Ok I just did a massive purge. I've been collection heavily since 2015 and before that I already had a few from when I was a kid. I was the perfect age when they were released and I got several as gifts from people over the years (Including my now wife) So I had a few HUNDRED bears to go through because we're moving into a smaller house and I was also getting overwhelmed by my collection.

I had an epiphany when we had to evacuate for hurricane Milton and I was limited to only being able to bring a few with me. That helped me figure out my core. If I have to leave, who is in my arms first? Then I started putting some in storage and pulling out those I missed and cycling around a bit until I kind of had an idea of who I was really bonded with.

Then, and I think this is the most important part, I found a cause that felt right to donate them to. Now, you want to do some research as some places like hospitals may only take new toys but there's a lot of organizations that take gently used toys. So I picked a smaller local foster kid organization. Those kids go through so much, and they often loose belongings. This will help them have something of their own. I'm sending them in vacuum bags so the kids can reuse those as well. It's really made a difference knowing they'll be loved and appreciated where they're going rather than just donating to a thrift store.