ball until their anxiety slowly vanishes.
For the ability to destress and comfort, I give stuffed animals 4.5 stars.