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Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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TODAY

Sunday, October 13

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Fuel

Andrew / November 6, 2005 11:16 PM

I had a teddy bear named Billy. His arms went straight out to the side, so I would hold onto one and tuck the other into my armpit and sleep with him under my arm all night.

I still have Billy, but he doesn't sleep with me anymore. He's up on a shelf in my office.

matt / November 6, 2005 11:16 PM

I don't still have my security blanket...


I promise.

That would just be ludicrous.

Ramsin / November 7, 2005 12:24 AM

I would just like to comment to say that Hawk Harrelson, during a Sox game, once saw a little girl clutching something and said, in the way only he can, "I luuuuv num-nums."

I luuuuv Hawk.

That's all.

jennifer / November 7, 2005 12:48 AM

I still have a patch of my security blanket, though i did get over sucking my thumb with little to no dental problems. Bedtime Bear Care Bear still sleeps with me when my bed it otherwise unpopulated by non-Care Bear guests.

tony / November 7, 2005 1:01 AM

I had a blue blanket as a kid without which I couldn't fall asleep. And a Snoopy.

steven / November 7, 2005 7:08 AM

A bean bag dog that I call Snoopy. Still have it.

selenium7 / November 7, 2005 7:13 AM

I had, of course, a blue blanket that was a small quilt with bird shapes all over it. We did keep it long, long after I needed it, but it did finally evaporate or do whatever old "bankies" do.

Bittersweet / November 7, 2005 8:24 AM

A pink, stuffed bunny I got from my grandmother called "Angela". I would sniff one of her ears like a hit of coke.

Adam Verner / November 7, 2005 8:51 AM

I had a stuffed mouse...named Mousey.

Bursting with creativity.

Kevin / November 7, 2005 8:58 AM

Also bursting with creativity, I had a homeade sock monkey named Monkey.

slb / November 7, 2005 9:07 AM

i also had a snoopy. until my sister threw up on it and it disintegrated in the washing machine.

i had a blankie that disappeared, never to be found...

my brother had a washcloth that he called a blankie. my grandma threw it away.

no wonder i don't feel very secure...

SG / November 7, 2005 9:21 AM

I had, and still have, a stuffed dog named Murly Jones. He wears an awesome checked suit, and all his plush has long since been worn away.

My husband had a blanket that for whatever reason he called his pipe.

Amy / November 7, 2005 9:23 AM

I had a monchhichi that I carried around everywhere. Gosh, I forgot about that.

Sarah / November 7, 2005 9:28 AM

I had a teddy bear which I called Ted E. Bear that my uncle gave me when I was born. Ted was, I think a boy, but sometimes wore my cabbage patch doll's dresses. I recently discovered that my best friend grew up with the same teddy bear. Both currently live on shelves in our apartments.

daruma / November 7, 2005 9:35 AM

A small shot of Canadian Club scotch whiskey in a dixie cup on the bookshelf...

epoomay / November 7, 2005 10:09 AM

A ratty pink blanket that I still sleep with. Now more threads and shreds than actual blanket, but very, very soft.

My sister had a succession of baby blankets that she carried around with her. She didn't much care about the particular blanket, only the general size and shape. So my parents would buy in bulk and just continually replace the ones she lost or misplaced.

Naz / November 7, 2005 10:14 AM

I have (yes, I still have him) a stuffed rabbit (that's more in humanoid form than a typical rabbit - like a sockmonkey) called Judd.

When I was younger, I used to want to draw a cartoon or a comic for kids that would feature him in it. I did a few panels but never went further with the idea.

MikeH / November 7, 2005 10:16 AM

A small black and white plush dog of which I've long forgotten the name. His black beady eyes fell off at some point, so I used a black magic marker to give him new ones. And the stuffing became so broken in that he was basically just a limp beanbag. I'm not sure whatever happened to him, but I am sure he must have been the plushy version of a petri dish by the time I was through with him...

Cinnamon / November 7, 2005 10:22 AM

I had a teddy bear named Pudgy that my mother got by sending in paper towel labels. I still have him in a bag in a chest. He's only about 20% original. One eye remains, even though it is broken. His stuffing is probably mostly replaced, his chest panel got hugged through and replaced 3 times, and I don't think any of the stitches are original and you can tell the ones my mother sewed and the ones I sewed. He's pretty fragile and no longer pudgey at all, but I hug him everytime I get something out of my keepsake chest. And yes, I did make my mother go back to a park once to retrieve him from the swing I left him home.

Baltimore / November 7, 2005 10:29 AM

When I was ten years old, I recieved from my grandparents a Model 950000 Triple X Smith and Wesson triple action revolver. To call it massive would be an understatement. With its 9-9/8-in. barrel, the overall length of the Model 950000 triple X is 150 in.and the empty weight is 15 pounds. The cylinder alone is almost 10 in. in diameter and approaches 50.25 in. in length. Thumb the cylinder open and five charge holes await. Each is 10 in. in diameter, and the .50-cal. cartridges they hold are almost 10 in. long! Load five of these babbies and the total weight of the handgun climbs to 25 pounds! It took me months to master this sweet symbol of American greatness and freedom.You don't just casually pick up a Model 9500000 Triple X. You have to lift it and when you fire one of those big cartridges, you'll appreciate why the weight and mass are there! A great American, Dirty Harry once said that his 44 magnum would make his day by blowing the head of a product of liberal society, off clean across a foot ball field. My baby, the 950000 Triple X S&W would make Mr. Harry's decade, or the decade of any God Fearing Patriotic American by blowing the same head clean off across five foot ball fields with its standard load producing about 90000 ft.-lb. of muzzle action energy.
Thank Gapers Block for allowing me to share this great memory of my youth. Thinking about it now I get all teary eyed. A real man is not afraid to cry over his first gun. Now I own a rocket launcher. Don't forget to support our Troops and our President! Happy Holidays

Carrie / November 7, 2005 10:34 AM

I have Bear. He's really Winnie the Pooh, but has become just Bear over the years (Ok, sometimes still called Poobie). He and my thumb were my bedtime comforts for years and like Jennifer, I managed to have no dental problems from sucking my thumb. Bear is gently tucked under my arm every night,unless I have an overnight guest.

Considering he's 26, he still looks good. He has some fur in his ears and on the back of his legs. Both eyes are still there, as is his nose. His mouth is well, kind of the shape of me kissing him over the years. He's really very handsome. He'd win a Most Loved Bear contest hands down

jen / November 7, 2005 11:04 AM

i had a stuffed monkey whose fur shed all over the house. my mother eventually took the monkey without my knowledge and had not a care in the world when i couldn't find it. the monkey was resurrected one day when she was rummaging around in her closet, and i happened to see it sticking out behind some stuff on a shelf.

i really did have a happy childhood. honest.

laura / November 7, 2005 11:28 AM

I had a stuffed Curious George wind-up doll that played Braham's Lullaby. I listened to that thing multiple times before nodding off to sleep. Over the years, the song slowed and I would have to hit the back of it in order to finish the song. He's still somewhere at my mom's house, no longer being abused by an eight-year-old.

eep / November 7, 2005 11:29 AM

I have a teddy bear I received on my first birthday. He was pink, so he was dubbed "Pinky." Ah, the thought that must have gone into that naming. Anyway, Pinky is now faded to a gray, almost white, color, and he lives on my dresser. Pinky used to live on my pillows, but when I got my cat I discovered that Pinky would often be mistaken for a chewtoy, and I didn't want my cat ripping out Pinky's stuffing guts. Other than the faded color, Pinky is in pristine condition.

I also have a teddy bear that I got when I was born, a big one named Huggy Bear. Huggy also lives on the dresser with Pinky. These are the two childhood toys I will NEVER be rid of, as they've been with me through everything. Odd, however, that Huggy Bear's been around longer, yet as a child I preferred Pinky. Huh.

Carrie D / November 7, 2005 11:55 AM

I had a homemade Grover that was loved to the point of losing fur and becoming a lumpy beanbag. My sister has him now, along with HER Grover and my Love-A-Lot and her Grumpy Care Bears (both pretty ratty). I'm happy to let her keep watch over them; she's more nostalgic about them than I am, and this way they get to hang out together in their old age...

christian / November 7, 2005 1:04 PM

I had (have) a blanket called blanket, a multi colored blanket made by grandma. And a bear of course.

p / November 7, 2005 1:30 PM

An assortment of stuffed rabbits, monkeys, dogs and gorillas which would all crowd under the covers along with a flashlight, butterfly knife, set of nunchucks, a whip, and a choose-your-own-adventure book. Bring On Tha Night.

Alice / November 7, 2005 1:44 PM

I had all three: bear, blankie and thumb. I guess I had issues.

The blankie is long gone, but I still have the bear and both my thumbs.

Emerson Dameron / November 7, 2005 1:56 PM

A portable radio and an egg timer. I'd turn on the radio and set the timer for an hour. When the timer rang, I'd turn off the radio.

Veronica / November 7, 2005 1:57 PM

Hee hee...Alice made me giggle.

I had a rabbit that had a blanket for a body. It was plaid yellow, pink, and blue and his name was Babu. (Which makes me laugh now because of Seinfeld and all). I'm sure my mother has that packed away in a box somewhere. I now sleep with my walrus. His name is Paul and my mother gave him to me right before I left for college. He comes with me on airplanes and I have to hold him real tight because he gets nervous when he flies.

bran / November 7, 2005 3:54 PM

Rather than describe my own security blankey and teddy bear (I was an insecure child and needed both), I thought I'd describe my niece's.

When she was born, she was given a Pat the Bunny plush toy as one of her many gifts. After she gained some dexterity, the fluffy white rabbit became her favorite toy. She would suck on his little blunt arms when she wasn't feeding--a kind of hassenpacifier I guess. Eventually, the fuzzy wore off his arms, and the milk from her feedings along with the spit and mucous and various other unsavory things that seep from a baby's mouth polluted his arms and chest.

He freakin' molded.

My brother and his wife washed--and bleached--Pat regularly. Nevertheless, the pathetic thing was soon re-christened by her mean Uncle (me) "Plague the Bunny." Funny thing is, the name stuck.

Andy / November 7, 2005 3:56 PM

closest thing I had was a bath tub squeaky frog. I squeezed him alot.

Beth / November 7, 2005 4:52 PM

I had a green and white "wubby". (Mr. Mom, anyone?) And not a thumb - but my right index finger. Go figure.

Moon / November 7, 2005 5:27 PM

We didn't have any toys. If I wasn't a boy, I wouldn't have had anything to play with.

zippy / November 7, 2005 8:21 PM

I had a tech-9 when i was 10. I used to take it to school and show all my friends and then spray all my enemies with it to gain some cred. I miss it now!!!

leelah / November 7, 2005 10:05 PM

I had Tweeter, a blue-green plastic bird (a blue jay) that had originally been on a stick and stuck in a plant or a bird cage or something. Anyway, I got a hold of this thing and it went with me everywhere... I was kind of obsessed with birds when I was small. Eventually I dropped it in a mall or a parking lot in New Jersey, and someone probably threw it away (rightfully so). My poor mother was up in arms with inconsolable me... there was no replacing Tweeter.

I moved on to normal stuffed animals after that.

Staci / November 8, 2005 8:40 AM

I had Oatmeal, a teddy bear made by my grandmother. He got his name because his fur looked like my fave hot cereal. He came with me to college and is still on a shelf in my apartment. My friends always made fun of him, calling him "ugly," but they were obviously idiots. He's gorgeous!

Stephen / November 8, 2005 9:51 AM

I had a huggy bear; don't recall it had a name other than that. Huggy Bear died when I discovered he could "poop" by cutting a hole in his butt and squeezing the stuffing out of him. It was funny at the time, I swear.

YAJ / November 8, 2005 10:39 AM

I had a light blue stuffed dog named Arfy. I carried him everywhere and wore his neck stuffing away, then made his wobbly head a "brace" with rings and rings of bandaids. I wanted to be a vet, ya know...

paul / November 8, 2005 10:39 AM

I've always been a hair twirler.

banchode / November 8, 2005 12:32 PM

the stick i used to beat my mom with.

Andrew / November 8, 2005 2:57 PM

chode, the joke's old. Give it up.

Sara / July 11, 2006 5:15 PM

I have a blue woolen blanket with satin edges, I love (Yes, still!) to rub the soft edges against my cheek. It's in a pretty sorry state now, I can tell you. Most of the threads are either gone, or on the brink of decintigrating, the satin edges have aquired a sort of grungey color and are no longer blue. I used to have a favorite corner, but when the tag marking it fell off, I couldn't find it. (Just my luck it had recently been washed so I couldn't find the scent of my hand on it!)

SleepySue / April 18, 2007 10:36 AM

I still have my security blanket that was a gift from my neighbors when I was first born. I can't sleep without it. 20 years of wear have torn the thing to absolute shreds, and lately it has been losing big chunks of fabric. I was so desperate to find a replacement that I just wrote to the company to see if they still make the same blanket!

Jay / June 14, 2007 10:39 PM

So tell me "matt", why would still having your security blanket be ludicrous? Alot of the rest of us do...

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