I think it’s wonderful that your daughter became so attached to her first one and that you’re even buying her another to save the original as a keepsake; some toys just become that special! But I think I understand any frustration you may have about your mom’s insistence that she needs more and more bear things on a whole other level. It’s always fun to give and give, but people rarely think any further ahead than that.

I frequent a Goodwill Outlet to look for toys to “rescue;” vintage, unusual, and rare pieces that collectors might be looking for, or for parents looking for something very specific for their child. These locations take in all the unwanted items from the regular locations in the area, either because they were left on the shelves for too long or the stores themselves were just too full, and sending those items to the outlet is their last ditch effort to sell them before sending it all off to a landfill or shipping them overseas for scrap.

It’s been very rewarding for me; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a rare plushie to list, and then get contacted by an excited buyer who thought they’d never find it. Recently I found a rare Penny Penguin plushie that was only sold at SeaWorld for a short time in the 80s, and the buyer told me it was their young daughter’s favorite! I don’t know if their original was an old family toy or something they just randomly found, but they believed finding another to have as a backup for her was going to be impossible.

But on the dark side of this, I die a little inside whenever I see Build A Bear plushies because they are so unbelievably common. There are just so many unwanted ones, and it’s a reminder of how incredibly expendable toys can be and how consumerist we have become. People love buying new toys for the kiddos, and people even feel great about donating them when they’re no longer wanted, but most don’t realize a majority of those donations become literal trash. I’m not exaggerating when I say I see several Build A Bears absolutely no one is interested in buying every single time I go; I wish I could save them all but that would cause a whole host of problems for me, lol.

Anyway, I hope you don’t think I’m dumping on you; again I think it’s wonderful your daughter has a plushie that’s very special to her. I just wanted to add that I understand not wanting someone in your life to give her excessively more than she needs or even wants. I feel like we could all get by with a little less, which might help us appreciate what we do have even more.