The stories our toys tell
Long gone are the days of Tamagotchis, Bop It and Barbies. However, certain toys contain more sentimental value than others and often evoke nostalgia in individuals as they reminisce on the experiences they had with them.
Youth Mind reached out to some individuals about their favourite toys growing up, and asked what made them so special.
Martina’s kitty
My favourite toy growing up was this little brown stuffed cat who I very creatively named Kitty. The story is that I stole her from my mom, who stole it from her brother when they were growing up. I took her absolutely everywhere with me for quite a few years. She got pretty filthy and eventually my mom put her in the washer. She came out with no whiskers and her fur all matted. I probably cried, but I must have gotten over it quickly because I don’t remember it clearly. I still took her on so many adventures that at some point both her head and tail came off. Thankfully mom was a seamstress and sewed her right back up.
-Martina Commisso
Michela’s Powerpuff Girls and dolls
These Powerpuff Girls were cake figurines for my sixth birthday and I loved them so much I kept them as toys. I lost the Buttercup though, so my mom had to go back to the bakery and ask if she could just buy the figurines rather than a whole new cake. Also, the original Blossom lost her arm in the gravel at school so eventually I just threw out the originals and I’ve had these replacements ever since. I wanna say I’ve had them for 18 or 19 years now.
GI Joe was married to this Bratz doll. I made the dress out of an old bed canopy. I want to say her name was Jade. I was so extra even as a kid that I drew wedding rings on their fingers with a pen.
-Michela Mucciaccio
Laura’s Gustave Junior
I got this frog when I was 11-years-old at middle school’s (le Pavillon Intermédiaire Catholique La Citadelle) open house. I was attending with my St.Gabriel’s classmates and were all very excited to be in such a big gym with older kids. I either answered a question right or I had my name in a raffle of some kind and won it. As someone who never won anything typically, I was thrilled. La Citadelle’s mascot was a green frog with a bright red cape named Gustave, which is why they had frog merchandise and toys in the first place.
As a kid, I always thought I was weird because I didn’t sleep with a stuffed animal or special blanket like my friends did. So while taking a picture with their frog mascot, I vowed to learn how to sleep with a stuffed animal. I called him Gustave Junior when I got home that night and he’s been my sleeping buddy ever since. I feel weird whenever I don’t have him around now over 10 years later.
-Laura Bourbonnais
About the author
Amy is a former reporter for Youth Mind. She is passionate about oat milk lattes, any film featuring Adam Driver, and tending to her tiny indoor Basil garden.
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Amy Fournierhttps://www.theyouthmind.ca/author/amyfournier/
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Amy Fournierhttps://www.theyouthmind.ca/author/amyfournier/
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Amy Fournierhttps://www.theyouthmind.ca/author/amyfournier/
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Amy Fournierhttps://www.theyouthmind.ca/author/amyfournier/
Amy Fournier
Amy is a former reporter for Youth Mind. She is passionate about oat milk lattes, any film featuring Adam Driver, and tending to her tiny indoor Basil garden.
