Tuesday, November 15, 2011

My First Toy Drop: Mission Accomplished! (UPDATED)

Two weeks ago I told you about The Toy Society and how people all around the world make toys and secretly "drop" them for children to find and take home (you can find that blog post HERE).  I've had this toy bagged and ready, riding around in my car, ever since then!

I had thought I would drop it in one of the parks in town, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought I might look strange and conspicuous, wandering around a park or playground with no kids with me.  So I just kept thinking about it, waiting for inspiration to strike--and it did!  I realized the perfect place was outside the library; it is a small public space, with fountains, benches, and a pergola; and although you don't have to walk through it to get from the parking lot to the library, lots of parents with children make a detour to go through it, because it is a magical spot that children love!



There she is--my Happy Critter!  I was there in the morning before the library opened, and I waited until no one was around to tie the package to a thick vine at child-height.  When I stepped back to take pictures, the woman in the purple hoodie (behind the beam where my toy is tied) wandered in and sat down.  Darn!  She was so close to my package that it was hard to take the pictures without drawing her attention.  Luckily my camera has a zoom lens, so I took the picture without having to get too close to her!
I will go back tomorrow to see it if is still there.  I wish I could be there when it gets picked up, but I might get arrested if I lurk around the library too much!  So I will just send it off with my good wishes for the child who finds it and takes it home.

If you have a spare handmade toy around your house, or you feel the urge to make one to give away, come on!  Be a toy dropper!  The weekend before Christmas is when The Toy Society is making a concerted effort to reach their goal of 300 toys dropped in a single weekend.  I will be part of that--I hope you will be too.  Then please come back and leave a comment--I would LOVE to know about it!

UPDATE:  I went back this morning, 26 hours after dropping off the toy, and it was gone!  I casually wandered around, looking in the fountain and the trash cans to be SURE it was gone, and there was no sign of it--now to wait and hope that it will turn up "found" on The Toy Society's web page.

4 comments:

waggonswest said...

What a neat idea and a great spot to leave it. It would be fun to see who picks it up. Hopefully they will 'register' it so you can learn where it went.

Unknown said...

!!!!
i'm laughing out loud because this is SO cool! I love seeing the pictures--it's a beautiful spot and I'm sure the stuffie appreciated your choice. I'm just wondering--is it already in some child's hands??? What did they THINK when they saw it? I mean, it's a special day when something like this happens.
Looking forward to any updates!

Unknown said...

GONE!

Samantha said...

Leslie, I popped over to your blog because I love your work and wanted to see more. Then I saw this wonderful post. This is such a lovely idea and I'm so excited to get started! Thank you so much for sharing! :)