Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
stuffed animal valentine
stuffed animal valentine
Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush from Pexels
SBU | Life > Experiences

My Stuffed Animals Tell the Best Stories

Ella McIntyre Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Every stuffed animal has a story. As I got older, when having stuffed animals started to be seen as childish, that was the rule I made for myself. The multiple stuffed animals on my bed at college and home all have a unique story or memory attached to them.

Go ahead and call me childish for continuing to keep something around that reminds me of a positive childhood memory or a memory that evoked a childlike sense of joy. I enjoy being able to tell stories of how each stuffed animal came into my life. 

Keke

Everyone (unless you’re like a sociopath or something…mostly kidding) has a stuffed animal or blanket that they carry around for a sense of comfort that they’ve had since birth. Keke is my pink stuffed bear that used to have a pretty pink bow around her neck and bright pink fur.

I received her from my grandparents on my dad’s side. Keke was the bear I hid in my backpack for the entire first week of school, and the first stuffed animal I pack every year for college. Keke has experienced every major life update and been with me through most of my awful diabetes days. Keke is also the only stuffed animal that is named. 

Bona Wolves and Squirrel 

I have made three Bonaventure Wolves: one small and two larger. The small one is from my freshman year, a large wolf is from the spring of my sophomore year, and the third large wolf was made during the wintertime of my sophomore year, made with a lovely festive scarf to go with. I, then, made a squirrel in the spring of my sophomore year.

Not all of these wolves and singular squirrel travel with me to college, but I try to take at least two with me. These were stuffed animals that I was able to stuff myself alongside a few friends and made plenty of memories before and after each event. 

The Others 

I have a mostly blue flamingo stuffed animal that was given to me last semester when my beloved cat, Mercury, passed away just before Valentine’s Day. My roommate, Gabbi, also added one of the sweetest cards I’ve ever received and a bouquet of flowers to this gift waiting for me upon my return from home.

I had never experienced someone going through that much effort to validate the loss of a pet before. It continues to join my crew of stuffed animals at college. 

I have a bunny, donut, and sun keychain that make up the extent of my Jellycat collection. The donut and the sun keychain were both Christmas gifts from people whom I adore.

The bunny I bought myself with friends who I adore, and told me about the shop selling Jellycats that had a college student deal in place when you show your ID. 

Two stuffed animals are tied to my boyfriend. There is a white and black spotted fluffy tiger of sorts that I got this past summer at a scammy sort of carnival game.

The memory is sweet; another stuffed animal is a Squishmallow that is the best size to hug and cuddle at night. This one is frequently referred to by my friends as “my little guy,” who occasionally ends up on the floor. 

I have a sloth Warmies, which was given to me by my Aunt Kelly. This sloth is a lifesaver when I have bad blood sugar days, and a heated blanket or pad doesn’t cut the amount of warmth I would like to have around me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Warmies are great for period cramps and menstruation cycles, but it just really works for me on a bad blood sugar day. 

I also have a small elephant Squishmallow. I bought this at a Five Below in my hometown. It was my comfort item when I was going through some great memories in high school during my junior year, and then also when things started to crash and burn a bit during my senior year. Elephants and my name (Ella) also seemed to be the immediate connection for my entire life, and as a result, elephants will always have a special place in my heart. 

I will always be an advocate for keeping stuffed animals, maybe that’s just the hoarder in me, but I greatly appreciate a good story that originates from an object that brings the childhood care-free joy. I also loved lining up my stuffed animals as if they were students and taking on a teacher role, so maybe there’s also a part of me that’s clinging onto that.

However, I am also proud to say that almost every stuffed animal I have has a small story about how it came into my life. These stories are fun to go through and reminisce on these fun memories and stories whenever I see the stuffed animal.

Ella McIntyre

SBU '27

Ella is a member of the St. Bonaventure Her Campus Chapter. She plans on writing pieces that cover music, literature, TV and Movies, and the happenings of her life here at SBU.

Ella is a junior Inclusive Adolescent Education and English double Major. She enjoyed doing New Visions Education during her senior year of high school, which gave her a small experience of observing middle and high school classrooms. She has enjoyed exploring all of the clubs and opportunities SBU has to offer, and continues to do so by joining Her Campus, volunteering at the SPCA, as a member of the Bonaventure Education Association (BEA, and SGA representative for SBU for Equality and SBU College Democrats.

Outside of classes and Her Campus, Ella can be found studying, reading, or outside soaking up the sun (whenever it’s an option to “photosynthesize”). Ella also loves chatting with friends as a part of her not-so-quick study breaks.