Stuffed Animals. What to do with them?

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Stuffed Animals. What to do with them?

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Started 2 years ago by craftnclutter
Latest reply from JuliaJayne
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craftnclutter
Member

So my parents bequeathed me with boxes and boxes of things from childhood, and my husband & I have started going through everything. Recycling, donating & trashing. I just went through 5-6 copy paper boxes full of stuffed animals (that are 20+ yrs old). Things like Cabbage Patch kids and animals given at birth and then more generic animals that I have no recollection of.

I've weeded out "keepers/sellers" and "goners" and "tossers." I'm sure I'll keep a couple of those given to at birth, but the question is what to do with all those that are NOT broken/ripped/disgusting. I hate to just throw them in the garbage, but I'm not sure if places like Goodwill would accept them. Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this?

And then for the ones I decide to keep, what would be the best way to store them?

Posted 2 years ago #
EraserGirl
Member

FREECYCLE. worked for me. I culled mine down to the ones that had real significance..and the rest went very quickly on freecycle. the Salvation army does take them and sell them.. (that's where i have acquired a few)

as for storage..if you put them on a shelf they gather dust and are hard to clean and keep looking nice. so basically if you want to display them permanently i would invest in an acrylic showbox from either the baseball card store or a doll store..you can get them online or on ebay. I have a couple of custom made 12" action figures in acrylic display boxes. and they are great.

if you haven't looked at them acrylic display boxes come in every possible shape and size...as small as a golf ball as big as a baseball bat.

Posted 2 years ago #
aggie b.
Member

Per Erasergirl, I would definitely recommend Freecycle.

For those you want to keep, by storing, do you mean you'd be tucking them away somewhere, or will they be displayed. If they will be tucked away, have you possible considered creating a special photobook of them? If space is at a premium, taking photos of them and creating a special album will still allow you to commemorate the toys, pass them on to someone who will enjoy them, and decrease storage/display clutter.

Good luck!

Posted 2 years ago #
Ginger
Member

If you want to store them tucked away long term, I highly suggest a tight plastic bin. My mom used to keep hers in a hefty trash bag and cardboard box. When she un-buried them a couple years ago, she noticed that something had broken though and chewed on them. She just chucked them all.

Posted 2 years ago #
Mrs.Mack
Member

Storing - Get a hanging sweater shelf and tuck 'em in there.

Displaying - Agreed with the above suggestions of acrylic boxes.

Getting rid of - If they're useable, but old, donate them to Goodwill or whatnot. But it sounds like you already did that, and you're asking about the ones that aren't useable. If they can be repaired/cleaned, see if a local dry cleaners is able to do both for you (some places do minor sewing repairs as well as clean things). If you can't find someone to repair or clean them (no one will do it or they're just not repairable), either Freecycle or list for free on Craigslist, being honest of their condition. Who knows, someone may want to create something out of them or have their shot at repairing them. Any that aren't claimed in X amount of time (you decide) should be recycled/tossed.

Posted 2 years ago #
zchristy
Member

Have you called a local women's shelter? Many women flee with nothing but their children and I bet a cozy buddy in good shape would thrill the heart of a displaced little person.

Posted 2 years ago #
jsights
Member

Another place that always needs stuffed animals is animal shelters. The dogs love to have stuffy toys to play with. If you're an animal lover, this would be a great place to donate the ones you don't want. Especially the ones that might not be in the best condition. Dogs don't care!

Posted 2 years ago #
EraserGirl
Member

stuffed animals for people and those for dogs ARE different.
only donate those that can take abuse
swallowing polyester stuffing or decorative trim can kill an animal.
you don't want to make it too easy for them to disembowel one

Posted 2 years ago #
wintersmom
Member

I have a ton of stuffed animals to donate too. I'll be sending the best ones to Project Smile, a non-profit in MA that donates stuffed animals to police and fire departments. The police officers, firefighters, and paramedics keep the stuffed animals on hand so they have something to give to the hurt/traumatized children they encounter while working.

http://www.projectsmile.org/

Posted 2 years ago #
Sky
Member

Very timely post for me. I brought what I have left from my childhood toys down from the attic yesterday. Two teddy bears, two stuffed cats and a plastic crib toy. I ran them all through the washing machine and they came out nice and clean and believe me, they are old. I took a picture to keep but so far I can't part with them. These old friends may end up staying, they would all fit in a sweater size Rubbermaid box.

Posted 2 years ago #
charmed2482
Member

i donated a bunch of stuff animals a while ago to project smile myself, gave some to friend and donated the really large ones that where in goodshape to goodwill.

Posted 2 years ago #
nellieb
Member

Thanks, wintersmom, for the link to Project Smile. What a wonderful resource for donating children's items!

I love this forum, so many great ideas!

Posted 2 years ago #
Maggie Sue
Member

I worked at a vocational program for adults with mental retardation and they loved stuffed animals. A lot of times, they did not have any family and we would gift wrap the donated stuffed animals and give them as birthday or Christmas presents. Other times, they would be door prizes or awards for a job well done. Just another avenue for donating that hasn't been mentioned.

Posted 1 year ago #
Nithy
Member

My stuffed animals and dolls are buried in the back of a closet at my parents' house. I fear they might not be in very good condition once I get them back. So that may make my decision for me about which ones I'll want to keep.

Posted 1 year ago #
JSP
Member

Has anyone thought about making the stuffed animals into a quilt or a wall hanging. This would entail taking them apart and reconstructing them into another form. A "quilt" could have heads on one side and tails on the other. It could be cute or may be creepy. Just wondering if anyone has seen this done?

Posted 1 year ago #
FatStupidAmerican
Member

JSP that sounds really creepy.

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

And way too much work - at least for me!

Posted 1 year ago #
djk
Member

LMAO! all I can think about now is "Sorrow floats"

anyone else read John Irving?

Posted 1 year ago #
lucy1965
Member

*backs away slowly from JSP*

Posted 1 year ago #
Emilie
Member

As for JSP's suggestion, there's a store in San Francisco that will mount the head of your stuffed animal, you know, like a hunting trophy. Not my thing, but someone's got to be buying them.

Otherwise, I'm not sure what to add, since I have way too many stuffed animals stored away myself!

Posted 1 year ago #

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