Ye Olde Vessel: Mr. Pillow Man

The toy that started it all.

Mr. Pillow Man or "Hugga Bear" as he was originally called was the first toy I ever received. The Pillow People line came out around two years before I was born, and one of my aunts bought him for me when I was just a baby. Since then he's been a constant companion and best friend.

When I was little Mr. Pillow Man was the king of my toy land. In my mind he was old, but wise, and perfectly capable of juggling his many duties. Not only did he run a kingdom and act as judge and jury for all the other toys, but he was also my strongest protector. For some reason I got it into my head that he would protect me from ghosts and vampires, but only if I draped him across my neck when I went to sleep. As a child I couldn't sleep without him.

As the pictures illustrate, Mr. Pillow Man is very well loved. He's over twenty years old, and spent many a night clutched, snuggled, hugged, and generally played with. Most of his body fabric has been replaced over the years. He was actually the first thing I learned to sew on. The fabric alone tells the stories of my childhood: the pink is from a bathrobe my mom made my sister, the grey from the first skirt I sewed in high school, beneath the heart fabric was a burgundy velvet that made up my first flower girl dress. Recently I had to sew the heart fabric over the velvet because it was thinning too much, and had started to rip. Somehow though, he has always managed to keep his silky feet mostly intact, despite them being my favorite part.


Mr. Pillow Man still holds a special place in my heart, one that is shaped specially for his adorable square head. :) He remains the king of my bed-dom, and continues to watch over me as he always has.