GREENFIELD – The photos are as heartwarming as they are hilarious, when more than 20 stuffed animals from local children had a “sleepover” at the Hancock County Public Library.
The second annual Stuffed Animal Sleepover was Jan. 22, when children brought their favorite plush friends to the Greenfield library and entrusted them to spend the night for the sake of social media images and a few good laughs.
A dinosaur snuck into a cash register. A trio played video games in the young adult room. A few pink plushies even stepped into the director’s office for a few minutes.
And then there was a storytime picture, complete with Youth Services Librarian Michelle Brown reading a book to the crowd just as she would during preschool storytime. Followed by a photo of all of them lined up to “use the bathroom.”
The last picture in the bunch: all of the stuffies snuggled up together under a blanket.
Brown, who brought the idea to the library last year after seeing it on library programming websites, said it’s all in good fun. She brings ideas for pictures to the library’s marketing team and they run wild for two hours with the lovies of the library’s youngest patrons.
“I like that they get to see some behind-the-science parts of the library children don’t get to see,” Brown said. “It feels like an adventure for them.”
Greenfield children Hadley, Wyatt and Jude Warner enjoyed the photos of their stuffies at the library – Hadley, 8, especially loved seeing her bunny having a tea party with her baby brother’s beaver. Wyatt, 5, said he liked seeing the animals check out books.
“They saw all of them and they absolutely loved it; they thought it hysterical,” said mom Karly Warner, adding that this is the second year they’ve participated and they’ll probably continue in the future.
Marketing duo Ryan Fennell and Bri Washburn said they enjoy the annual tradition, which comes around every January.
“I want everyone to be able to see that the library is a place where we all get to have fun,” Washburn said. “Whether it’s you, your mom, your dad or your grandma – even your stuffed animal. The library is a place for everyone, and there’s something unique in this building for all of us.”
Fennell said photos highlight a few new attractions, like a glow table in the children’s room that helps kids see sea objects up close. There’s also a picture of the “construction” sign on a new exhibit that will be unveiled Feb. 1. Some of their favorite shots were setting up animals around the library’s board room to look like they were having a serious discussion, as well as a business meeting in the director’s office.
Washburn said they even enjoyed chatting about their own stuffed animals while taking pictures for the project. She said even if people didn’t bring in an animal for the program, they can enjoy seeing the creatures through social media because everybody can remember their own friends from childhood.
“The library is ever changing but the neat thing about it is, it does stay the same,” Washburn added. “While we are always trying to grow and innovate, we’re always that place you can come back to and it’s always there for you. To see someone else’s stuffed animal online, it’s nice for that child in all of us.”
To view all the photos, visit facebook.com/HancockCountyPublicLibrary; for upcoming events, visit hcplibrary.org.
