Still attached to your childhood toy? Here’s why

This year, a single stuffed bear – aptly dubbed ‘Teddy’ – rose to Aussie superstardom on Married at First Sight.

Toted around by contestant Joel Moses, 32, the battle-worn bear became the unofficial mascot of the season – and sparked a wider conversation about why we remain so attached to childhood items well into adulthood.

Moses told nine.com.au his bond with the sentimental toy dated back 31 years to a family holiday in Queensland.

Midway through the trip, he’d been left “distressed and hysterical” after misplacing his original teddy bear. But ever the hero, Joel’s late grandmother leapt into action, and immediately devised a plan to soothe her inconsolable grandson.

“I was very attached to [the first bear] and my grandmother, who was just an absolute angel on this earth, couldn’t bear to see one more tear out of me.”

Joel’s grandmother beelined for nearest shopping centre and bought him a replacement plushy – and from that moment on, Joel and Teddy were joined at the hip.

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“It’s very sentimental to me because of who it was gifted from,” he said.

“She was such a pure-hearted person who meant everything to me and my family, and we miss her every day. Her spirit lives on in Teddy.”

Although this attachment drew ridicule from many fellow contestants within the experiment, Moses remained confident enough in his masculinity to stay “unbothered” about negative comments.

Childhood toys have also made cameos on UK seasons of Love Island, with contestants including Molly-Mae Hague, Tasha Ghouri and Molly Marsh bringing their plush companions into the villa.

Hague’s stuffed elephant Ellie Belly was particularly memorable, becoming the villa’s unofficial mascot and delighting viewers in 2019.

Speaking on an episode of Variety’s Actor’s on Actors series, Aussie star Nicole Kidman shared her own personal take on the topic of adults holding on to their childhood comfort items.

“I always say to kids ... your comfort is your comfort,” she told fellow featured actor Zendaya.

“If you need to keep your blankie ’til you’re 85, you keep your blankie. There’s no medal for giving that up.

“Who says you have to be this ‘perfect’ grown-up? You’re allowed to have these things.”

As recent data would suggest, sentimental attachment to of this kind to childhood toys is by no means a rare occurrence.

An exclusive poll of nine.com.au readers posed the question: Did you keep a comforting toy or item from your childhood?

Out of over 1,200 respondents, 39 per cent revealed they had – while 16 per cent wished they had.

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For one woman in particular, a baby doll she’d been given as a two-year-old proved so meaningful, she found an unconventional way to immortalise her name.

“My mum and dad gave her to me when my brother was born. I still have her, and named my daughter Denise after her.”

According to an expert, this phenomenon has a lot to do with the nostalgia associated with certain childhood toys.

Psychologist Anna Nikolaou told nine.com.au sentimental items can serve as “transitional objects” – used to bridge the gap between an individual’s dependence on their caregiver, to becoming more independent and learning to self-soothe.

“We need to understand it’s not the physical toy that’s of importance to an individual, but the associations and emotions attached to that toy that is most valued,” Nikolaou said.

Our brains create associations in this manner near-constantly, meaning if you made a habit of hugging a toy after nightmares, when you were sick, during stressful times or before falling asleep, your brain linked that toy with a sense of calm.

“This learned association can remain strong that even decades later, seeing or holding that same [toy] can activate those deeply learned feelings of safety.”

According to Nikolaou, there are genuine psychological benefits to holding on to such items in adulthood – and it’s far more common than people assume.

She cited the likes of reduced stress, a regulated nervous system and quality sleep coming easier as just a few common outcomes.

But she warned that if attachment begins to cross over into dependence, it may be necessary to reevaluate.

“If someone feels unable to travel, sleep or cope with everyday life without their comfort toy, or if the attachment causes significant distress or interferes with relationships or daily functioning, it may be worth exploring why.”