Show and Tell Friday: A Childhood 'Friend' Returns...

This is my first time to participate
in Kelli's Show and Tell Friday.
I've enjoyed seeing others'
show and tells the past few weeks or so
and thought I would join in.
Something I would like to share
that is, particularly, special to me
is pictured below.

He may look like an average,
not-too-difficult to find Pillsbury Doughboy
but there is more sentimental worth
hidden in him than his pudgy, appearance can tell...



To know why he is so special to me
you must follow me back to my childhood...

When I was just a wee one, around the age of 4,
I owned a little, vinyl Pillsbury Doughboy
that my mama had given to me.
She had mail ordered him
by saving the proofs-of-purchases.
An inexpensive little fellow,
but I was glad to have him.
I'm not sure how long I had owned him
but I do remember the fact.

That year, we had to make a move out of state
and my mama donated a large amount
of miscellaneous items to minimize our packing.
Among those items, was my doughboy.
I remember, as a child, being sad at the loss of my toy.

After the move, I recall seeing commercials
of my long, missed doughboy.
The ones where they would push his tummy
and he would giggle.
I would say to my mama,
"Remember my toy doughboy?"
I sure missed him...
I know, a petty thing,
but as a child it had seemed worth missing.
As I got older, I would still think fondly
of that silly, ol' doughboy I once had...
especially each time his commercial had played.


Fast forwarding to years later...
My mama was there when our eldest came into the world.
As I was experiencing contractions and such,
my mama pulled out a little gift for me.
It was wrapped in shiny gift wrap and a bow.
I opened it up to find a cute, little doughboy
just like the one I had when I was little.
My mama and I shared a laugh and a cry
over such a silly thing.

And as I looked through the gleeful tears,
I started examining this little fellow.
Such a familiar face.
Then I saw a very familiar mark.
It was just like the mark I had
on my doughboy when I was a little girl...


It was a faint, orange-ish circle
on the back of his neck.
How interesting to see that same circle
on another doughboy!

Then I continued examining him.
I lifted his head up, where I could see
underneath his neck
and I saw something quite surprising...
Inside was smudged writing
that said, "Christina, Love Mom"!


You may not be able to see it in this photo,
it has smudged more since this happened.
But we couldn't believe it!
It was the exact, same doughboy
from when I was a little girl!
After all of those years,
it had been found!
And my mama wasn't even looking for it.
She had seen it at an antique store
and thought she was just buying one
that looked like the one I had owned.

My mama and I will always remember this story
and we, still, to this day laugh over it.
It's a story that I will share with my children,
and, perhaps, their children, too.
He may be just a silly, little toy
but he's sentimental in worth to me.