Remember that plush toy you clutched in your cradle and dragged around with you as a toddler until Mom gently pried the poor, shedding, hardly recognizable, eyeless critter from your hands? Chances are your bedtime buddy was one of half a dozen species. Okay, so you dont see a lot of plush aardvarks or platypi, but giraffes, elephants, lions, and a few other animals get stuffed all the time. Yet gift giversand moms and dadsusually gravitate to the same six mammals for newborns. Newborns love to cuddle these six primarily because theyre at the mercy of adults with fond memories of their own lambie or puppy. Here are the top six, based on the huge number of each decorating my nieces bedrooms, and why adults love them:LambFace it. Lambs are cute, with those floppy ears and soft, wooly body. Theres also the spiritual implication of lambs that compels deeply religious people to put a little lamb into the arms of a little lamb. Fortunately, our innocent babes wont hear about the sacrificial lamb for a number of years, so they can hug and squeeze their lambie without a worry in the world. DuckWe grow up with rubber duckies in our bathtub, enjoy feeding bread to the ducks at a nearby pond and, at some point in time, we order the luscious Duck a Lorange and eat Donald or Daffy with wild abandon. Some folks even shoot down ducks for sport. Maybe its a guilt thing. Save a duck to change your luck. Teddy BearIs there any plush toy were more conditioned to give a newborn than a teddy bearthe undoubted king of stuffed animals? (Or queensometimes teddy bears are stuffed into lacy, pink-gingham dresses.) Its probably subliminal by nowwe see teddy-bear images on baby blocks, baby clothes, baby shower invitations, baby favors and all kinds of baby gifts. When babies grow up, they come to the realization that adults have foisted upon them a heartwarming love of a gigantic, man-eating creature. Bunny RabbitFrom Peter Cottontail to Thumper to Bugs Bunny to Roger Rabbit, weve all grown up with bunnies weve come to know and love. Their gentle nature, luxurious long ears and soft fur, and hippity-hop mode of travel appeal to young and old alikenot to mention they can usually outsmart the Elmer Fudds of the world. Puppy As far as Im concerned, giving a newborn a plush puppy is preparation for the real thing. Every kid should have a dog to love, cuddle, annoy, ride (its possibleI have a houseful of German Shepherds,) and sleep with at night. For the first few years, a stuffed puppy is safer for both species. We often give babies plush puppies because real puppies give us incomparable joy and unconditional love, and we know youre never too young to experience those feelings.MonkeyAdmit it. Whats your favorite animal when you go to the zoo? Monkeys! Whats the funniest animal to watch? A monkey! What reminds us more of ourselves than any other animal? Monkeys. Think Curious George, Cheetah, Bubbles (the Gloved Ones pal,) King Kong, Magilla Gorilla, Marcel (Ross Gellers monkey on Friends) and Zippy the Chimp, just to name a few. I give monkey baby gifts all the time, because theyre more fun thana barrel of monkeys!
No comments:
Post a Comment