I used to be obsessed with Squishmallows.

I had all the bright, fun-colored ones, and my personal favorite? The cow. My bed was basically a giant Squishmallow farm, and it felt like every store I walked into was selling them. I couldn’t resist those sweet little faces of strawberries, cats, llamas, and even axolotls! They were just too cute.

Every night, I slept surrounded by my fluffy squad… until I noticed something strange:

They started to go missing.

Who took them?! I searched the house like a detective on a mission and finally made my way to my parents’ room. When I walked in, I was surprised it looked like a full-on Squishmallow jungle.

My dad took them.

 He took them.

His excuse? “They’re wayyy more comfortable than my pillows.” I mean… he’s not wrong. But still. Betrayal level: Dad.

I think every kid my age went through a Squishmallow phase. But like all great toy love stories, something new always comes along and steals the spotlight. Enter:

Jellycat!

The softest, wobbliest, most lovable stuffies on the planet and they come in every shape you can imagine. My current favorites? The peanut and the bear. Adorable. Iconic. 10/10 stuffy.

This summer, I visited New York City and while walking the streets, I spotted FAO Schwarz. Being a teen, I figured it would just be Barbies and playsets. But then I saw the sign.

“Jellycats.”

I gasped. I sprinted inside with full excitement… and maybe tripped going up the stairs. (Graceful, I know.) I looked down and saw a HUGE line for something called the Jellycat Diner. Turns out you need an appointment for that magical experience. Bummer.

BUT, good news! There was a separate store section just for buying Jellycats, no reservation needed. I looked around in pure stuffed-animal awe and narrowed it down to two favorites: the pancake and the carrot. Sadly, the pancake was part of the diner experience only, so I went home with the carrot.

Later that summer, I may or may not have ordered more Jellycats to start building my new collection. (Oops.)

Let’s just hope my dad doesn’t steal these too… or he’s definitely buying me replacements.