The Puffalump incident

Four weeks ago I was in my 24-year-old daughter’s bedroom and I noticed her long time favorite possession, squishy neon colored dinosaur called a Puffalump, was terribly dirty and in need of washing.

Puffy, as we nicknamed him, is made of parachute nylon, mainly colored green with bulging eyes and soft stuffing suitable for endless hugs my daughter has had him since 1989. In my infinite father logic, I proclaimed he was in need of washing. I took him to the laundry room loaded him into the machine and turned it on, which I have done countless times before.

Hours later, I returned, opened the lid and reached in to grab Puffy only I could not see him. I peered closer and my heart dropped to the floor. Puffy exploded and the machine was full of fluff and a flat piece of nylon with rips and tears.

This was not my finest fatherly hour even though my intentions were good, seems my wife and daughter both thought I was hand washing him, unfortunately I never thought of that nor did I realize he had tatters and tears before I washed them. In that moment I made one of the biggest blunders in my time as a dad.

As many of us know, no matter your age or how much time has passed, we all have had something from our childhood that is priceless and the thought of it destroyed is overwhelming.

As I stood there with a flat, torn and hopelessly destroyed dinosaur in my hand my wife suggested I seek out someone to repair Puffy which sounded impossible to me, but I took her suggestion and searched the internet for the impossible.

Only two companies in the area offered this type of repair and the first one I emailed sent back an auto reply stating they had closed the business.  My last hope was a company located in Secaucus New Jersey called the Secaucus Doll and Teddy Bear Hospital.

They suggested I send him or bring him in for “consultation." I packed what was left of Puffy in my car and drove one hour north fully expecting nothing to come of it.

“Nurse” Alba greeted us and listened to my tale of woe. She was empathetic and understanding of how awful I felt and badly I needed help to rectify this situation. She took what was left into the back room for a “consultation,” I began to look at the wall of success that the company had created.

The owner Luis Casas originally worked at the New York Doll Hospital a famous location for all sorts of doll and stuffed animal repairs. The business is a tiny two room store front, modestly decorated with dolls and stuffed animals.

It felt almost magical there as I could sense that the ladies working there were seamstresses from a long ago era I no longer felt so silly about seeking help. Mr. Casa proudly showed us the history of his work on the wall of history.

As the nurse delivered the “prognosis” I was filled with a sense of dread knowing nothing can be done.  Surprisingly a huge smile crossed my lips as she explained how they could seam Puffy, recreate his eye, stuff him properly and make him good as new. 

So last Saturday I received the call to pick him up and one week before I broke the news to my daughter, who took it well and even smiled as she forgave my mistake, through her tears.

When we arrived at the Hospital several family members were sitting and chatting who then offered us seats to wait for the “release” of the patient. When they brought him out he looked amazing, fully restored, and stuffed better than original, colors popping and a big smile on his face.

My daughter, she smiled in a way I have never seen her smile before. I felt the joy of a time long gone when craftsmen and seamstress could recreate almost anything I was touched by the quality of this work.

When I walked back to the car unlocked the door and heard my daughter squeal with delight I turned and she squeezed Puffy’s nose and it squeaked for the first time in 10 years I knew dad had gotten this one done right.

If you have a beloved doll or teddy bear in need of repair run, do not walk to the Secaucus Doll and Teddy Bear hospital they did the impossible with love.

secaucusdollhospital.com