The Island of Misfit Toys has always held a certain mystique around the holidays. Although an integral part to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the island is also such a perfect symbol for loneliness and the feeling that you’re an outcast, feelings that for many are unavoidable during the holidays. Stuffed animals are not just cherished toys meant for children, but also symbols of the human experience. Not many toys, in my opinion, possess such cultural cache. Stuffed animals represent the BEST aspects of living.
Silver Spring Township, PA resident Jane Kreitzer recognizes the deeper meaning behind stuffed animals.
In the feature article “Silver Spring Township woman dresses, gives dolls, and stuffed animals to charity,” Tammie Gitt of The Sentinel writes “Each year, the Silver Spring Township woman buys dolls and stuffed animals at the Dollar Store or Walmart when they are discounted after holidays. Then, she takes them home and crochets dresses, sweaters, hats, and even underwear for them.”
Kreitzer’s a rescuer of stuffable animals that time forgets and makes them better!
We’ve all seen the discount bins after the holidays and how sad the racks and bins look. It’s almost as if you want to reach out to the toys and comfort them, tell them that there’s always next year. For many of these toys and stuffed animals, there isn’t a next year.
What of the children that may need them? Jane has that covered as well! Gitt writes, “She called a local minister who gladly took [the stuffed animals]. Her donations continued for another six years in Florida including one year when some were given to a nursing home.”
Everyone can use a stuffed animal for that little extra cheer. Around this time of the year, we can all use that. Never forget the power of a stuffed animal.
