Meet "The Guys"

These are Jack's "Guys."  They have earned that coveted spot that all stuffed animals strive to achieve:  the bed.  I call them the "elite stuffies."  There are other plush toys on his bed, namely Woody and Buzz from Toy Story and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, but they don't rank as high as "the guys."  The guys get to go to Gram's when he spends the night and it's "the guys" who get to come back into bed first after he's been sick (when he's sick, I remove all extraneous bedding including the guys). 

I will never understand what makes a toy better than another in the mind of a child.  These guys have all had very different origins.  Let's take the sheep, for example.  This was the first stuffed animal to reach elite status as well as being Jack's first international toy.  He was a gift from the Head Librarian at my library.  About the time Jack was born, she went on a trip to Ireland and brought this back for Jack.  For a couple of years, it just sat on a shelf in his room.  Then one day, out of the blue, he asked about it.  I told him the story of where it came from and who gave it to him.  He didn't know who the gift giver was, but he asked if she was a "nice girl."  I told him she was, and from then on, he hasn't slept without it.  As you can see, it's been well loved.  I also think the scarf's a nice touch.

The short dog in the middle was something Jack pilfered from daycare.  He just arrived home with him one day.  I asked him where he got it and he said Ms. April said he could have it.  Somehow I doubt this, but it's been with us ever since.   

The red and white dog was a gift from my Mom, Jack's Gram, on Valentine's Day a couple of years back.  Like the sheep, he didn't take much interest in it at first, but all of a sudden it joined the ranks of elite stuffies.

As far as I know, the don't have names.  We've always called the sheep "Baby Sheep," but that's it.  Once there was more than one, we just started calling them "the guys."  Part of me hopes he never grows out of this phase and will take his guys with him to college.