Before & After: What a lifetime of love does to a child’s favourite toy

They lurk at the top of wardrobes and in the back of cupboards, often one-eyed, missing ears and patches of hair... even limbs.  Despite what it sounds like, they're not some kind of childhood nightmare. They are the favourite toys of children who have long since grown up. Often when the kids have flown the nest, their stuffed animals and dolls remain at home in a kind of limbo; too decrepit to take with you, too special to throw away. One Redditor showed just how much the average favourite toy has to endure this week, posting a picture of two teddy bears that had clearly been treated very differently. He said:

"When my brother was born in 1985, my mother purchased two identical teddy bears. The one on the left has been my brother's for 30 years, the one on the right has been kept in storage for my brother's first child who was born today.

Do you have a favourite childhood toy that you've kept from your childhood? A 'BunBun' or a 'TedTed' or  'Tessa' or a 'Big Bear'? Send us a picture: katie.mythen@herfamily.ie and your companion could feature in our favourites!