Tigger was my buddy growing up. This now-ragged, loved-to-death stuffed animal that I received when I was about 5 months old, was my best friend for a large part of my life—13 years to be exact. In almost every candid baby photo, Tigger was somewhere in that picture. Now that I’m 19 years old and preparing to enter my sophomore year of college, Tigger is still at my house back in Georgia, chilling in my room, likely collecting dust (because my brother never cleans the room). However, that doesn’t mean I’ve completely forgot about this child-like connection that almost every person has to some object in their life—whether it be a blanket, a toy, a stuffed animal, a sippy cup, pacifier. Tigger was (and still is) my buddy and always will be.

For some background on this childhood connection to Tigger, here we go. For those who were not aware (aka many of you who didn’t even know Winnie-The-Pooh was a book first), Tigger was not featured in the first novel by A.A Milne. Instead, Tigger saw his first appearance in the second novel, The House at Pooh Corner, in which Tigger appears on Pooh’s doorstep late at night, proclaiming that “Tiggers like to eat anything” (plot twist: he didn’t like any of Pooh’s food—especially honey).

Tigger, as a character, is depicted as energetic, curious, and impulsive. As a kid, I remember spending countless hours playing the VHS tapes and video games that featured my favorite characters, clearly singling out Tigger as my favorite. Some kids may like Pooh. Others may like Piglet. Some may even like Eeyore. But I was a Tigger kid, through and through. Tigger even got his own theme song and feature-length film…what’s not to love about him? Finally, I’m sure you could imagine my excitement when Tigger was finally included in the opening theme of Winnie-The-Pooh, in the eponymous 2011 film, Winnie The Pooh.

But I think the most important part of my connection to Tigger was my attachment to the stuffed animal mentioned earlier. For all you romantics out there, the stuffed animal was originally my mother’s that my dad gave to her as a present. However, once I came along, I apparently could not take my eyes off the orange and black striped toy. Tigger, at that point, became inseparable from little William and remained that way for 13 more years.

Although, there came a point in time where I was bullied extensively for my connection to Tigger. As the kids around me became interested in more “mature” things as they became pre-teens and teenagers, I found that I was still content playing with Tigger, even if it meant not having friends over because they thought I was the weird kid. It’s honestly heartbreaking to look back at the insensitive way that people reacted to a stuffed animal (especially those who still slept with stuffed animals in private). While they preferred to keep their love for their stuffed animals under wraps, I was the kid who “apparently didn’t get it.” And to be perfectly honest…that was incredibly hard to swallow growing up. It hurt when people said mean things and when people told me to grow up. Tigger was my buddy. And that’s all he ever had to be.

My childhood connection with Tigger brought me happiness through school changes and long car rides. My childhood connection with Tigger taught me that I don’t have to fit in or be interested in the newest trends. I didn’t like the bullying or the teasing. But I don’t think anyone does. My childhood connection with Tigger taught me that there are mean people in this world. There are mean people who belittle others and make them feel small based on their interests, backgrounds, attractions, appearances, and status. Finally, my childhood connection with Tigger taught me that someone who comes along and wholly embraces the strange quirks and nuances that you may have, is someone to always cherish and keep in your life.

Thank you Tigger for helping me grow up. I couldn’t have done it without you.