Red Heart Elephant
Elephant was well loved for many years. So well loved, that when his person outgrew him, his person's mom put him in a box of keepsakes and stored him safely away in... an attic. And he became mostly a memory in his person's mind. Fast forward almost 6 decades and his person was going through boxes of her mom's things and found Elephant! As she said, he'd seen better days, but she had fond memories of their time together and hoped he could be restored and/or rejuvenated. Here are a couple of the diagnosis photos she sent:
As you can see, Elephant had lost his hearing, and had vision issues in one eye. He was a bit discolored from age, had a bit of a slump from stuffing compression, and had lost his tail. He also had a bit of balding, some small wounds, and his internal wire structure was bent out of shape.
His person wanted to think about the treatment options (spa, transplants, etc). She eventually opted to give him new ears, new felt around his original eyes, a new tail, new spa, a small heart transplant for his largest bald spot, a new tongue tip, wound repair, and wire adjustment.
She found this image of one of his relatives, as a reference, but didn't want the red tail with a bell. She opted for a tail to match his torso, and with a string tip.
She also wanted a bit more decorative ears, and so found a nice red minky with white hearts that she sent with him to be used for his inner ears.
So Elephant flew in from Texas, and started, as many patients do, with his spa:
His old eyes were out for the spa not so he could hide, but because, as you can see, the old felt had bled onto his fur (that just happens over time). You can also see he's losing a bit of the antique browning he had gotten from his time in the attic.
Next was restuffing him (once he dried) and of course he got a little heart. I used a lighter fabric because to match his lighter fur.
Next was choosing the fabric for his outer ears and tail. There were many options, because he was kind of a creamy, tan, gray color... his original color was probably a pale gray.
His person made her choice, and surgery proceeded. Hearing restored with new ears, a new tail, new red felt for his eyes to match his inner ears, a small heart patch for his bald spot.
Once he was better, and feeling himself again, he was ready to fly home:
He flew home to Texas and his person was so happy! She sent me his whole story (turns out his name wasn't Elephant, it was "Lel-Ephant") and he hadn't just been a childhood playmate, but also a companion purchased to keep her company during a hospital stay, who then proceeded to be carried everywhere until she started school. He would be left in the rain, and at neighbors, but always came home.
Now both he and his person have survived many years apart, and their own additional challenges, but can finally share their lives together again.
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Okay so I know Zitka (Elinore???? whichever) is an actually elephant in Dick’s childhood but did he actually have that stuffed animal elephant or was that a fanon idea
It's a fanon idea mostly seen in fics. I think the only stuffed animal we've seen Dick with is a teddy bear in Gotham Adventures.
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Introducing the Cubbies® Graceful Grey Elephant Stuffed Animal – a captivating and lovable plush companion that embodies the gentle strength and timeless charm of these magnificent creatures. Meticulously crafted with attention to detail, this plush elephant brings a touch of the wild into your embrace.
A perfect gift for animal enthusiasts, a charming addition to nursery décor, or a cozy friend to accompany you on your adventures, our elephant stuffed animal is designed to evoke smiles and happiness. Its endearing appearance and lifelike details make it a cherished keepsake that adds a touch of nature's beauty to any setting.
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An elephant story
Today I thought I'd share Celeste's tale. She visited the hospital over the summer. Once upon a time, she was gifted to a baby girl, but after several decades, Celeste had lost her weight and her clothes and was popping seams all over. She was in danger even from the gentlest of hugs! Here are a couple of her many diagnosis photos:
Treatment involved many steps...
Step 1: a spa. You've all seen this, and it was important not only because of her stuffing and fur compression, but to determine her natural color for any transplants. Here she is in her bubble bath:
Of course when she was restuffed, she got a heart of her original stuffing, and it was gray as suited an elephant:
Step 2: Recover her footpads, repair her seams and get her chubbiness right. Here she is after seam repair and foot recovering and in her first chubbiness photo:
Her person wrote "She is looking fabulous!"
We ended up adding a bit more stuffing to plump her up.
Step 3: New velour tusks and a crown! If you know her story, or if you just wondered about the glue ring on her head, you may have seen this step coming:
The crown isn't attached here, because her person was deciding between velour and felt. Her person wrote "Fabulous!! Love the crown!" She went for the velour. :-)
Step 4: New clothes! Here she is all better and fashionably attired in clothes like she once had (or like you may've seen in her books):
Her person wrote: "Ohhh Celeste looks amazing!"
So she flew home --- not far, just another part of CA. And a few days later her person wrote: "Received my beautiful Celeste juat now. Thank you so much for restoring her"
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ghost and soap adopt a cat but keep putting off finding it a name until them continuing to call it “cat” just sticks. everyone insists they try and find an actual name but they both just claim it’s too late, that’s what’s on the vet’s files now
the same thing happens with cat two, fish (numbered 1 through 6), and dog, and all of their friends hate the two of them for it
(it's not that they can't come up with names, they just... don't)
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