OK I am not that old, but back in my day, stuffed animals were cute & cuddly, but definitely not dead. Imagine my surprise as I strolled into Toys R Us and found this lovely display of Skelanimals. That’s right folks, dead animals that according to their makers: “…are adorable little animals who have met an untimely end-mostly due to their own reckless and ill-advised behavior.”
Oh wait, there’s more… “They like people who have a warm heart, after all they’re just bones. They need you to keep them warm and cozy.”
Toys R Us Skelanimals display
What happened to the days of My Little Pony and Popples? I’m not sure whether to say A’www’ or ‘WTF?!’, but what I do know is there are plenty of them to go around. In fact, there are 26 different characters to choose from (yes, again, ALL DEAD)
The Gang
I think the most WTF moment I had was visiting the Skelanimals site. I found out that each of the 26 lovable (and dead) plushes had a story as to how they met their fate:
Marcy the Monkey – How Marcy Became A Skelanimal
Marcy would swing and hang.
Each morning out of bed she sprang.
Her tail was sleek and strong.
She hung for hours long.
She bragged about the strength of her tail.
If all the monkeys pulled, it would stick like a nail.
The challenge was met the very next morning.
Only the tail was left, the monkeys now mourning.
All in all my verdict is still out. In a morbid way I think the concept is kind of adorable, and I mean hey, who doesn’t love a soft, plush bag of bones? I dunno, what do you think?
#1 by Kristy on December 11, 2009 - 6:27 pm
Dude. I freakin’ LOVED Popples
That is all.
No wait – that isn’t all. Those things are creepy.
Mkay. That is in fact, all.
#2 by Christa Watson on December 11, 2009 - 6:46 pm
Who doesn’t love a stuffed animal that turns into a ball? I mean, those are like the top 2 kids toys rolled into 1! GENIUS!
#3 by Cara on February 7, 2010 - 8:22 pm
Personally i love skelanimals. They strike me as very cute, but a little creepy. Still i have collected most of them and can not wait until i get the rabbit. Anyways, i love your article and find it quite funny!!!
#4 by Shanna on March 23, 2011 - 1:38 pm
I think it is perfectly fine for kids to have a toy like this. We hide away the fact that death is a part of life from children all the time, and that isn’t realistic or fair. Yes it may be a bit morbid, but it is a part of life. Also, I happen to love everything about skeletons, I collect sugar skulls and vintage halloween deocrations. Something about them is innocent and they always seem to be smiling. There is nothing scary about them, just about everything has one inside themselves, so why are they so bad? lol
#5 by Shanna on March 23, 2011 - 1:43 pm
also… I have to mention, we did buy the ‘Kit’ skelanimal after our pet cat “Mr. Spots” died suddenly last year. It helped my two daughters ages 3 and 4 cope, we talked about death and how it is just ‘moving on’ in a way. Putting a negative spin on death is what teaches children to be scared of it, and skeletons, graveyards and the like. There is nothing bad about it, it is like being born…but people do not sit around saying WTF over newborn infant dolls who wee in their diapers after you pump water into them from the kitchen sink, lol… sorry to ramble just felt like saying that