Harini Kannan Week 13 - Plushie-Packed Memories
Plushie-Packed Memories
Memories aren’t always where we expect them to be, such as in photo albums. I have realized this as my collection of plushies has grown over the years. Each carries a unique memory. Unfortunately, I can only discuss some plushies in my blog today. If I tried to explain all of them, I would be way over the word limit, and we would be here forever.
I’ll start with my slightly-deformed stuffed camel named Aladdin. My parents bought him for me in Dubai International Airport when I was six years old. Apparently, I wouldn’t stop crying because I didn’t want to get on a plane again (I get airsick), so they found this camel in a random store and bought him for me. Having Aladdin with me made everything better, and I stopped crying. I don’t take Aladdin with me on flights anymore since I’m afraid of losing him, but it’s nice to know that he is rooting for me back home.
Moving on, there’s my Groot plushie, obviously named Groot. I bought Groot on a family trip to Disneyland a couple of years ago. I originally wanted some new Minnie Mouse ear headbands. But after riding Guardians of the Galaxy, I was feeling the spirit. So, I bought Groot (or convinced my dad to pay) and haven’t looked back since.
Then, there’s Eddie, my bear plushie. I bought Eddie during the 8th-grade field trip to Great America. He wears a shirt that says “Railblazer” since I got him at the store outside Railblazer. I was terrified of going on the roller coaster, but my friend persuaded me to go with her since our other friends absolutely refused. I didn’t regret it after, although it was undoubtedly one of the more intense roller coasters I have been on. To reward myself for being brave, I bought Eddie.
I’ll finish with another plushie I got on this Great America trip: Snoopy. After going on all the roller coasters, my friends and I walked around the park, buying candy and simply having a good time. We noticed a store near the ride, Delirium, and went to see what they had. There, we found countless Snoopy plushies. The best part? The plushies wore hoodies of four different colors—perfect for my group of four! I chose the Snoopy with a pink hoodie, and we made the purchase. Now, whenever I see Snoopy or Eddie, I get nostalgic thinking about that day.
Of course, I have so many other plushies that hold core memories. There’s Felix the penguin from Newpark Mall, Cadbury the brown bear from York in the U.K. I could go on and on. But, I think I’ve achieved my point of showing that these plushies are more than just fabric and fluff. They hold different memories from different parts of my life, and I cannot imagine parting with any of them.
Hi Harini! Your mention of plushies immediately got me excited. I really liked reading about each story behind the plushies in your collection. Though my plushie collection is not as large as yours, I also definitely cherish the memories I made in getting them. I liked how you used specific details, like how your parents bought the camel because you could not stop crying. These details made your writing really engaging and fun to read. Your point on how these plushies hold different memories also reminds me of a blog I wrote in first semester, on how I collect things and how each item has a special memory behind it. It seems we both have similar ways of looking at things! Overall, your blog was really enjoyable to read, and I can’t wait to see what you write next!
ReplyDeleteHey Harini, it was so fun to read your blog about your plushies. The significance of each plushie with the location and the story are so relatable. My stuffed animal collection was sacred to me too. I did not have as many from different locations, but I did still have massive connections to each and every one of them. Obviously, now they sit in a room, which I do not use, but they probably have very important meetings in there. I remember being surrounded by them or using them to play games. They paired perfectly with my amazing truck collection. My missions to save the world stemmed from there, and they still come back to me any time I go into that room and see them all.
ReplyDeleteHey Harini, I think your plushie collection is awesome! I actually recognize a couple of them from my sister, like Felix the penguin and the little bull Squishmallow, both of which are hard at work collecting dust in the corner of her room. But on another note, the stories you have connected to each plushie are really relatable. The sporadicness of each purchase and the fact that you bought each one as a commemoration of an accomplishment is something I find super unique and fun. I definitely agree on your point that plushies are a lot more than just fluff; I myself wrote my first blog on the significance of my own childhood husky toy. Your blog was really fun to read and I'm sure that if I showed my sister this, she'd appreciate it a lot more!
ReplyDeleteHey Harini!
ReplyDeleteThis was truly a beautiful blog to read. I have one of those nets in my room, where it holds all my plushies where I have won all over the world. Majority of them are from Las Vegas, but surprisingly, some of them are actually from Switzerland and Spain. I am a claw machine addict, where every time I see one, I just have to play it. Though it might be an addiction, I feel I'm always lucky where I win it every time. Though it's not about winning, it's about the memories I make while winning, those stick with you the whole time. The one I won in Spain, was in a pizza restaurant where for 1 dollar, you get 9 tries. And you know, I have to be the best at these games, so won 3/9. Not bad, right? But truly, It's never about winning, it's always about the fun we have with these plushies. Though, I do give a lot of them to my younger cousins, but it's nice to see it go away and for the next generation of kids. My addiction with plushies is similar to basketballs; I have so many basketball it's so hard to count. But just like this, each basketball is special in some shape or form. Some I won at the carnival, or some I won because I got MVP. But hey, nostalgia is one of the greatest words to live in the dictionary, you are always able to strike a conversation with. Overall, loved reading your blog and can't wait for next week!