If you saw him today, you’d probably walk right past him.
He is my Andy and I have loved him for over 50 years.
See those holes in his top? They mark the spot where his shirt rubbed up against my pyjamas when I was young. Maybe even when I was not so young.
Gramma Gillespie gave Andy to me when I was 3 or 4. My twin sister got Raggedy Ann. She – Raggedy Ann, not my sister – met an untimely end in the 70s. She disappeared for a while and we had no idea where she could be. Then, one Spring, we pulled the sleeping bags out of the basement or the shed and found Raggedy Ann deep inside one the bags. The months of cold and damp had not been kind to Raggedy Ann. She was a covered in mold. There was no resuscitating her.
Andy has had some repairs. In high school, I recovered his feet because the black fabric had begun to wear and stuffing was falling out. I remember feeling very proud of my handiwork.
His nose might be gone and the stitches of his smile may be falling out, but the sparkle in his eye is still there.
The sparkle in his eye is still there. What a faithful friend!
“His nose might be gone and the stitches of his smile may be falling out, but the sparkle in his eye is still there.” Your well-loved friend is definitely real!
Old friends are the best.
Oh my goodness, what a delightful slice! At first I wondered why your oldest friend was still wearing his shirt with holes in it, very clever! I have a nearly 60 year old Raggedy Ann. She has had a little mending here and there. One eye had to be replaced because a puppy chewed it off. And that sleeping bag scene, yeah, been there, done that.
I thought from your title this would be toy related – Andy from Toy Story came to mind, so this was a surprise to me. I remember have Anne and Andy at our house too. Such soft dolls. I don’t know why we don’t see them any more. Or at least dolls of this style.