Man buys used cuddly toy: Then he finds out who it really belongs to

Columbus (Ohio)/Ashland (Oregon) - A curious story that took place in two US states finally found a happy ending: after a special cuddly toy was lost during shipping, it found its way to its rightful owner - over a year and thousands of kilometers later.

This cuddly toy was discovered in a second-hand store in Ohio. Fortunately, the finder quickly realized that it was something special.
This cuddly toy was discovered in a second-hand store in Ohio. Fortunately, the finder quickly realized that it was something special.  © Screenshot/X/@Yaop117

The story was set in motion when a bargain hunter named Andrew came across a large "My Little Pony" stuffed animal in a thrift store and immediately knew it was a very special item.

The Columbus man, who according to Newsweek usually scours thrift stores for vintage iron pans and old electronics, immediately saw that the stuffed animal was a specialty item that fans spend a lot of money on. In the second-hand store, the almost one meter tall toy was offered for a ridiculous 12.99 dollars (around 11.70 euros).

As well as knowing that a custom-made toy like this is worth a lot of money, Andrew also suspected that the owner would certainly be emotionally attached to the cuddly toy. "Custom-made cuddly toys like these are very expensive and a personal matter for the customer," he says. Normally, such pieces would only be offered when the owner passes away.

After consulting with friends who are themselves My Little Pony fans, Andrew bought the stuffed horse and shared a photo of it on social media.

Cuddly toy finally returned to its rightful owner after more than a year

The cuddly toy finally found its rightful owner via social media.
The cuddly toy finally found its rightful owner via social media.  © Screenshot/X/@Yaop117

It was only a few minutes before he received a message that put his find in a completely different light.

An internet user called Dusk had carried out a reverse image search on Google and was able to track down the pony's original owner. In an"X" post from the summer of 2023, user "Yaop" was looking for the plush toy that had been lost in US customs in California. "I contacted Yaop via Twitter DM to confirm that it really was the same one," explains Andrew. With success!

Yaop immediately recognized the cuddly toy, which he had had made to measure abroad but never received. The man from Ashland in Oregon had spent 1000 dollars (the equivalent of around 900 euros) on his passion.

After it was reportedly held at customs for six months, the shipping company UPS finally declared the package lost. How exactly the toy ended up in the second-hand store, which is around 3000 kilometers away, remains a mystery.

What matters is that Andrew Yaop finally got his cuddly toy to him as quickly as possible, giving the whole thing a happy ending. "There are many coincidences in life that happen a million times, but there are so many of them that if you look closely, you're guaranteed to experience at least a couple of them," says the US American.