Books & Posters

As heard on NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday" and seen on Entertainment Weekly's "Must List."

You showed us your Dirty Wow Wows:
Enjoy the gallery of entries and charming stories about how each got its name.

Pooh

In 1971, I was four years old, and Walt Disney World opened. When my
family went to Disney, my parents bought me this Pooh bear. He was my
faithful companion for many years, enduring surgeries and losing most of his "fuzz" along the way. His nose is squished flat and sideways from hugging. When I was a teenager, I would still hug him and cry when I was sad. Now, I have a son, and he thinks Pooh is "creepy". But I won't get rid of him.

Submitted by Wendi Grezlak | 5/14/07

Brownie

This is my teddy bear, "Brownie" (my shortening of his parent-given name "Brownie Bear") - he's not only my favorite stuffy, he's my first stuffy and at 32 years is as old as I am (not to mention very, very cute). His numerous "scars" are a result of continuous repair jobs undertaken by my very patient and resourceful mother.

Submitted by Jon Obuchowski | 5/14/07

Snowy

This is "Snowy", who has stood guard on my 15 year old daughter's bed since she was a year old. She has been on every sleepover, every trip, every hospital stay - until a few years ago, anyway. As you see, she has lost most of her hair and now has just enough left to sport an 80's mohawk.

Submitted by Linda Phillips | 5/14/07

Old Lion

This is my husband's lion. I dont know how old he is, but my husband is 31. As you can see he has been very well loved. His name is Old Lion and every once in a while my husband will sleep with him tucked under his arms.

Submitted by Jennifer Wilmoth| 5/14/07

Sir Squishington

This is Sir Squishington (named for his squishyness), my original knight in shining armor. He's probably 17 years old now, and very unwashed. He's even followed me to college.

Submitted by Danielle Nelson | 5/14/07

Lemons

As a child, I received Lemons for Christmas after I threw up on my previous stuffed bear, also named Lemons. I slept with Lemons all the way through college when I had to relegate him to a plastic bag because he had lost most of his stuffing—much to the chagrin of my roommate. Here he is now, just pulled out of the bag where he was placed almost 20 years ago.

Submitted by Lisa Voigt | 5/14/07

Pinky

Here is my stuffed dog Pinky. I have had Pinky since I was a year old—54 years ago. He's been stitched up, redyed, and restuffed many times. The original eye buttons were green, but they're long gone, as is the bell that was in one ear. His fur, as you can see, has been loved off in many places. And still he sleeps on my bed.

Submitted by Jody Bower | 5/14/07

Lolly

This is Lolly. As a child, I was obsessed with Lolly, who was always stuffed down the front of my shirt (with her head peeking out at the top). At this point, you can actually see through her (best viewed if she is held up to the light). The rattle that was in her broke, leaving her poorly stuffed with shards of hard plastic. I hugged her very carefully.

Submitted by Rachel Lee | 5/14/07

Huggy No-Neck

She was given to me the day I was born by my father. She came to the hospital with me when both of my children were born. She has been through several "surgeries" - patched holes, nose re-attachment, head-in-body removal (thanks to a cousin of mine). There is little to no stuffing left in her head—which makes it flop over—which is how she got her nickname.

Submitted by Kimberly Sprickman | 5/14/07

Mufty

My Dirty Wow Wow is called Mufty. He’s 15 years old, which is why he’s sulking in this picture! He loves the sun spots and hot chocolate (see the stain on his back left foot?). He used to have the softest silkiest fur, but now he’s looking more like a dirty sheep! I still snuggle him up at bedtime if the going gets rough, and he likes to nap with me in the afternoons.

Submitted by Jen | 5/14/07

Pooh Bear

This is my Winnie-The-Pooh Bear that I inherited from my older brother when I was born. For short, I call him Pooh. He is a well-traveled bear because I took (and still take) him everywhere I have traveled over the years. My brother is 10 years older than I am, so my guess is that Pooh Bear is around 40 years old. He used to have a pair of denim overalls and a real nose and mouth that fell off long ago from too many kisses. We now draw his mouth and nose in with a Sharpie marker when it starts to fade.

Submitted by Michelle Brooks | 5/14/07

Buddy

Buddy is my 9 year old daughter's bunny. He has been all over the world with our family including St. Lucia, Puerto Plata (twice), Cuba, Florida and Punta Cana. He's a great traveller and rarely complains. :0)

Submitted by Joy Zaczyk | 5/14/07

Doggy

Meet 'Doggy' - not the most original name, I know, but he was a baby
shower gift so my verbal skills weren't exactly developed yet. As a child, I didn't watch much TV, so I didn't realize until Jr. High School that Doggy had a secret identity: Huckleberry Hound (the disguising green vest, akin to Clark Kent's glasses, was stolen from a fellow stuffed animal). My family moved to Japan when I was four, and he was mistakenly left at my Grandma's house with the other unwanted extra toys... I soon corrected this mistake and he became a world traveller. At 27, Doggy has lost an eye, the majority of his fel eyebrows, most of the stuffing from his neck and upper arms... and at some point the bottoms of his feet were worn through and required jean iron on patches to keep the stuffing in. Oh, and the ubiquitous red bow has turned into what my 8 year old self supposed was a hole caused by a tracheotomy (we had been studying the negative effects of smoking). His smile's still quite visible, though!

Submitted by Michele Malloy | 5/14/07

Monkey

Monkey is 23 years old. His face used to be sorta furry but it got kissed away over two decades ago. His head has been re-attached (it wore out from too much hugging).

Submitted by Courtenay | 5/14/07

Bee

Flower Blankie

I am proud to still sleep with these every night. I'd like you yo meet Bee and Flower Blankie, Blankie for short. And they were gifts for my baby shower, exactly one month before I was born.

Submitted by princess00nikole | 5/14/07

Hairold

I was a terrible speller as a kid, thus the 'non-traditional' spelling of Hairold's name. Thanks to the wonderful surgical skills of my mother, Hairold retains all his limbs -- one arm and one leg required full reattachment, while the other leg and his tail needed some minor help over the years.

Submitted by Robin Presta | 5/13/07

Old Seal
&
Buddy Bear

I'm 26 years old and I have had "Old Seal" and "Buddy Bear" for as long as I can remember. I believe the Seal was given to me before I was a year old and the bear came along when I was 3 or 4, I'm guessing. Old Seal has a bare patch above each of his front flippers. I asked my mom one day where they came from and she said that was how I carried him around when I was little - by wrapping my grubby, chubby little hand around the front of him.

Submitted by Sarah Miller | 5/13/07

Flatnose

This is Flatnose. As you can see, by the time I was old enough to name him, his nose (and various other parts) had lost its stuffing. Flatnose has needed many “surgeries” over the years, most notably on his chest, which made him very self-consious. I told him the tapestry fabric made him look dapper, like he’s wearing a tuxedo vest.

Submitted by Sandy Darst | 5/13/07

Timothy

This is my buddy Timothy, who was given to me to the day I was born (I'm 32 now). I've called him Timothy ever since I was very little because of a story my mom told me about "Timothy Bear". The most special thing about him is that he's always been by my side - he was even in the delivery room when both of my boys were born!

Submitted by Kati Seiber | 5/13/07

Booaggie

This is Booaggie, aka: Boo Boo, my blankie. Booaggie got his name when my mom was trying to teach me to say "blanket" when I was a baby. I said "Booaggie" and so he was. I've had Boo Boo for almost 22 years, but I no longer sleep with him for fear if washed, he will be no more. Unfortunately, his sister, Little Aggie, was lost in a NY taxicab when I was 4.

Submitted by Elissa Wernick | 5/13/07

Brown Bear

Hello, this is Brown Bear. He's been with me for 27 years and with me from England. He's gotten cataracts and grown tatty over the years, but I still love him. When I was little, he lost his nose, so I stole the nose off of my less loved Blue Bear to give to him, and he's had it ever since. He's just that special to me!

Submitted by Gabrielle Kang | 5/13/07

Bunny

Bunny was given to me as my first Easter present, and has been by my side ever since. Bunny has ridden on cars, sail boats, and airplanes and has even followed me all the way to college. Bunny has had many adventures, and shows all the wear of true love.

Submitted by Sterling Brody | 5/13/07

Mikey

The origin of his name is not totally certain. My mom says one day when I was 1 or 2 I insisted I needed "Mikey" she believes I may have been trying to say "My Blankie" shortened to "My kie" but he became known as Mikey ever since. I have had him my whole life and sleep with him to date. He started out life with a satin blanket trim. And my mom replaced it twice. He also used to be a vivid yellow but has become a kind of yellow green (I wash him, I swear!).

Submitted by Cecilie | 5/13/07

Sunday Bear

This is Sunday Bear, who has been keeping me company for the last 22 years. He is so named because he's wearing a dress, and everyone wears a dress on Sunday. It's good to know that I was open to the idea of transvestites even as a young child. He's been through a lot, but is still going strong.

Submitted by Kristin Harbuck | 5/13/07

Wolfhead

This is wolf-Head. He is a wolf, and has a head, THUS: wolf head. I have slept with him almost every night since I was 3, and while he no longer goes with me everywhere, he enjoys staying in bed all day! His whitish fur has become matted, and there is no fur around most of his neck. For some reason, the smell of his ears have always reminded me of parakeets, and his nose is pock-marked from age. Luckily wolfhead is a puppet, and therefore when he became thin and his stuffing had lost its fluff, i stuffed him with socks (his head has a lavender sachel in it!) Wolf-head is known to hide under the bed and hide under the covers. This mischevious devil, despite his age, still gets love and attention.

Submitted by Meghan McPhillips-Jones | 5/13/07

Maria

This is my most precious pocession: Maria. I remember thinking as a small child that "she looked like a Maria." I once kissed her with vaseline on my lips and her face became brown. I was terribly wrought with guilt. As a college student today I still crumble feeling her tiny weight in my arms.

Submitted by Rae Westcott | 5/13/07

Nounous

This is Nounous. He's 25 years old, and still sleeps with me (Shhhh)! He has several little outfits knitted with love by my great aunt, who felt bad for him and his bald spots. His nose and mouth are worn off too. My mischievous puppy ate his eye, so now he stays on a shelf safely out of reach during the day!

Submitted by Nara Anderson| 5/13/07

Bean

Bean's head is stuffed but his body used to be filled with beans and they have all escaped(through a hole below his tail). So he is extra squishy. and he has eyebrows, thats my favorite part. Bean is 24 years old.

Submitted by Lauren Shimp| 5/13/07

Timmy

I received Timmy the Little Lamb for Christmas when I was 6 (he is now 24). I loved him so much he lost an ear and turned a lovely shade of gray and he still sits on my bed everyday. He is named him after Timmy, the lead lamb in the Golden Book, "The Little Lamb" by Judy Dunn (which I also still have!).

Submitted by Christine Kromer Park| 5/13/07

Chantilly Lace

My Grandmother gave her to me for my First Communion 16 years ago and she originally had a lace dress and pink flower in her ear. Whenever my Aunt saw her she would start singing "Chantilly Lace" and the name just sort of stuck...

Submitted by Mary Behrendt | 5/13/07

Runny Babbit

Please meet my best friend, RunnyBabbit, as he was and as he is. He's been my faithful friend for 36+ years, sharing good times and bad. When life got rough, I would sit him up and curl up between his arms with his ears flopped over my face, giving me a safe little shelter to hide from the world for a bit. He's a bit the worse for wear now, but no less loved...

Submitted by Stacey Gladman | 5/13/07

Mr. Turtle

This is Mr.Turtle (also known as Gunk gunk back in the day before I could talk). He was given to me by my uncle when I was two weeks old and I've had him ever since. He's going to be 21 tomorrow = )

Submitted by Cayleigh | 5/13/07

Scary Thing

This is my boyfriends Dirty Wow Wow, he used to have white fur, not grey, and pupils in his eyes but they got loved away. He talks in a whispering voice.