For many people, stuffed animals can be a symbol of nostalgia.
Stuffed animals remind us of the comfortable squeeze our childhood selves needed when we were stressed, lonely, or just needed a hug.
They were present for many people when they needed them most.
On February 14, the chances for childhood nostalgia and memories returned with DSU’s event, Fun-Stuffed.
Hundreds of stuffed animals were spread across the tables for the opportunity to be “adopted.”
Anyone who attended had the choice to pick from a variety of animals. The animals available included “Bamboo,” the panda; “Paprika,” the red panda; “Furry,” the brown bear; “Trunks,” the elephant; “Mookey,” the monkey; “I-Hop,” the frog; “Snowshoe,” the husky; “Bandit,” the raccoon, “Jill and Joey,” the kangaroos; “Leo,” the lion; “Bubblegum,” the bear; “Charlie,” the cheetah; “Lily,” the llama; “Gert,” the baby goat; “Dot,” the dalmatian; and “Burly,” the Brachiosaurus.
The animals came in two different sizes, the “8” animals and the “16” animals. Prices varied depending on the size and whether a person wanted to insert a recording into the stuffed animals or wanted to dress the animals up.
The building process of the stuffed animals mimicked that of the brand Build-A-Bear, where one chooses the animal, stuffs it, closes it up, and gets the opportunity to name it and sign an “adoption certificate.”
Lines of people waiting for the stuffed animals wrapped around the perimeter of Richardson Ballroom.
Even before the event opened at 11 a.m., the line had already taken form.
For the new stuffed animal “owners,” this was an inclusive chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day for both couples and singles.
Friends could bond over the creations of their new friends, while a couple could bond over the time they stood in line and gifted each other their animals.
Some of the attendees of the events included students Cass McKinney, Dykia Holland and Kameron Gavin.
“I saw the signs outside on Scholar’s Walk about a week ago and I was really excited. I didn’t know what we were going to be doing, I thought that maybe we would be designing our own or I had no idea. I got here and saw that we were stuffing our own animals that were pre-made and that was really cool. I got a raccoon, I love him but I’m not sure what I’m going to name him yet but he’s cute,” McKinney said.
Towards the end of the event, many people who had bought a stuffed animal faced the problem of the lack of stuffing. Some had to wait for another round of stuffing to arrive or had to share with others, leaving the stuffed animals uneven or only partially filled.
This was a problem that Dykia Holland faced.
“I came to the stuffing event because I always wanted to go to one, this is my first time, so it is really exciting. I got an eagle because of Winthrop and his name is Flat Stuff because they ran out of stuffing. So you’ve heard of Big Stuff? This is Flat Stuff,” Holland said.
Despite the lack of stuffing, Holland was still able to enjoy the event and gained a new “friend,” Flat Stuff the eagle.
The stuffing wasn’t the only thing that ran out quickly, many of the animals were gone not even thirty minutes after the doors opened. The more popular animals included the frog, the red panda and the goat.
“I got here and the lines were wrapped around [Richardson Ballroom]. I didn’t know where to go at first, but we figured it out and got in line. It moved pretty fast because we had to step really big, so we didn’t wait very long. But all the stuffed animals we wanted were gone when we got there. I got a panda even though I wanted a red panda. I don’t have a name yet, but I’m gonna give it to my Valentine and let him name it,” Gavin said.
Based upon the lines and many of the tables being bare of most stuffed animals, Fun Stuffed was a popular and successful event.
The DSU Daytime/Late Night Chair and organizer of the event, Shania Tucker-McFadden agrees.
“It’s a little overwhelming [Fun Stuffed] because I wasn’t expecting the turnout to be as big as it was. Like by 11:15, we were almost all out of stuffed animals and by 11:45, we didn’t have any stuffing. It’s just overwhelming, but I’m grateful for everyone who came out.”
