1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane. 2 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: Never told to your protection of iHeart Radio. So for 3 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: today's classic episode, I want to ask, did you ever 4 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: get a gift that you were surprised how much you 5 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: liked it? Yes? Um, and honestly I love it today. 6 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: It is my comfy that I have talked about so 7 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: many times on this show. Because he did not know 8 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 1: I needed it, and then he handed it to me 9 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh my god, and I have 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: worn it so much that I finally washed it because 11 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, yeah, I started to smell. Oh 12 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: how did that watching experience go? It was good? It 13 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: was good. Yeah, just delicate that's Good's okay? Okay? Yes, Um. 14 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: As I said before, they are not currently a sponsor, 15 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: but marketing people there like, hey, look, I have talked 16 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: a lot about this advertising though, because I have seen 17 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: so many people buy it. Yes, seen any any reference 18 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: to whatever? Yes, I was going to say, I also 19 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: have one, and my mom I gave her one. She 20 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: loved it so much she bought like our entire family one, 21 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: so we have a family of him. It's amazing. Yes, 22 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: mine is, of course might be my pillow pet. B 23 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: which my dad got from the tractor store. He used 24 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:41,759 Speaker 1: to do that. He would go like the day before 25 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: Christmas to the tractor's store and he would buy a 26 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: bunch of random stuff, and most of it, to be honest, 27 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: was not good. So my mom told him, you know, 28 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,639 Speaker 1: she's not gonna I was in college at this point, 29 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: She's not gonna like this. And then I just did. 30 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: I don't know, I just latched onto it. And I recently, 31 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: I saw the news Scream movie at a drive in 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: with a friend and I was in my comfy and 33 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:18,519 Speaker 1: I pulled out of a bag this pillow pet. My friend, 34 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: who was an older man, was like, and I was like, 35 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: this is my my friend. I'm gonna be scared watching 36 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: this movie. You can't expect me to watch this without 37 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: might pillow bit. Obviously not. Obviously not. But I was 38 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: also thinking about this because I, I know, we talked 39 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: about this, Samantha, but sometimes something calms up in therapy 40 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: and you're like, oh gosh, yes, that's exactly right. I 41 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: don't know why it took me so long to realize, 42 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: but my therapist says, I have like a fight or 43 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: fight response to sleep. So because I've had traumatic experiences 44 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: around sleeping, and it just makes perfect sense to me. 45 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: You're like, oh, of course I can't, that's why. But 46 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: when I try to describe it to people, it's as 47 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: if you're you're in a river and the river is 48 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: your exhaustion, your your need to sleep, and you're fighting 49 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: to stay above the river because you feel like it 50 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: will kill you. So it's a dragging under feeling. And 51 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: so when I say I can't sleep, it's like the 52 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: type of I can't sleep where it's like gasping awake 53 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: with your heart racing like every couple of minutes, and 54 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: you're so tired, and you want to give into that 55 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: river and sleep, but you it's scary and you feel 56 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: like you can and there is this fight or flight response. 57 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: So I've been really working on that. But part of 58 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: that has been the pillow pit, which I normally don't 59 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: take to bed, has come to bed as a source 60 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: of comfort. Yeah, yeah, so I am. I am working 61 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: on it, and I feel like I have made strides, 62 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: like even just like realizing that it still happens, and 63 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: it's still really frustrating, but it feels now I know 64 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 1: the problem. I can try to start dealing with it. Yeah, 65 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,559 Speaker 1: But all this to say, I wanted to bring back 66 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: this classic episode on people loving stuffed animals, So please enjoy. 67 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff Mom Never told you. From how Stuff 68 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 69 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: Caroline and I'm Kristin Christine. When I was little, I 70 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: had this Koala air. It was about as big as 71 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: I was, and I would frequently hug the Koala to 72 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: the point where my mother had to constantly stitch it 73 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: up in the back. No, we were not using it 74 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: to transport drugs. She just instantly had to sew the 75 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: backup where it came undone. And in my mind, this 76 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: Koala bear had a personality of her own. She was 77 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: kind of motherly, obviously very comforting. I wanted nothing but 78 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: to to hug her and carry her around, and it 79 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,159 Speaker 1: was very difficult to get rid of that Koala bear 80 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: when we had to have a garage sale. What was 81 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 1: the Koala bear's name? You know, I don't remember. I 82 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: don't think I know. I don't think it really had 83 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: a name. I had other animals that had names, and 84 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: I had a blank ee named Blankie. There was very special, 85 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: But I don't know that the Koala bear had a name. Yeah, 86 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: I believe I've talked about my most beloved stuffed animal 87 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: on the podcast before. It was a papa lump of 88 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: a duck named Duckie. You and I both shared a 89 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: creativity with names fairly in our childhood, and I took 90 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: Duckie everywhere until I lost Ducky and that was a 91 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: sad day. But Ducky did everything with me, and she 92 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: had flying powers. And Mom washed her when she got 93 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,919 Speaker 1: dirty in a pillow case because that was how you 94 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: washed puffal ups, and for some reason I thought that 95 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: was pretty nifty. But we've talked about dolls before on 96 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: stuff Mom never told you, but we wanted to talk 97 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: more about stuffed animals in particular because for you and me, 98 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: and I'm sure so many of our listeners, stuffed animals 99 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: are an integral part of childhood, and they have a 100 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: rich history and also equally rich psychology undergirding why there 101 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,720 Speaker 1: is this appeal the purpose that they serve not just 102 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 1: for being cute and making for adorable stories in our adulthood, 103 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 1: but also why a mom can't take a stuffed animal 104 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: from her kid and wash it, why that causes trauma, 105 00:06:57,680 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: and why you can't just replace it with a new 106 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: stuffed animal, because they will know, I tell you, they 107 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: will know that those stitches are not the same in 108 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: the back. Are you speaking from experience Koala trauma? No, 109 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: I mean, no Blankie trauma. I mean every time my 110 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: mom washed Blankie, it was like you're gonna kill her. 111 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: But then gradually he got warmed back up to Blankie. Yeah. Sure. 112 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: And then there was the time that I'm pretty sure 113 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: my father just got rid of Blankie and made me 114 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: think that I lost it. He was already playing psychology 115 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 1: games with his small child. He didn't tell you that 116 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: blank You went up to the farm where your old dog. 117 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: Eventually they let blank You loose on the farm to Rome. Well, 118 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: let's look at a brief history of stuffed animals, because 119 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: it is a European trend that traveled to the United 120 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: States and it got its start in the late nineteenth 121 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: century with a German seamstress named Marguerite Steve. I have 122 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: one of her teddy bears. Oh yeah, not not a 123 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: not a like an original one. But I get ahead 124 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: of myself. Continue well. In nineteen o three, Steve's nephew 125 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: created the first soft bear for his aunt and he 126 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: came up with this idea from sketches of animals that 127 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: he would do at the Stuttgarden Zoo and Steve's factory 128 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: at the time produced all sorts of toys, and the 129 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: first plush toy that she tried to make was an 130 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: elephant that doubled as a pin cushion. But this concept 131 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: of the stuffed bear was revolutionary at the time because 132 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: it took the plush aspect of the rag doll that 133 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: was already very popular for kids and rejiggered it for 134 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: an animal, figuring, yeah, something that people could live now. 135 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: My mom is a flight attendant and goes to Germany 136 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: and when I was about twenty five, she brought me 137 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 1: home one of these these Steve Bears or have you 138 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: pronounced her last name. And the thing is you know 139 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: them because they sew a button into the ear indicating 140 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: that they're they're the genuine article. And it as a 141 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: twenty five year old, I was like great, a German 142 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: teddy bear for me in my mid twenties. But now 143 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: now thanks to the podcast, you know how special that. 144 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: I know how special it is. And so did George 145 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: borge felt Uh. He was an American wholesaler who saw 146 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: the bear at the Leipzig Toy Fair in nineteen o 147 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 1: three and ordered three thousand of them, And by World 148 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: War one, Marguerite had sold millions in the US, Germany 149 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: and England. Yeah, it didn't take long for borge Felts 150 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: bears to cause a bit of a craze. Even before 151 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: World War One, we have the bear market surge when 152 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: the toy bear, which was originally sold as a zoo souvenir, 153 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: became this huge novelty on especially on the Jersey Shore boardwalk. 154 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: And in nineteen o six there was an ad published 155 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: in the magazine Playthings that said, any child without a 156 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: teddy nowadays is quite out of fashion. And speaking of fashion, 157 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: people automatically love the bears. Motion wanted to dress these 158 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: teddy bears up. And there were all these patterns that 159 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: you could buy for making different clothes and outfits for 160 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: your teddy bear. Um And by nineteen o seven they 161 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 1: were a hip fashion accessory for chic urban women, kind 162 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: of like how we would see women carrying around tiny 163 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: dogs today teddy bears back in the day. So I 164 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: should get that teddy bear out of my closet at 165 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: my parents house I don't know that it would be 166 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: as on trend in two thousand thirteen, but you could 167 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: certainly try. But Caroline, though I'm also speaking ahead of 168 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: myself because I'm calling them teddy bears. Oh yes, about 169 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: the teddy part of Teddy Bears. Yeah, the Teddy bears 170 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: part of toy lore. It probably originated with Morris Mitchum, 171 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: a New York storekeeper and later founder of the company 172 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: Ideal Toys, which I still I believe it is still 173 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: around um. In nineteen o two, he saw a newspaper 174 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: cartoon showing Teddy Roosevelt, the President, sparing a baby bear 175 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: on a hunting trip. Mitcham asked his wife to turn 176 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: the bear into a doll, and he got permission somehow 177 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 1: from Roosevelt to name it Teddy's Bear, and sold handmade 178 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: cloth bears from his candy store. And like I said, 179 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: this was all coinciding with that teddy bear crazed happening 180 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:11,959 Speaker 1: and bear. The fact that it was a bear and 181 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 1: not a different kind of animal was also a distinctly 182 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: new concept because it merged the fierce with the cute. Because, 183 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: as Gary Cross, author of the book Kids Stuff Toys 184 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: in the Changing World, of American childhood notes. Uh, bear 185 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: seldom appeared in nineteenth century toy catalogs, but when they did, 186 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: they looked mean and we're apparently designed to scare children. 187 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: Why would they be sold in toy catalogs. Then it's like, 188 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 1: finish your dinner or I'll stick the bear on you. 189 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,839 Speaker 1: Maybe it was something for Victorian era man caves, I'm 190 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: sure did not exist for the billiards room, a scary 191 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: little stuffed bear. Well, during World War One there was 192 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: actually a ban on German imports in England, and so 193 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: British soft toy companies flourished during this time, companies like 194 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: the British United Toy Manufacturing Company, which produced a number 195 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 1: of plush animals during this time, starting actually back in 196 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: the eighteen nineties, but moving onward. And I did not 197 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 1: really know the origins of one beloved toy, the sock monkey. 198 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: Did you have a sock monkey growing up? I did 199 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: not have a sock monkey. I did, but I wasn't 200 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: a big fan of it. I was like, you don't 201 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 1: look like a cool toy. But it turns out that 202 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,440 Speaker 1: actually the stock monkeys origins are kind of hazy. Apparently, 203 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: when socks would get worn out, moms would take these 204 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 1: Warren socks and turn them into toys for their kids. 205 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: And in two Nelson Knitting Company got wind of this 206 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 1: and began including a sock monkey pattern with every pair 207 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: of socks, so when they wore out, moms could make 208 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: that stuffed animal. And these were the socks with the 209 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: red heel, which became the monkey's mouth. And speaking of 210 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: very popular types of toys, like we have the the 211 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: Teddy bear and then the sock monkey. On the heels 212 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,559 Speaker 1: of the Teddy Bear is popularity. This is in between 213 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 1: Teddy Bear and the sock monkey. Some toy manufacturers who 214 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: were like, okay, President Theodore Roosevelt had his Teddy Bear. 215 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: You know what we're going to try to do. We're 216 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: going to try to make stuffed possums super popular in 217 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: honor of President Taft, who apparently, when he was visiting 218 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: Atlanta where we are right now, ordered possum and quote 219 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: unquote taters at a dinner. I'm sure because he assumed 220 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: that hey, Southerners eat possum and taters, and it caused 221 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: a bit of a new sensation. And so these toy 222 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: manufacturers were like, we've got the next Teddy Bear. It's 223 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,959 Speaker 1: a stuffed possum in honor of Taft, because we all 224 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: know how adorable possums are. Obviously it did not take off, 225 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: but it is it's hilarious that that one stuffed animal 226 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: legacy of poor poor Taft would have been just the possum. 227 00:13:57,160 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: But moving onward, in nineteen thirty a Millns Winnie the 228 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: Pooh became a plush toy, and that's something that's gonna 229 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 1: come up very briefly when we talk about why kids 230 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: like Christopher Robin, the fictional Christopher Robin are so attached 231 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: to toys um. But then in the nineties plush toys 232 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: were scarce and mostly handmade, and then in the post 233 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: war period there's more of a focus on safety, especially 234 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: in the UK with the introduction of the British Safety Standards. Yeah, 235 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: glass eyes on toys were replaced by plastic which were 236 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,080 Speaker 1: held on with a newly developed locking system introduced by 237 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: Wendy Boston Place Safe Toys. And moving forward, the nineteen 238 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: fifties is when American firms started contracting much of their 239 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: stuffed animal work to Taiwan, Korea and China. So those 240 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: old stuffed animal makers in the UK and Germany sort 241 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: of started losing out. Um, and so that that gives 242 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: you the early history of stuffed animals. I mean, the 243 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: fascinating thing about stuffed animals is that the bear has 244 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: remained so lasting throughout, you know, generations of childhood's. Yeah, 245 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: actually I have a bunny right now. My mom gave 246 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: it to me a couple of years ago when I 247 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: was sick, and I was like, that's cuddly. I keep it. 248 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 1: We're not too baby is looking. We're not even gonna 249 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: touch on things like beanie babies or how stuffed animals 250 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 1: have become obviously more electronic in recent years, with things 251 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: like furbies and so forth. Let's just stick to that. 252 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: Let's stick to the classics. Caroline Bear, the Teddy Bear. Um. 253 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: But what is it with stuffed animals? Why are we 254 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: drawn to them in the same way you mentioned having 255 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: that beloved blankie when you were a kid. Um, and that, 256 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: along with stuffed animals and dolls, are referred to by 257 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: psychologists as transitional objects. This idea was actually first introduced 258 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:02,440 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty three by Dr Donald Woods Winnicott, a 259 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: prominent pediatrician psychoanalyst, in his paper Transitional objects and transitional 260 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: phenomena a study of the first not Me possession, and 261 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: clinical psychologist Steve Tuber sums it up thus lee He says, 262 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: the baby knows the teddy bear is not mom, but 263 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: the baby can get a certain satisfaction. It is neither 264 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: mom nor totally just a stuffed animal. And Alicia Lieberman, 265 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: who's an infant mental health expert, goes on further to 266 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: say it's a bridge between the mother and the external world, 267 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: learning to deal with other people outside of your immediate realm. Yeah. 268 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: But when Dr Winnicott, who was very much of the 269 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: Freudian school of thought, first theorized this idea of the 270 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: stuffed animal or blanket as the transitional object, he first 271 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: linked it to early oral eroticism, saying that children start by, 272 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: you know, putting their fingers in their fists, in their mouths, 273 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 1: and then they transitioned to you know, these objects, whether 274 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,879 Speaker 1: it be a stuffed animal or a blanket, that they 275 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,640 Speaker 1: then um put in their mouths. And in that paper 276 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,159 Speaker 1: that you mentioned, a study of the first not meet possessions, 277 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: he includes this rundown of child patient study has their 278 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,680 Speaker 1: transitional object and whether or not they had a good 279 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: or bad mother. Yeah, and there was one. It was 280 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:28,040 Speaker 1: something like stuffed donkey to attach to the mother, like 281 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: symbolizing the type of objects symbolizing, you know, the the 282 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: closeness of attachment to the maternal figure. Thankfully, psychology has 283 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 1: loosened up a little bit because when a god wasn't 284 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,240 Speaker 1: a huge fan of these attachment objects, because it's basically like, 285 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: you know, you need to cut ties with the mom. 286 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: Get in the real world. And yeah, no, those attachments 287 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: were pretty much believed to be unhealthy and reflective of 288 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: the mother's failing until the nineteen seventies. But on the contrary, 289 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: we know now that they're not a problem. A two 290 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 1: thousand study in the Journal of Consulting in Clinical Psychology 291 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 1: found that kids who had their beloved blankets with them 292 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: at the doctor's office, for instance, experience less distressed as 293 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,719 Speaker 1: measured by blood pressure and heart rate. So I bet 294 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: since I've been fighting off a cold, I could really 295 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: use my blankie. Yeah, it might make you feel better. 296 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: And because as kids get older, these transitional objects, especially 297 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 1: stuffed animals, take on distinct personalities that help fulfill those 298 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,439 Speaker 1: roles as comforter and imagining friends like you did with 299 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: your Koala and as I did with Ducky, who really 300 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: was one of my BFFs at the time. Did Ducky 301 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:42,120 Speaker 1: have a personality? Yeah, she was kind of sassy um, 302 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:47,639 Speaker 1: but a little dim and she could only fly after 303 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,919 Speaker 1: I gave her flying powder, usually in the form of 304 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 1: litten iced tea that I would drink obviously for her obs. Well, 305 00:18:57,560 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: you know, I mean talk about as kids get older. 306 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: As many as twenty five percent of young women report 307 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: taking a transitional object to college. That's coming from Dr 308 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: Barbara Howard, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at John's Hopkins. 309 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: So the need doesn't go away. We we still have 310 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: it when we get older for some people. There is 311 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 1: a travel Lodge survey that was reported on by Live 312 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,720 Speaker 1: Science and some other media outlets in October of two 313 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:27,920 Speaker 1: thousand twelve, and they surveyed six thousand British adults and 314 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:32,200 Speaker 1: found that thirty five percent of adults admitted to sleeping 315 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: with stuffed animals. And it's not just women, because there 316 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: is a gender difference. As kids age, boys usually toss 317 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:43,199 Speaker 1: off their transitional object, their stuffed animal, their beloved blanket, 318 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,199 Speaker 1: whatever it might be, sooner than the girls do. Likely 319 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: because of socialization. Um. But twent of men in this 320 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,120 Speaker 1: travel lodge survey reported that they take their teddy bear 321 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: with them when going away on business because they found 322 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: it comforting. And on a related note, one intense single 323 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,640 Speaker 1: men surveys that they hide their teddy bear when their 324 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,239 Speaker 1: girlfriends stays over. Yeah, and fourteen percent of married men 325 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: said they hide it when family and friends come to visit. 326 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: So there you go. Yeah, I mean I do think 327 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:17,400 Speaker 1: that there is uh like, socially we think that it's 328 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: like less okay for a guy to hang on to 329 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 1: this stuff. I mean, that's still a minority of men 330 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: who are hiding their stuffed animals their lovees well and that, 331 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,159 Speaker 1: but that's also self reporting that maybe the maybe the 332 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: numbers artificially low. Who knows, um. But to get a 333 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 1: little more into the psychology of why we would hang 334 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: on to something like that for years and years and years, 335 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:47,480 Speaker 1: it's this combination of essentialism and an endowment effect, which 336 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: is the idea that objects are more than just their 337 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: physical selves. You know, that rabbit that you have is 338 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,199 Speaker 1: not just a stuffed rabbit filled with cotton. It is 339 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: a gift from your mother. Maybe something I'm not I'm 340 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:00,479 Speaker 1: not trying to put it like, I'm not trying to 341 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 1: endow your rabbit with me. Are you trying to say 342 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: that I talked to it at night? Because I don't. 343 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,439 Speaker 1: But as an example, you're you know, if you were 344 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: practicing essentialism, your rabbit would not just be a rabbit, 345 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 1: but maybe a symbol of your mother, who you don't 346 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: get to see all the time. And then with endowment, 347 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,480 Speaker 1: we place more value in things when we feel ownership 348 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: over them. So even though that rabbit might not cost 349 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:25,640 Speaker 1: so much, if you were to lose it, you would 350 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,880 Speaker 1: probably be sad about the value of it because it's 351 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 1: linked to your mom. I know, again, only using your 352 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: rabbit as an example, I would have totally been sad 353 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,199 Speaker 1: to lose the koala. She was She was totally a 354 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,679 Speaker 1: mother figure. Yeah, it would have been irreplaceable. Yeah, for 355 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: children with those beloved stuffed animals. It doesn't matter whether 356 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: you have the exact same koala that was sitting next 357 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 1: to it on the store shelf. It's not the one 358 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: that you know, that's right. Yeah, And even even when 359 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 1: you know you mentioned that boys cast off those those lovees, 360 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: those those stuffed animals earlier than girls do. They still 361 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: know where they are, uh. Nineties six study from the 362 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,680 Speaker 1: Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry found they 363 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,639 Speaker 1: talked to middle schoolers and they found that while of 364 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: girls and twelve percent of boys still use their security 365 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: object at the age of thirteen or fourteen, seventy of 366 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: the girls and percent of the boys still knew where 367 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 1: the object was. They're still like, yeah, it's still under 368 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: my bed. Yeah. And even in adulthood. There was a 369 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,920 Speaker 1: study which found that people experienced stress just cutting up 370 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 1: pictures of beloved objects, which I can imagine. I mean, 371 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: they measured their heart rate and uh there the amount 372 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: of palm sweat and found that both increased as they 373 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 1: were cutting stuff up, which I can imagine if I 374 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,880 Speaker 1: were to cut up a picture of Duckie. Even now, 375 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: I feel very weird about it, kind of kind of 376 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: blasphemous in a way. Um. But some researchers have looked 377 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: into the issue of childhood and neglect, playing into attachment 378 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: to sufed animals, wondering whether or not kids use stuffed 379 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 1: animals as tools to get through traumatic events, especially um 380 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 1: parental neglect, because they are those transitional objects. Psychologists would 381 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: say between uh, being very close with um a mother 382 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: in particular, but as you're being weaned from the breast. Uh. 383 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:25,959 Speaker 1: And there was a paper that we found published in 384 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: March two thousand and twelve in the journal and Throw 385 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: Zoos called childhood neglect attachment to companion animals and stuffed 386 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 1: animals as attachment objects in women and men, and their 387 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: hypothesis was that childhood neglect would be positively related to 388 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: attachment to stuffed animals. And that was not supported. Like 389 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: basically saying, okay, if you were very attached to a 390 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:53,199 Speaker 1: stuffed animal does not mean that we're likely neglected as 391 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:56,679 Speaker 1: a child. I was definitely not neglected, and I was 392 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 1: super attached to a lot of stuffed animals. Well, that 393 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:03,160 Speaker 1: all so supports though the study finding that women are 394 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: a little bit more attached to both companion animals, the 395 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,880 Speaker 1: pets and stuffed animals compared to men. But I wonder, though, 396 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 1: how much of that really is the socialization factor if 397 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:20,360 Speaker 1: we were just all allowed to carry our our Linus blankets. Well, 398 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 1: that's interesting too that you bring up Linus, because three 399 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: of the primary examples I can think of in literature 400 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: slash pop culture of attachment blankets would be a Milns 401 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 1: Winnie the Pooh owned by Christopher Robin, and then in 402 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,920 Speaker 1: Brideshead Revisited, you have a Loysis, the Teddy Brear that's 403 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 1: taken along to college, and then you have Linus. Yeah, 404 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,120 Speaker 1: the boy. It's all these boys with their attachment objects. 405 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: That's true. Side observation m okay, well, so what do 406 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:57,640 Speaker 1: you do when you've lost your kids stuffed animals? Freak out? Blank? Yeah, 407 00:24:58,200 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: you freak out because you're like, oh my god, my 408 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: kid is never going to recover, he's never gonna stop crying. 409 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 1: I need to find that thing. But it turns out 410 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:09,959 Speaker 1: that anxiety is really more the parents uh than the 411 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: kids overreacting, and that parents might actually inadvertently encourage attachment 412 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 1: to a particular object when they freak out. Stephanie Pratola, 413 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 1: psychologist in June, told USA Today that kids can pick 414 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:29,159 Speaker 1: up on parents frantic reactions to a lost item and 415 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 1: not so surprisingly. The Internet has also stepped in with 416 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: resources for finding lost lovees. There are sites such as 417 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: eBay that has uh do They have special uh segments 418 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 1: set up for long have a special area like it's 419 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: called toy box or something. There's also lost my Love 420 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: e LLC and plush memories. Yeah, they kind of hook 421 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: you up with people who will send you a toy. 422 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 1: If you get on there and you're like, my kid 423 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: lost her purple dinosaur, some other mom in Ohio can 424 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 1: be like, oh, I have a purple dinosaur that my 425 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:03,560 Speaker 1: kid doesn't care about, and we'll mail you the purple 426 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: dinosaur and all will be well with the world. Um. 427 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: But one thing, speaking though, of gender, Even though the 428 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: studies that we found indicate, like we said, that girls 429 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:18,399 Speaker 1: tend to form stronger attachments or and longer attachments to 430 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: these transitional objects, but I want to know, in terms 431 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: of naming, whether what role gender played in that, whether 432 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 1: or not For instance, uh, kids were more likely to 433 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: name Stay a lion with a masculine name, whereas we 434 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:38,239 Speaker 1: might name a pony with a more feminine name. Who 435 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: wasn't able to find anything about that. Just kind of 436 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:45,680 Speaker 1: wondering how, since kids are forming these strong attachments around 437 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: the same time that they're really forming gender identities, whether 438 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: or not that's reflected onto their stuffed animal. If it's 439 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 1: like our stuffed animals ourselves, you know, yeah, I mean 440 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: maybe it makes sense. Doesn't say anything about or or 441 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: I mean just like for for me, you know, I 442 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: named my duck ducky. But she was a girl. But 443 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: then again, she wore a dress, now that I recall, 444 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 1: I mean, my koala was a girl. And I don't 445 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: think koalas are very gendered, are they or are they? 446 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,600 Speaker 1: They're cuddly, they're cuddling, cuddly, So it was a girl. 447 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: I don't know. But my glow worm, I actually, I 448 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,960 Speaker 1: actually did get in trouble in preschool or kindergarten. I 449 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 1: had a glow worm, which, if you recall from the eighties, 450 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,680 Speaker 1: they had those squishy bodies but that really really hard 451 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: face and and Carol was tormenting classmates by hitting some 452 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,399 Speaker 1: of them with the glow worm. The glow worm have 453 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: a name. Shoot, probably I can't remember any of these names. 454 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:48,959 Speaker 1: It's kind of tormenting me. Well, the close things out 455 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 1: on this episode about stuffed animal, how about ending with 456 00:27:53,800 --> 00:28:02,400 Speaker 1: some totally ridiculous advice or stuffed animal symbolism. Yeah, you're 457 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: the website. Your tango is trying to give some perspective 458 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,679 Speaker 1: to men on what it means if a woman that 459 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:13,720 Speaker 1: you are seeing has a stuffed animal in her house 460 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: and if she does what type is it, because oh, 461 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,960 Speaker 1: that has so many hidden meanings. According to this, the 462 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: woman that you really want to date, um, she should 463 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:27,000 Speaker 1: probably either have no stuffed animals. A classic teddy bear 464 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 1: or maybe a raggedy old one does seem like the best. 465 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 1: They say that a woman with no stuffed animals, she's practical, 466 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: she's no frill. She'll probably offer to go Dutch and 467 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: buy books from a secondhand store, and she probably enjoys 468 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 1: a homemade dinner just as much as a forest restaurant. 469 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: But if she has a cheap collection from the drug store, 470 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: she's cheap with questionable taste and has cheap x is. Yeah, 471 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: and watch out for the women whose beds are covered 472 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: in stuffed animals. They probably don't get a lot of action, gentlemen. 473 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: She's probably a neat freak from if she has a 474 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: lot of free tam on her hands. Oh what bizarre 475 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: things we assume about people. Yeah, I would say check 476 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 1: yourself if you are cross checking the internets for information 477 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 1: about what someone stuffed animal collection means about them. Yeah, 478 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: I mean, there are probably other ways to tell if 479 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:26,240 Speaker 1: someone is mentally stable or not. Yeah, by just asking 480 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: them a series of questions on the clipboard that you 481 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: carry around on your dates. Yes, exactly. Um, well, we 482 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: want to hear though about people's stuffed animals, what they 483 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: meant to them, and also for adults out there, do 484 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 1: you still keep stuffed animals? And if you do, why 485 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:47,720 Speaker 1: haven't you gotten rid of them? What do they mean 486 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 1: to you? I think right now all of my stuffed 487 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:53,960 Speaker 1: animals are at my parents house, but my mom has 488 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: been very vigilant about holding onto them, and I don't 489 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 1: think I could ever really throw them away. I would 490 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: feel weird throwing them away just be has the meaning 491 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: attached or because they have little personalities. I guess the 492 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: meaning attached, it would be it would be weird, it 493 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: would be I think it would be weirder for I 494 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: would feel like I was breaking my mom's heart. See, 495 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: my mom is like get rid of everything. Every time 496 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: I see her, she's like, you know, you still have 497 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 1: some stuff in your closet at our house, right, except 498 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,320 Speaker 1: she's also giving you stuffed rabbits stuff. She's also giving 499 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 1: me stuffed rabbits. I don't know. I'm getting mixed signals. 500 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: Sally Sally, Well, write to us about yours or your 501 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:34,440 Speaker 1: children stuffed animals. Please share share any and all memories 502 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 1: this has evoked. Mom Stuff at Discovery dot com is 503 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: where you can send your letters. You can also send 504 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: us a message on Facebook or a quick shout out 505 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 1: on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast. And now back to 506 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: our letters. Yeah, here's one from Jennifer about our crying 507 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: at work episode. She says, I don't see the issue 508 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:58,040 Speaker 1: unless it's someone man or woman who cries constantly, mainly 509 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 1: because that brings into question the validity of their tears. 510 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 1: Manipulative crying is never appreciated. But I don't see any 511 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: problem with crying in general. Holding it in or acting 512 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: like we're too tough to cry I can be very 513 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: harmful emotionally in the long run. Your comments and suggestions 514 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: made it seem like there's still a general stigma against 515 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: crying at work or in public in general, which I'm 516 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,280 Speaker 1: not sure there is. Perhaps that was the case for 517 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,040 Speaker 1: earlier generations, like you said, but I really think this 518 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: current generation actually appreciates honesty of emotion. I don't see 519 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 1: that it freaks people out, as you put it, but 520 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:30,520 Speaker 1: rather help people realize that everyone is human and that 521 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: we all have bad days. I don't know, I have 522 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: to say that crying at work freaks me out. Even 523 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 1: when it's me, it freaks me out. But thanks Jennifer. Well, 524 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,040 Speaker 1: I've got an email here from Dave and he writes, 525 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,239 Speaker 1: I'm a man, and up until recently, I've spent a 526 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,200 Speaker 1: lot of time crying in the office, sometimes at my desk, 527 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 1: but when I got really bad, two or three times 528 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: a day in the bathroom. And there's something that you 529 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 1: didn't mention, and that is that there may be something 530 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: wrong with your brain. I cried so often because I 531 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:01,360 Speaker 1: just couldn't cope with my responsibility at work or at home. 532 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: Six weeks ago, I was diagnosed with a d h 533 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: D and now take medication for it daily. My situation 534 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: at work improved very quickly, and I haven't had to 535 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: run to the bathroom and cry since I started taking 536 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:14,600 Speaker 1: the meds. Other people may be clinically depressed, has severe 537 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 1: anxiety or other health problems. A brain disorder or a 538 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: chemical imbalance often isn't something you can think or positive 539 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: talk your way out of. I'm not saying that medication 540 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: should ever be the first choice, and that you should 541 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 1: resort to medication if you're feeling a little sad, but 542 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: if you find yourself crying uncontrollably, and it's happening every day. 543 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: You might want to talk to your doctor, so again. 544 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: You can send your letters to mom Stuff at Discovery 545 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 1: dot com. You can find us on Facebook, where we're 546 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,920 Speaker 1: always up to lots of fun, and Twitter at Mom's 547 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: Stuff Podcast. You can also follow us on Tumblr, It's 548 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 1: stuff Mom Never told You dot tumbler dot com, and 549 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: if you'd like to visit our website during the week, 550 00:32:53,800 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 1: It's how Stuff Works dot com. Or more on this 551 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Is it how stuff Works 552 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:14,320 Speaker 1: dot com