Creators want to ‘normalize’ getting tattoos of their childhood stuffed animals and blankets
Gen Z creators have found a permanent way to honor their childhood stuffed animals and comfort items — and they’re sharing it on TikTok.
On July 19, Jules (@juliad33) posted a video with a specific call to action: to “normalize getting your childhood stuffed animal tattooed on your body forever.”
Set to “Harness Your Hopes” by ’90s indie rock band Pavement, Jules’s nine-second video showcases her stuffed elephant named Bob, which was purchased from American retailer Build-a-Bear, followed by the tattoo she has of him on the back of her ankle.
In 1951, psychoanalyst and pediatrician Donald Winnicott coined the term “transitional object,” which was first mentioned in his 1953 paper “Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena. A study of the First Not-Me Possession,” which explores into the intense attachment that develops between a young child and their comfort item of a choice, be it a stuffed animal, blanket, or piece of clothing. This selected, soft item, suggested Winnicott, becomes integral in a child’s intellectual maturation and their ability to withstand separation from their mothers.
As reported by the Guardian, “In Winnicott’s theory, these possessions are about more than comfort: they lead to play, which is fundamental to the development of a healthy mind. In what he calls ‘the intermediate space’ that opens up between mother and baby, occupied and stretched by the transitional object, the child’s imagination and creativity grow.”
The solace these childhood items can provide as children may also persist into adulthood. In fact, a 2019 study conducted by British appliance brand Hotpoint found that of a sample size of 2,000 Britains, 44% of them can still locate their childhood comfort items; 40% of them also have bedrooms at their parents’s homes “packed with all their childhood dolls and teddies,” while 17% admit to still cuddling a teddy bear when they’re distressed, according to Metro.
‘how do I send this to my childhood stuffed animal’
Jules’s video, which has garnered more than 1.2 million views, 285,600 likes and 1,500 comments in five days of posting, has struck a nostalgic chord with many creators, some of whom are sharing details about their own childhood stuffed animals, from monkeys to frogs and everything in between.
“Mines a sock monkey named Pedro made out of American eagle socks,” @ryannsamons wrote.
“mines a frog that i named fernando,” @isabellas.airpods commented.
“how do I send this to my childhood stuffed animal,” @000yourstruly asked, to which Jules replied, “The day they make an app to text our stuffed animals is the day I never complain again.”
Several TikTok creators have followed Jules’s lead and since shared their own tattoos inspired by their comfort items.
TikTok user @treehugger143 has a design inspired by her stuffed zebra tattooed on her bicep.
Kat Rose Pip (@katrosepip) has their stuffed dog, Barky Maggie, immortalized on a bicep too.
Dani (@_awkward.dani), on the other hand, derived inspiration from her childhood blanket, which features two dinosaurs.
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