Ever had a toy that you loved and cherished forever (or so it seems)? For me it was a chimp called Jocko. Around 30something years ago, my Dad brought Jocko home from Germany. Dad explained that Jocko was special because he had a “knopf im ohr”. He was made by a famous toy company named Steiff. Steiff made high quality soft toys, all in Germany (no “made in China” for them!). Obviously, more expensive than other soft toys. Their trademark was the “knopf im ohr” or the “button in the ear”. Expensive? Obviously. My Dad must have skipped some meals in Germany to get me Jocko (I LOVE YOU DAD). Jocko became my best friend, sleeping next to me on my bed. I loved soft toys as a kid (and an adult, too!).
Years passed and since I moved around a lot in the 90s, Jocko got lost somewhere in the jungle that was my soft toy collection. I had tons (or at least a few boxes) of cuddy soft toys.
However, I always remembered Jocko because of the “knopf im ohr”. When I got the chance to visit Germany, I realized how precious and expensive Steiff toys are, which made me love my Dad even more. Then one day last week, I saw the orange kitty in the store, and I fell in love all over again with Steiff. The 50% discount helped also :-).
Anyway, this is dedicated to my Dad, and to the kid in all of us… everybody needs at least ONE cuddly soft toy in their lives!
Sita's musings 