# Ever develop an emotional attachment to an inanimate object? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 25, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-develop-an-emotional-attachment-to-an-inanimate-object/747121 "2016-02-25T18:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![purple\_cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@purple\_cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_cow)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-develop-an-emotional-attachment-to-an-inanimate-object/747121/61 "2016-03-01T18:43:32Z")
I have a large stuffed penguin that has been in my car for 30 years. He doesn’t leave. The last time i bought a car, he came with me into the dealership while i signed the papers and he was promptly placed in the new car. My friends are probably as attached to him as I am. My car was broken into once and the contents strewn about (nothing was stolen except some change). My very first thought was, is Ralph alright? But there he was in the back seat. For some reason I pictured the thief, angry from finding nothing to take, tearing up the penguin in fury. I got tears in my eyes at the thought. Yes this is all very weird. I cant think of anything else that I have more than the slightest attachment to. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-develop-an-emotional-attachment-to-an-inanimate-object/747121/62 "2016-03-01T19:24:06Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > My 2003 Toyota Highlander. I’ve had many cars in my life, and probably will have a few more to add to the list, but that was the only one that it hurt to let go and that I still think about now and then. Just the perfect fit for me, it ran like a top, it got me through the worst accident I’ve had in my life without a scratch, and I actually got a happy jolt after a long trip spotting it in the parking lot at the airport, waiting to take me home. I sold it in 2010 before it could start breaking down, but everytime I see a Silver Toyota Highlander, my mind goes back to that car… Yeah, I’ve got a 2000 Accord that just keeps on running. The car is showing its age in various ways, but none of them are related to how well it handles on the road. I thought about replacing it last year, but I just can’t bear to part with the car. This is my seventh or eighth car, but I don’t think I’ve been anywhere near as attached to the others as this one. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-develop-an-emotional-attachment-to-an-inanimate-object/747121/63 "2016-03-01T23:33:06Z")
> [@purple\_cow](#): > > I have a large stuffed penguin that has been in my car for 30 years. He doesn’t leave. The last time i bought a car, he came with me into the dealership while i signed the papers and he was promptly placed in the new car. My friends are probably as attached to him as I am. > My car was broken into once and the contents strewn about (nothing was stolen except some change). My very first thought was, is Ralph alright? But there he was in the back seat. For some reason I pictured the thief, angry from finding nothing to take, tearing up the penguin in fury. I got tears in my eyes at the thought. > Yes this is all very weird. I cant think of anything else that I have more than the slightest attachment to. OH, I have a stuffed albino alligator in my car. My parents got him for me in the Everglades. Mom’s dead now but I imagine her smiling picking out this treat for me – he’s ridden in both my cars since. He also appeared in a photo montage I sent Mom of him riding in a canoe, and on the seesaw with his pal the Colorado sheep. We are also the inheritors of the Tazmanian Devil carnival prize my brother gave my Mom. He almost never gave gifts but once gave her comic books of The Dark Crystal because she loved it, and then he ripped them up later when he was mad at her as an ugly teenager. I remember her crying so hard. So she treasured this subsequent gift he gave her and didn’t ruin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-develop-an-emotional-attachment-to-an-inanimate-object/747121.md?page=3)