# 51% of adult men have their childhood cuddly toy & 28% sleep with it - Really? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871 "2016-09-13T16:54:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/1 "2016-09-13T16:54:17Z")
[51 per cent of adult men still own their childhood cuddly toy, 28 pc of us still spend every night sleeping alongside them](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/11863886/Is-it-OK-for-grown-men-to-still-own-cuddly-toys.html) > [@](#): > > Jonathan Warren, the company director of Time4Sleep, was startled by the findings. “It’s surprising that more than half of men still own their childhood cuddly toy,” says Warren. “But it’s nice to discover that so many feel nostalgic about their teddy bears and that people simply can’t bear to part with them!” > [@](#): > > Despite the reasons behind these findings being inconclusive, we now know that stuffed animal ownership is far more prevalent among adult men than initially thought. Associations with emasculation and childishness have fuelled the secrecy of these clandestine cuddly toys, but the question remains: should grown men be embarrassed of sleeping with teddy bears? Or should they just tell their detractors to get stuffed? I find this assertion implausible. It’s for UK men but I really don’t think US men would differ in this respect. I know some men really like to keep and sleep with stuffed animals but I thought it was mainly a subset of some gay men who did this as adults. Is it plausible that 51% of all adult men still have their childhood stuffed toys around the house and 28% of all adult men not only have the stuffed animal but sleep wit it? It sounds nonsensical but I might be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/2 "2016-09-13T16:56:59Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I find this assertion implausible. It’s for UK men but I really don’t think US men would differ in this respect. I would think that cultural influence matters greatly, and would wager the numbers in the U.S. would be very low. . ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/3 "2016-09-13T16:59:29Z")
Does a semen encrusted tube sock count? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/4 "2016-09-13T17:01:27Z")
My son took the ratty old blanket he’d had since he was an infant off to college with him. We haven’t asked if he still has it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/5 "2016-09-13T17:02:09Z")
I have my stuffed koala. (Yes real, if you can believe it.) But don’t sleep with it. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/6 "2016-09-13T17:03:18Z")
I still have my stuffed bear from when I was a kid. I couldn’t tell you where it is but I stumble across it every once in a while. It’s a bit creepy because when I stored it away sometime in my early teens? I protected it by stuffing it into a way too small quart size ziplock bag. Its the stuff horror movies are made of. As far as 28% of adult men sleep with a stuffed animal, that sounds pretty BS to me. 25% of those were probably men just screwing around on a survey. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/7 "2016-09-13T17:04:12Z")
Looks like it was an online survey with 1,000 respondents, most likely self-selecting. I wouldn’t put too much stock into it. And I probably would have answered that I “still own” a childhood cuddly toy because my mother kept a lot of that stuff. But the fact that it is in a box somewhere in the garage doesn’t really say anything about my psyche. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/8 "2016-09-13T17:04:26Z")
Those were gone decades ago. But yes, a few lady friends have given me a plushy or two and I keep them on the shelf. I dont know ANY guys who still have their childhood cuddly. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/9 "2016-09-13T17:07:33Z")
I find this claim doubtful… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/10 "2016-09-13T17:13:35Z")
I don’t remember what my cuddle toys were! I probably had a couple but don’t remember. My parents would have thrown that stuff out long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/11 "2016-09-13T17:18:32Z")
Were this true, it would appear frequently as a question to advice columnists: “My new boyfriend likes to sleep with his old stuffed Sonic the Hedgehog doll. Is this normal or should I dump him?” Personally, I have never seen such a question. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/12 "2016-09-13T18:17:42Z")
I have very few relics of my childhood, certainly no stuffed animals - I don’t think I ever had any of those since I was maybe 3, anyway. I liked Tonka trucks and things like that, and I don’t even have any of those anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/13 "2016-09-13T18:27:26Z")
My childhood plush toys (a panda, a dog, a pair of koalas and an elephant) are probably in a cupboard at my parents’ house. I’m pretty sure they didn’t throw them away, especially since I told them many times that I absolutely wanted to keep them. Actually, I’d be really bummed if they told me they got rid of them. I’ll admit that when I wax nostalgic about my childhood, my plush toys are a big part of that feeling, along with the football matches in our garden. But no, I wouldn’t sleep with them now. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/14 "2016-09-13T18:32:34Z")
I like the typo in one of the picture captions. “Gay” should have been “Gary” according to the rest of the article. Anyway, I think the results are total nonsense. For example, a number the OP didn’t mention: 30% have NEVER owned a stuffed animal? I don’t believe it. The 51% owning their childhood toy is the only part of the poll I can believe, but I wouldn’t put any money on it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/15 "2016-09-13T18:34:18Z")
My oldest possession is a bong. Not very cuddly. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/16 "2016-09-13T18:37:17Z")
My husband has his childhood bear and blanket - and while he doesn’t usually sleep with them, they both came out to be cuddled with when his brother passed away. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/17 "2016-09-13T18:42:43Z")
I still have one of the plush toys I had as a child. The rest have gone to young relatives. But sleep with it? No. Sleeping with a childhood plush toy is something I - thanks to TV - associate with women. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/18 "2016-09-13T19:03:04Z")
My nighttime comfort rule is that I don’t want any part of my body touching any other part. So I sleep with an extra long pillow for my lower-body and I have a big stuffed pillow that kinda-sorta looks like a walrus with sunglasses that I hold. First off: Mr. Walrus is hilarious looking. Second off: He serves a great purpose that keeps me comfortable at night. So it’s not a “childhood toy” but I do, technically, sleep with a stuffed toy as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/19 "2016-09-13T19:34:04Z")
Male 56…No and No ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871/20 "2016-09-13T19:35:05Z")
I had my favorite childhood stuffed critter until recently. It just lived in the bedroom closet on a high shelf next to other unused stuff. My wife had hers nearby. Both were, as is typical, pretty ragged. Both got jettisoned in our last move to smaller quarters along with a vast array of other miscellaneous memorabilia we just never had a particular reason to get rid of. College class notes & texts, old Christmas cards, souvenirs from jobs and trips long past, etc. We were both in our upper 50s at the time. The last time I slept with my critter was about age 5. I call BS on the OPs article. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/51-of-adult-men-have-their-childhood-cuddly-toy-28-sleep-with-it-really/765871.md?page=2)