This is a Ty stuffed monkey named Dangles.
In our house, he is goes by the name of Bobo (named after the baby monkey from the book Hug.)
Bobo was a 1st birthday present for CJ (from an awesome friend) and has been his near-constant companion for the past seven years. I say “near” only because Bobo doesn’t attend school or play outside. He does go on every trip, including this week’s camping, and is a well known figure at church and around the neighbourhood.
Three years ago, when it was time to start school, CJ’s sole anxiety was about leaving Bobo. He decided to bring him the first day, but he would stay in his backpack. Knowing he was there was enough. After that day, Bobo joined us for the trip to school but would remain in the car, waiting to be reunited with CJ at the end of the day.
Now Bobo tends to be a stay-at-home monkey, but he is still quickly retrieved if we start a movie, or even just settle in to read a few chapters of Harry Potter. And, of course, he is firmly snuggled in CJ’s arms every night.
Oh… Bobo just told me he doesn’t like his posture in that last picture (he suffers from severe osteoporosis and scoliosis) so he’d like me to take a more flattering shot.
That’s a bit of a sexy pose, Bobo… cheeky monkey!
One evening, not too long ago, we had kissed the boys goodnight and left them to sleep. All was quiet in the house for a while, and then we heard sobbing. The Husband and I raced upstairs thinking all sorts of catastrophic thoughts.
Turns out, CJ was grieving about some imagined night in the future when we would no longer let him sleep with Bobo. We quickly reassured him that he could sleep with Bobo for the rest of his life if that’s what he wanted to do. (He figures he will, at least until he’s married.)
A couple of months ago, I received an e-mail from the daycare the boys both attended from ages 1 to 5. It was the director, letting me know that they had found Bobo and she would hold him in the office so I could come by and get him.
CJ has not been in daycare for 3 years!
This was some other child’s stuffed Ty monkey which the teachers had found and immediately assumed it was CJ’s. That just shows how much a part of CJ life Bobo has been.
Not to be outdone by his older brother, ET also has a little stuffed buddy. His Ty name is Pursely and this is what he looks like on the interwebs.
This is what he looks like on our bathroom counter.
His adoptive name is Kitty. (ET didn’t need no stinkin’ book to come up with an awesome name!)
Kitty isn’t as long in the tooth as dear old Bobo. He is only 5 years old. He has, however, lived a hard life. He spends a lot of time swinging around by his tail and jumping from the 2nd floor. He doesn’t always land on his feet.
Kitty also wanted to strike a pose.
Well, now that you have been introduced to these treasured members of our family (apparently I’m their Grandmother) I need to sneak into a couple of bedrooms and tuck them back under the arms from whence I stole them.
Are there any stuffed loved ones in your life?
Escaping Elegance 
My daughter has the exact same stuffed except ours name is Gregory. He is 12 years old. He is more flat like a blanket now but he is still loved.
So great! I know for sure that Bobo and kitty with be with them forever! (sorry for the delayed response, I’ve been off-line for a while and missed your comment.)
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I’m nearly 18 and I still have my teddy (it’s actually a cat :)). I had it since I was a couple of months old, and I still own it now. It used to come on trips out, and was always in my back pack wherever I went. The only time I was apart from it was when I went to school. I don’t take it around with me anymore, but I still pack it with my clothes when I go on holiday and it stills sits on my bed.
So sweet that you take it in holiday! I also have my Teddy that I’ve had since I was one. He’s now in a closet but he still comes out to visit with the other stuffies periodically! I can’t imagine throwing him away… We’ve been through far too much together.
Do i ever have stuffed animals lurking around! I have a kitty like ET. They must be related. And some I hid them from the kids before they will be stolen when they come and visit me. It happened once and I am not going to allow that!
I notice Bobo doesn’t have a nose.
Bobo is in a pretty sad state. Although he has never had a hole or a rip, he seems to have lost the majority of his stuffing… Except for his limbs and his head, he is almost empty. He is still loved as much as always, however!
Matthew has Belly Flops (or, Bwops, as he called him early on), a small stuffed bean bag bear that got his name from what was written on the sewn-in tag. David has Moo Moo, a small yellow cow. For years they were their constant companions. Now they sit on bookshelves in their bedrooms, showing the well-chewed, well-loved look of first friends.
Well-chewed… Love it! I figure Bobo and Kitty will also have places of honour once they’re retired, I just hope it’s not for a while yet. Thanks for your comment!
It was blankie in our house for the first few years, but as Eldon got older he perhaps thought blankie was too childish and so turned his affections towards Purple Elephant. Now it’s all about Purple Elephant. We have lots of other stuffies too, but they are not on the same level as Purple Elephant. This was made very clear when the local library was having a “stuffy sleepover” event where kids could take one stuffy to the library, leave it there overnight, and pick it up the next day (on pick-up day, the library played a video of the escapades the stuffies had on their library sleepover, e.g. snacks in the stacks — very cute!). Anyway, when it came time to pick a stuffy for the sleepover, there was NO WAY Purple Elephant was going, he was too precious and might get lost, so Kitty went instead. The funny thing was that, after speaking with other Moms at the library, it turns out only B list stuffies made the library trip for the same reason as Purple Elephant — all the A list stuffies were left at home!
Yes, Bobo and Kitty are the A-list as well. There are many other bit players at our house too! I wouldn’t want to lose Purple Elephant either. I’ve seen him, he’s awesome!
My two year old sort of likes a blankie, but that’s that. My 10 year old daughter has a monkey she calls Bongo. She only requires him to sleep but its still cute.
Ahhh… The blankie. My sister had one of those and I remember how ratty it became! There is something about monkeys that make them extra cute.
Indeed. I had a pillow an aunt made that had a donkey on it with a sign around its little neck that said “smart ass”. I slept with it then practiced punching it then eventually practiced kissing and dry humping it. Look forward to that bobo!?? Lol. TMI?
Don!!!! This is my grand-monkey you are talking about! Great, now I’m going to bed with that image in my head… The bigger problem is that I can’t stop laughing, actually.
Love hearing that their are other stuffie grandmas out there. We too have had a Kitty, followed by Dolly and the most original of them all….Green Doggie!
LOVE the name Green Doggie! Do you have to kiss all your grand-stuffies goodnight, too?