I may not know what day of quarantine it is at this point but one thing for sure is that I am really missing my friends right about now. We have done our best to stay in touch from 6ft apart by doing car meetups, surprising each other on birthdays with signs and presents from the lawn and of course hangouts on Zoom. However, nothing compares to the real thing and I’m often left wishing I could tackle them to the ground (which says a lot because I am not a hugger). Enter the surprise stuffed animal exchange.
Now I don’t know if this is just something my friends from my high school have started doing but there seems to have been a resurgence of stuffed animals among people my age. Maybe it’s the quarantine brain or maybe it’s because now, with social media, we have the unique ability to document everything – and I mean everything, some of these stuffies even have finstagrams of their own – but regardless they are back and funnier than ever. When I told my best friend about these pages where our friends had their stuffed hedgehog drinking Pinot Grigio or their possum from Bass Pro Shop commenting on episodes of Glee, he was more than in for the ride.
A few ground rules for our exchange that you might want to consider when doing your own are:
Setting a price limit
Our max was $25, which may sound like a lot but as far as novelty stuffed animals go, this was definitely on the cheaper side. Free shipping is also a must and bonus points if you can find something on Amazon Prime that will get to your bestie ASAP!
You chose their stuffed animal and name
It’s a surprise after all! You chose what you’re getting them as well as the name which sets the persona of their stuffed animal in motion. Just remember future baby names are off limits!
Make it personal or make it weird
We shopped on FaceTime together and tried to psych the other out. One of us definitely ended up with something cute and cuddly and the other is a bit more questionable, to say the least.
Order to your best friend’s house
To minimize the spread but also surprise your best friend with something on their doorstep, order their stuffed animal to their house. That way you can each do an unboxing on FaceTime and explain your choice and name.
While ours was definitely just for laughs on TikTok and private stories, I still think that doing an exchange with your best friend while in quarantine is such a cute idea and a surefire way to lift their spirits during this dark time. I hope you had fun along this journey and consider surprising a friend or loved one you are missing right now!
Stay safe, Golden Hawks!