Hey, there! Log in / Register
Missing: Stuffed pink leopard
By adamg on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 7:21am
A local parent is frantically searching for his daughter's Lisa Leopard, stolen out of the family mini-van last night at the Rite-Aid near Davis Square:
She has had her since she was 3 years old. This is the go-to comfort toy. No, this is her best friend. This is the thing she brought to EVERY SINGLE "show and tell" day at school for a year.
This is her Hobbes. In fact, when I introduced her to Calvin and Hobbes last year, it was as if she had written the comics in a previous life.
So as you can imagine, I have spent the last several hours in the rain inspecting every square inch within a five block radius of the crime scene. I have been trying to get into the heads of whatever stoner kids found an unlocked door, grabbed the first thing they saw, and looked inside, and realized that there was nothing worth stealing. I have gone into every trash can and made friends with the T station workers. I even chatted up a few of the downtrodden folks at the bottle redemption center.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Kid, you have learned a
Kid, you have learned a valuable lesson. The world is often times a cruel place. If you value something, never let it leave your sight.
Not a parent, I take it
Because no parent would be so cruel to a 5-year-old to stomp on them with such a pearl of "wisdom."
as a parent with a child who
as a parent with a child who had her favorites, I'm not going to stomp on anons post as others have. If my situation, as this has happened to us, do everything you can to find the stuffed animal and console your child. Yes it stinks and the next few days will be rough, kind of like withdrawals but in the end, the child will go on and lead a happy normal life and life will not end as we know it.
Too bad
I'm sorry that your parents took great pride and joy in stomping your spirit. Seems that it worked.
Now spare other people your damage, m'kay?
George says you're a mean person
George says, "You're going to die alone and miserable."
Big Pinky & Little Pinky Concur
And you don't want to mess with Big Pinky.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
I'm available for teaching lessons too!
Where's your car parked?
Good Grief
It's a stuffed animal. Yes, it has sentimental value but this is a great time to teach your kid that bad things happen, life isn't fair, etc.
Helicopter parenting at it's finest...
People with no kids, no compassion
Helicoptering is for when your kid is in college and so is old enough to make his or her own decisions, not for 5- or 6-year-olds.
If it becomes obvious the leopard is not coming back, I have no doubt her parents will try to help her deal with it as best they can (How do you explain crackhead thieves to a 5-year-old?), rather than giving her a stern lecture about how she should always lock the doors of the minivan (and if you actually read the post, you'll notice it wasn't the kid who lost the stuffed animal).
I don't have kids, but
I have a dog who was given a stuffed animal when he was 9 weeks old. He takes that thing everywhere in the house. He walks from room to room with it in his mouth and it's the first thing he looks for when we come in from a walk. He will jump up in my bed and bury it under the covers to play with later. He loves that thing and while I know he might forget it someday, right now it provides a certain sense of security for him.
So, no, I don't think it's bad parenting for our intrepid blogger to try and find it. I looked for one on Amazon and Ebay and it was not to be found! I also think having this stuffed friend will do a lot more to nurse the kid's imagination than the latest Call of Duty.
With all due respect, why are
With all due respect, why are we assuming they were "crackheads" or even "kids"? The original posted even struck out "stoner" in the original post.
Good Grief, Anon.
Why so hard? Something dear is lost to a very young child and you want to make this a "teachable moment" that life is cruel so better buck up and get on it with? Way harsh, man. Way harsh.
I bet it makes you feel
I bet it makes you feel wicked smart & superior to use pop culture catch phrases like "helicopter parenting." I hope you don't work with children, the sick or the elderly.
How is this helicopter parenting?
The kid's like five, not 20.
The Anon's posting here are real dolts
Yes, it is just a stuffed animal to you. But to a five year old, it may be their most prized possession in addition to being a make believe best friend. The parent is not the asshole here, it's the douchebag that stole it.
What kind of pervert steals a
What kind of pervert steals a little kid's stuffed animal? It's not as if it looked brand new. Creep.
binky's
when we saw my son getting attached to a particular stuffed animal(eebie baby) we went flew right to the store (in our helicopter)and bought a back up. we would switch them out occasionally for some even wear and tear. his little brother is now attached to the same little binky. my older guy grew out of it by the time he was two. its a good thing we didnt have to force any of lifes cruel realities upon him at such a young age.
now if the patriots lose the superbowl......
Yeah, we did the same thing
Well, to be more precise, my wife did: She made two blankets from the same fabric. Only thing is, one sat in a drawer while the other was in daily rotation and so after awhile, it became pretty obvious which was the "real" one, which almost became an issue that day up in North Conway when somehow it slipped out of the stroller while we were wandering around (thankfully, some kind soul spotted it lying there and hooked it over a fence, so when we retraced our steps, there it was, right in our faces).
Who the hell steals a stuffed
Who the hell steals a stuffed toy??
So quick to blame.
Yeah, blame the "stoner kids." How much did she smoke before leaving her car unlocked in Davis Square? I won't be able to rest until I read what Swirly Girl has to say in this matter.
Dear coward
Since you asked, here's my take on it:
The toy either wasn't in the car, dropped out of the car when the people got into or out of the car (and was picked up by a passerby), or the kid lost it wherever the family went next. Knowing how this works, I would have searched at home wherever the car had been parked, and asked neighbors, too.
I just returned a special lovie last week that I scooped up when I saw it laying in the snow next to where a neighbor's car had been - but I didn't get the opportunity to do so for over a day.
If they went to the Goodwill, they should check there, I have had my personal possessions (bike helmet, coat with keys attached) scooped up by one of their developmentally disabled workers on a couple of occasions when I set them next to me while I tried on a coat or shoes ... they didn't realize the difference between merchandise and property, and I had to get a manager to come explain it so they would give me back my stuff.
It's the expedition off into
It's the expedition off into a story about "developmentally disabled" people that made this one a swirling classic.
Cripes
nope, your guesses and takes are all wrong--read the post
The toy was inside a backpack with other school stuff (half-eaten lunch, etc.) that was left inside the minivan. The entire bag was stolen.
I think you'll have to give back that all-knowing schmott gal hat now.
?
She said they should check at home.
One would think that would go for the backpack or the toy. The family thinks it was in the car and was stolen, but it may never have been in the car or it may have fallen out the way shit falls out when kids pile in and out (especially since so little attention was being paid that doors weren't locked either).
Look for a follow-up post where the backpack is found somewhere consistent with flying off the roof of the minivan. Or at Morgies.
Take your crayons
Cross out "toy" and write in "backpack".
It all still holds.
I take it you never left your house with your kids, eh?
Just the opposite
I left the house with her all the time. There was a stretch where every single day we came home from our trip on the T minus one sock. Never saw where they went and I certainly don't think they were stolen. But I can tell difference between specifically remembering what I did with something versus hmm wonder where in the trip we became separated from that item.
For example, she may have specifically told her daughter to leave the bag in the van while they were in the store.
She posted a picture of the model of backpack. It's a good sized daypack style with a rainbow leopard pattern. It would be tough to miss if it fell out of the car, or similar.
When my daughter was a baby
When my daughter was a baby she had a beanie monkey that went everywhere. It got lost and my husband and I were the ones who were sad; she just went on with a doggie that was much the same. But she was still one or so.
We still talk about that monkey now and then. In fact I just told her the story of monkey yesterday (including the songs we would sing) and she's 11 now.
.
.
Losing that toy has got to be
Losing that toy has got to be like the end of the world for that little girl. It probably can't be replaced, but her parents should try. The little girl is old enough to appreciate their efforts and I think it's wonderful that her parents are taking this so seriously.
I just did an Ebay search and found 1,376 leopard plush toys, including one on the first page of results that is just like this one with the heart on its chest, except it is pink and wearing sneakers. If her parents are persistent, the exact same one will surely turn up.
Search for "leopard" and then choose the "stuffed animals" category in Toys. If that doesn't work, try "tiger" and "cat" and other close searches.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Stuffed-Animals-/436/i.htm...
Good luck! And the question remains: Who would steal a stuffed toy out of a car?
I found one!
I found the same leopard (I recognised it as a Build-a-Bear) on eBay and bought it; if the original doesn't turn up, I'll give it to this little girl.
I had a stuffed kitty BFF when I was her age...I still have her, too.
Great Job!
Awwwww, that is really nice. You should send it to her. I bet she is really grateful. We were going to do the same but I couldn't find the same one anywhere.
Good job :)
That is very kind of you too find one for a little girl you don't even no! Im a pree teen now and i have my favorite teddy as well! Ive been through what this girl has my curious George monkey got stolen out of our mini van as well! I was crushed for about a year but i got over it!
tenderness
I had a favorite stuffed animal when I was a child. Over the years all of the stuffing came out and all of the fleece had worn off, and one of the ears was missing from the time my sister ran around the coffee table with it, holding it by the ear. Little by little, it became unrecognizable to anyone but myself. I am an adult now, and though I no longer sleep with it or carry it with me, I still have it. Having "lamby" taught me to feel tenderness, and also a maternal sense of responsibility for something you love. I hope she gets her animal back. It is surely a sickening feeling to lose something like that.
On a related side note, this makes me think of the wonderful children's books The Velveteen Rabbit and Fuzzy Rabbit.
They stole a backpack
The stuffed animal was in a backpack that was visible inside the unlocked van. The thief didn't take it hoping for a new binky. They hoped to get some electronics in the bag.
Crabby Crabby
Not only have these anons obviously never had children (neither have I, actually) they obviously were never children. But then that can't be possible. I guess they just never developed one iota of empathy for their fellow humansbeings. Swirly's idea was a good one. Check the goodwill nearby.
Onion-News Worthy
Front-page Headline, perhaps adjoining a slightly less-prominently placed story of famine or bloodshed in a foreign country: "Local Girl's Stuffed Leopard Goes Missing- Foul play suspected as frantic parents plead for city's help."
I think this must say something about the sheltered (some might say spoiled) lives of upper-middle-class American children, and perhaps some of the adults as well. And I have a 5-year-old of my own, and have indeed spent time looking for stuffed animals and dolls that have Tragically Departed in one way or another. So count me among the implicated- if I thought blogging about it would have helped to bring back poor "Yi-Yi" the T-riding blue baby, I probably would have done it myself.
It could get worse
While we are getting into Onion territory ...
This could result in a "see something say something" situation in the Davis Square or Porter Square T stations.
Abandoned backpack in station attracts attention ... T bomb squad comes in and makes a Lisa Leopard snuff flick with water cannons, robot destroyers, or controlled explosion in a can.
Ouch.
For the parents - Please do
For the parents -
Please do stop by Comicazi again - its not the same by far, but a new friend may be waiting for her.
THANK YOU!
That was incredibly kind. She is still crushed about losing Lisa Leopard, but she already is becoming very attached to "Stripe".
If LL never reappears (and we still have a glimmer of hope that she will), it will mean a lot that people took her anguish seriously and empathized.
The card was perfect as well.
Thanks again for your kindness.