The Great Renaming

I've come across an unexpected complication to this whole vintage mom thing-- the great renaming.

Megan, my oldest, used to think of her stuffed animals and dolls as family members, and therefore, each had a name that Mom and Dad were expected to remember. Wrinkles, Sticky, Gooey, Jasmine, Toothbrush, Roast Beef, Kenarnel, Bizanya... the list could take a while, but we dutifully learned them all.

Many of these old friends have been forwarded to the local fire department to comfort scared children, but quite a few stuck around. Recently, Megan gifted Little Bear with a monkey named Boppaloppashamalamadingdong. Little Bear immediately hugged it and exclaimed, "Captain Monkey!" and thus began our new odyssey. There is also a bear named Pinkie who used to be Valentina. I wonder how many times I'll get caught saying the wrong name? I guess it's better to get the toy's name wrong than the girl's.

There is one place I must draw the line. The girls have identical bears. These friendly little guys are just the right size for traveling, so they have gone with us on many adventures. They have been snuggled through many difficult moments. Sorry, Little Bear, but Cocoa Bear will always be Cocoa Bear. No renaming allowed.

What brilliantly unique names did your childhood bedtime buddies have?