Mayday! Mayday! Please help!!

[claudedebussy]

My lovely dd2 (4 yo) has adored a John Lewis soft toy reindeer that looks like this but is a bigger version. They sold it at Christmas in 2010 and haven't sold it since.

She lost it a couple of months ago and she is still devastated. She thinks he's gone to help Father Christmas and he's going to come back to her on Christmas day

It's:

• made of fleece
• has a red and green scarf
• is about 25 - 30 cm high
• will have a John Lewis tag on it

I have trawled ebay, john lewis and the whole world wide web. I've emailed John Lewis. I've bought the second hand small version of that reindeer and she isn't interested. I really have to pull out all the stops to try and find a replacement. Another that looks quite similar REALLY isn't going to work. She's quite clever like that.

Do you have one sitting at home that your dc doesn't use?

I'll buy it off you! PLEASE - go and have a check now!!

Over and out.

Thanks everyone.

Onwardbound - it was British Airways - a long haul flight. I did try to contact them immediately but their local branch didn't seem to understand the concept of a lost property office. After much wrangling I worked out that there was an office at the airport where the airlines seem to send their lost property. So I went there on the way home but they hadn't seen it.

Reindeer camouflaged itself behind the dog sick coloured airline blanket, of which my dd had amassed 3. So it's even possible that the cleaners whipped the whole lot into a bag and didn't even realise it was there.

Complete shot in the dark, but you could try phoning the John Lewis outlet shop in Swindon just in case they bring out old seasonal stock this time of year. I suspect it's mostly furniture and appliances, but you never know.

good idea neverquitesure. they might just have some in a little corner somewhere.

Hi, just a thought but there are loads of 'buy, sell, swap' style pages on facebook. there is bound to be a few in your area. Its maybe worth posting and asking.......

best of luck xx

And another zany idea... The Charity Retail Association has a members bulletin board that is fairly well used and that sends members emails each time it is updated. You can't post without being a member, but if you were to contact them (main contact for membership appears to be a lady called Isabelle Adam, [email protected]) pleading for help, linking to this thread and saying you'd be happy to feature in a Press Release should a duplicate be found I'm willing to bet they would post on the message board on your behalf.

Worth a quick email if nothing else...

yes - both good ideas. I've only got 1 day left before I have to move onto plan b tho and 3 little sprogs to look after so now my options are narrowing drastically...

oh yes, and thanks Worra, for the kind words. I have been a bit of a twonk.

the ebay one was not the john lewis one. just got a reply back from the seller.

Good luck! I will keep an eye out in charity shops for you.

Hello all,

I'd just like to say thanks for eveyone posting and thinking about it.

I've executed plan b, but if new reindeer doesn't arrive in time for Christmas it'll be onto plan c.

Thanks Happily & flow4 - I'm going to use your idea

I can't help but wanted to give this thread a bump just in case someone else can

My parents told me he was going Round the World With Ant and Bee. I was very sad, but I could see that it was a fantastic opportunity for Little Dog, so I was brave

Imaging a stoic toddler releasing her toy for "the greater good" is making me emotional!

Don't worry CraicDealer, I'm over it now though there is a small bit of me that believes Little Dog is still travelling the world, forty-hem years later!

update:

dd2 happy to have new reindeer but it's not HER reindeer. have fed her story about reindeer's friend coming to stay to look after her and reindeer's baby.

unfortunately she's also picked up a tummy bug so in addition to not getting her beloved toy back, we had to stay at home, miss out on a family christmas with her beloved aunt, uncle and granny and feel sick all day. plus i had no food in the house, which is just as well since she has been vomiting copiously.

PLEASE!!! I need to get a replacement reindeer - please check your child's mountain of soft toys. there might be one lurking in there that they won't miss. sell it to me! please please please

OP are you on Facebook? If so it would be worth joining as many local selling pages throughout the UK as possible and posting about it on those too. It's the ideal time of year as many people will be having a post-Christmas clear out very soon I would imagine.

another possible avenue would be to ask British airways who launders their blankets and contact the laundry?

Really hope you find one, and hope your DD soon feels better

Definitely keep checking ebay. They do pop up now and again, but they are very popular. MIL got a replacement for nephew on eBay after months of looking although it cost her £60.

Selling pages and contacting BA is another good option. I hope you find one!

Thanks - will investigate the Facebook idea.

CajaDeLaMemoria - really??? This particular reindeer?

Just a few more ideas-

Local Freecycle
BA or JL Facebook pages

And I assume you've looked in the lost/found section on here?

Good luck.

Thank you very much for those suggestions. I will follow them up.