# What probably happened to my stuffed toy, left in a mall? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106 "2010-01-31T14:10:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/1 "2010-01-31T14:10:03Z")
I went to Scotland when I was 13, and bought a little stuffed toy haggis (well, it was supposed to be the mythical animal from which haggis is created. It looked more like a Tribble - see [link](http://home.btconnect.com/tartancorner/souvenir.htm)). Unfortunately I left it in a shopping mall by accident, and I never saw my poor little fluffy haggis again. So what happens to stuffed toys that get left in malls? Would my haggis get washed and donated to a children’s charity if I didn’t claim it after a certain amount of time? Or would it just have been thrown away eventually? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/2 "2010-01-31T14:17:18Z")
It probably got [put on sale](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247016/TK-Maxx-puts-toddlers-homemade-toy-sale-loses-shopping-trip.html)… Si ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/3 "2010-01-31T15:26:07Z")
It’s probably wondering when it can come [home](http://xkcd.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/4 "2010-01-31T15:32:20Z")
I have noticed an unusual number of stuffed animals beside the road and deep in the woods over the years. My theory is that they tried to escape back to get back home and succumbed to the elements or that Satanists were involved somehow. I feel really bad for the stuffed animals but the single shoes, especially children’s ones, are the ones that really bother me. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/5 "2010-01-31T15:47:19Z")
One would like to believe that some other kiddo came along and found your haggis and kept it and loved it for many, many years. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/6 "2010-01-31T15:51:47Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I feel really bad for the stuffed animals but the single shoes, especially children’s ones, are the ones that really bother me. Single children’s shoes are easy. Kids horsing around in the back of the car, one kid grabs a sibling’s shoe and whips it out the window. Car stops, they can’t find the shoe and leave. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/7 "2010-01-31T17:58:50Z")
I rescued a pokemon (digimon?) I have no idea what it is, but it had been abandoned in a roadside McDonald’s. It lives in my car now, along with an orange hippo and a blue mouse won in one of those claw games, and a green squishy-faced guy from Canada’s Wonderland. My brother has a pink fuzzy ostrich, rescued from a park. I think most lost toys, if they are cute enough, end up in someone’s home/car. I would have kept your haggis and given it a good home, had I found it! ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/8 "2010-01-31T19:10:41Z")
Did you lose it on January 22nd? According to the website you linked to, if you lose your Wild Hairy Haggis on that night, you will never see him again. He’s probably roaming free on the Highlands with other strange furry animals that consist only of a head. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/9 "2010-01-31T20:26:11Z")
When I was a kid I had a Wild Hairy Haggis too! Come to think of it, I haven’t seen it in a long time either, so maybe they’re off together somewhere. ETA: Isn’t Burns Night January 25th, not the 22nd as it says on that site? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/10 "2010-02-01T04:13:07Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I have noticed an unusual number of stuffed animals beside the road and deep in the woods over the years. My theory is that they tried to escape back to get back home and succumbed to the elements or that Satanists were involved somehow. The stuffed animals were probably left at the scene of a fatal accident in memorial. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/11 "2010-02-01T15:14:32Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Would my haggis get washed and donated to a children’s charity if I didn’t claim it after a certain amount of time? Or would it just have been thrown away eventually? Um, geez… I’m not quite sure how to put this, but… I found it. It was so cute, I boiled it, sliced it open, spread the stuffing onto crackers, and devoured it. You probably don’t want it back now. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/12 "2010-02-01T21:57:15Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Um, geez… I’m not quite sure how to put this, but… > > I found it. It was so cute, I boiled it, sliced it open, spread the stuffing onto crackers, and devoured it. > > You probably don’t want it back now. Was it tasty? I’ve always heard haggis is terrible. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/13 "2010-02-01T23:12:08Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Was it tasty? I’ve always heard haggis is terrible. 😃 Well, you probably hurt its delicate feelings and that’s why it hid away from you. 😃 (And **meyer6** is correct about Burns night being 25th of January. Strange of such a touristy site to get that wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/14 "2010-02-01T23:31:33Z")
Eaten by mall wolves. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/15 "2010-02-02T21:06:50Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Was it tasty? I’ve always heard haggis is terrible. 😃 Joke answer: It tasted like asbestos. Serious answer: I think that haggis gets a bum rap because people hear “sheep’s stomach” and get squicked out. After all, anything boiled in a sheep’s stomach has got to be gross, right? But I’d bet that most people who hate it have never actually tried it. (I’m sure there are exceptions, of course.) But I don’t think it’s bad. If it’s offered to me again, I’ll eat it. I won’t buy it myself, as it’s a) hard to find, and b) pretty expensive. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/16 "2010-02-03T16:03:44Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Single children’s shoes are easy. Kids horsing around in the back of the car, one kid grabs a sibling’s shoe and whips it out the window. Car stops, they can’t find the shoe and leave. Cecil knows. > **[Why do you always see just one shoe by the side of the road?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341705/why-do-you-always-see-just-one-shoe-by-the-side-of-the-road)** ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/17 "2010-02-03T21:53:29Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Serious answer: I think that haggis gets a bum rap because people hear “sheep’s stomach” and get squicked out. After all, anything boiled in a sheep’s stomach has got to be gross, right? No, people get squicked out because a sheep’s **smooshed up heart, liver, and lungs** , boiled in its stomach has got to be gross. We call it “cat food.” Although anyone who eats it is either very strong or dangerously insane; in either case, not someone you want to give shit to, even if he is wearing a dress. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![edinbourgeoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@edinbourgeoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edinbourgeoise)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/18 "2010-02-05T14:14:13Z")
Oh, it was eaten, man. Haggis is a superb dish for all seasons. Don’t be fooled by the lungs, liver, etc. A quality haggis (recommend Macsween’s) is ground up fine so you don’t know what you’re getting into, and it should also be quite peppery. The very best part of the whole evening is when you slice into the stomach and the haggis meat oozes out through the incision. And then you pour whiskey on it, of course. Food of the gods. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/19 "2010-02-05T14:55:02Z")
> [@edinbourgeoise](#): > > And then you pour whiskey on it, of course. :smack: And why is this information becoming known to me only now? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106/20 "2010-02-05T21:57:29Z")
> [@coffeecat](#): > > No, people get squicked out because a sheep’s **smooshed up heart, liver, and lungs** , boiled in its stomach has got to be gross. We call it “cat food.” Although anyone who eats it is either very strong or dangerously insane; in either case, not someone you want to give shit to, even if he is wearing a dress. 😃 Oh, come on. You eat hot dogs, right? Or sausage? That’s basically all haggis is. I had some in Edinburgh and it tasted like… sausage. Perfectly fine. Personally, I think people get weirded out because the name sounds like something the cat coughed up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-probably-happened-to-my-stuffed-toy-left-in-a-mall/527106.md?page=2)