Have You Seen Me?

I really hope you have. Dr. Hibbard went missing sometime this weekend. Normally, I wouldn't care less about a Simpson's action figure's disappearance. However, Dr. Hibbard is Genna's lovey.

Most children crave the warmth and coziness that teddy bears or a blankie provides. Ella has a couple of lovies, Lambie and Bear. They are "unstuffed" animals made by Gund. If one is ever lost, I can get a replacement lickety-split. Genna, on the other hand, prefers an old stuffed carrot rattle she has had since she was about six months old and Dr. Hibbard, whose nose has been partly bitten off. The rest of the nose was cut with nail clippers so she wouldn't gouge herself or someone else.

Dr. Hibbard was purchased by Herr at a Burger King several years ago when he started collecting the Simpson's Playsets. I am sure that was a special day for Herr since he A) More than likely indulged himself with a Double Whopper with Cheese and B) got to add to his growing collection of Simpson's crap collectibles. Over the span of six years and three moves, Herr's collection was relegated to a Rubbermaid tote in the basement. One October afternoon, Genna came upstairs after playing with her sister. She was holding something and kissing it. She was talking to it and putting it up to her ear as if it were telling her a secret. "It" turned out to be Dr. Hibbard.

Herr and I thought that Genna's lovies were a bit strange, but we rolled with it. We thought it had something to do with the fact that she never really "took" to any of the stuffed animals we gave her as a baby the way Ella did. We thought that she was a late bloomer in the bonding department, so why NOT a Hibbard instead of a stuffed rabbit?! Every night, she would say, "Where Carrot? Where Hibbard?" and we would make sure they were on her pillow in her crib. She would grab one in each hand, turn on her belly, and tuck her hands into her belly. Every morning, she would be gripping Carrot and Hibbard in her hands and insist that they be a part of her daily routine. We even found it cute enough to take pictures of her hanging with them during meals.
In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that I should keep an eye on it in case it gets lost. Several mornings I pulled Genna's crib from the wall upon hearing her panicked cries of, "HIBBARD!! Get Hibbard!" while desperately pointing to the floor. I even looked on Ebay a month or so ago, but didn't see one that was the same. I figured I had some time. Apparently my time is up.

If anyone knows where I can score Dr. Hibbard (with the skull in his hands--not the Jekyll and Hyde version that is currently on Ebay) PLEASE let me know.


***UPDATE*** My pal, Chag, emailed me to tell me that I had been mispelling the dear Doctor's name--it's Hibbert. This was great information BECAUSE Chag found an identical Dr. Hibbert action figure on Ebay. At precisely the same time I was getting ready to buy it, I saw Bosco playing with something in the living room. After I saw him prancing around, I ran after him. Sure enough, he had found Dr. Hibbert. Fortunately, Bosco didn't maul him. Unfortunately, the Ebay Dr. Hibbert was already sold by the time I got back to buying it. However, there are A LOT of Dr. Hibbert dolls on Ebay. I still plan to stock up. All is right in our world again.