B’s favorite toy for over a year has been a little soft rubber whale. His name was Whaley, and he recently passed on. I’d like to take a moment to eulogize this fine friend (:-) yes, a broken toy actually got us all emotionally down).Through his a long battle with BTD (Beloved Toy Deterioration), Whaley remained stoic and upbeat. He lost his color and signs of wear appeared on his fins, yet he soldiered on. Whaley finally succumbed to the ravages of BTD, doing what he loved best, playing with his best friend and “Papa”, B. Though his struggle was long, the ultimate cause of death was fin loss. He was surrounded by loved ones, when the time came.
We watched Whaley grow from a baby, in need of constant attention. B took very good care of him. Last Christmas, when Whaley had the honor of being the only inanimate object in our family to receive presents from Santa, we were told Whaley had become an adult. At the time of his death, Whaley was 5, in rubber Whale years.
By all appearances, Whaley was a killer whale, but to assume as much would be unfair prejudice. Whaley, in fact and as B tells anyone who makes that mistake, would never kill anyone. He was, instead, a “friendly whale”. That he was.
Whaley was certainly no ordinary whale. Above being a great toy, he was reported to have super powers, among them the ability to “run really fast,” which, if you think about it, is truly amazing for a whale. He will be sorely missed among the pantheon of crime fighting superheroes.
Whaley is survived by his papa, his uncle, his grandfathers, and his canine aunt. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you donate to the Society for the Preservation of Rubber Fish (They cover marine mammal too).
Anyway, rest in peace, Whaley.
It’s funny, as soon as I saw that fin separated, a fate we all saw coming a mile away, my heart just sunk, right along with B’s… over a little rubber whale. Children have the power to make all sorts of things meaningful. Poor B.
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4 comments:
Truly, my deepest sympathies.
May Whaley always be remembered for the "super" Orca he is.
Why does it always have to be the Beloved toys that take the brunt of BTD?
I think I would be devastated if anything happened to my daughter's Ducky.
On a recent trip to California, my 8-year-old lost Sleepy, a worn and battered stuffed elephant who was once pink but had faded to a kind of dull and dirty pinkish gray. He appears to have been left behind in a hotel room and has not turned up at lost and found or housekeeping.
My daughter slept with him every night from the time she was three months old. She had one rough night without him, but seems to have mostly moved on. Her mother and I, on the other hand, are still grieving. We miss Sleepy!
Oh Master Fob, the toll of BTD is great. I wish ducky many happy years, and may he (or she) live until interest is lost and you can safely place him into a memorabilia box.
And thank you Loyalist. From what I’ve learned about the disease, being beloved puts a toy at 354% greater risk of developing to BTD. No one knows why. It’s just a senseless tragedy.
Funny that, huh Chris? B’s okay now; I’m still thinking about it. I’ve actually been trying to buy another one online but haven’t had luck. If anyone in SLC knows where they sell these little rubbery animals, let me know (I’ve found a couple places but no whales). I’m still debating the honesty of it :-), but, as we still have the body, Whaley may still be able to “go to the doctor.”
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