Can you help Dave?

[FGSWhatNow]

This is Dave. He's broken

Dave has an elasticated tummy, which DS has stretched beyond its limits Dave's stomach tone is now worse than mine, and we need help!

He's got some sort of retractable mechanism inside - when you stretch him out he should make a clicking sound, then when you let go he judders back to his original size - a bit like my little rotary tape measure I got from the haberdashery. I need to find a replacement mechanism for him but my google hasn't found anything because I don't know what to search for. I'm half minded to unpick him and have a look what's in there, but was reluctant to disembowel him before I know that I can get something to repair him with.

Does anyone have any ideas? What do you call elasticated retractable crocodile innards?

(Not a question I ever thought I would be asking...)

Get him to do sit ups?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Sadly, the chance of Dave doing sit-ups is even more remote than the chance of me doing them...

Unpick him for definite and see if his mechanism is fixable, it might be that it just needs some elastic

Where is Dave from? Any chance of procuring his cousin Chas and making a swap?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164277200006
There is one for sale on eBay if that helps.

I'm tempted...

Thanks also for the ebay link @Crocky Though I'm baulking at the £12.99 +p&p is it your listing, perchance???

Dave has a slighty "worn-in" air about him, I'm not sure how DS would take to a new one. If the tummy surgery doesn't do the trick I think we'll just need to accept that his sproinging days are over and he'll forever be a floppy crocodile.

This thread is why I love Mumsnet, and its presence in Active is going a long way to dilute the Heatwave Madness and AIBU vipery.

Thank you, Dave (and Chas).

Definitely not mine. Any baby toys I had went years ago. Google did the finding.

Glad to be of service, TheMess

Look out for the follow-up thread: "I botched Dave's gastric surgery and now need to crowd-fund an ebay replacement before DS gets home from school"

I heart this thread. [heart eyes]

PS hope innards surgery goes well.

Warning - scenes and descriptions of surgery that some viewers may find distressing

I've unpicked a bit of Dave's throat and have extracted the little cartridge that houses the retract mechanism. It's sewn into a small pouch so I needed to unpick that too. The mechanism appears to be jammed.

BREAKING NEWS

Dave's retractor is unjammed.

Reconstruction surgery will commence in due course after I've had lunch

Hooray for Dave and Hooray for successful surgery and the talented surgeon

Dave's come round from the anaesthetic and his sproing is restored. I'm off for a lie down and DS will be issued with instructions to go easy on him.

Thanks all for the encouragement and moral support, glad I've helped cheer a few people up

Hooray!

Great thread Op 😂😂

🍇for Dave

Well done, OP!

Fabulous thread

Contented sigh, well done you. Rest now, after your hard labours.

Btw, for anyone wondering, Dave is indeed <whispers> ... a baby toy.

DS1 bought it for DS2 when he turned 1. Even though DS2 is now 5, he's still very attached to him, and he was very upset when he realised he'd broken him. He'll be so chuffed when he gets home from school and sees he's mended 😊

And for me, too!

If only my stomach tone was so easy to fix.

Pleased to see Dave is on the mend after surgery.

Well done, OP - both on the successful surgery, and also on such a lovely thread!