My Grand Daughter left her Monkey on the plane going home to Nashville. The whole family went into crisis mode. Just to be clear, the Love Bug does have an emergency back-up Monkey, but it’s lacking an eye and wouldn’t fool her one bit. The airline was called and online reports were written; the small independent toy store in Charlottesville was searched.
“But this doesn’t look like her Monkey, ” I said.
Why would a stuffed animal company named Jellycats decide, in the course of four years, to make Monkey’s tail yellow and his feet brown? 
My plan was to wash and distress the new Monkey, and try to pass him off as Lovey Monkey #2, but to no avail. Ebay was a total fail.
“No, not worth getting a different one,” the Bride said.
But I did get the Bug a new Monkey, and shipped it off yesterday with its very own letter from Nana. The Love Bug has other endearing nicknames, which is why she is called Ms Magoo Two, after the Bride, who was the original Ms Magoo.
We all have to learn how to deal with Love and Loss eventually, still I thought she was just too young, too little, too tender…
Nana
Charlottesville, Virginia
Dear Ms Magoo Number Two
I have searched high and low, near and far, up and down, all over town for Monkey, and I have some news.
It seems he has decided to take a Grand World Tour on that airplane. As we all know, monkeys are very curious, and he wanted to see what other monkeys in other countries are up to:
To visit Lemurs in Madagascar
To visit Orangutans in Borneo
To visit Chimpanzees in Tanzania
To visit Mountain Gorillas in Uganda
And Lowland Gorillas in Cameroon
Monkey knows you will miss him, and he will miss you too. And so he has sent his twin sister to keep you company. Her name is Mona the Monkey!
Mona is very kind and funny, and she loves meeting new people! She likes to listen to your stories, have tea parties with dancing and singing, and just generally be the Belle of the Ball!
Like her twin, she loves to snuggle best of all.
I hope you will allow Ms Mona the Monkey into your heart Ms Magoo Two, and give her a chance to be your very dear Lovey. At least until Monkey decides to return to Nashville, Tennessee, whenever that may be.
She told me she cannot wait to see your new house and playroom, your new classroom and meet all your friends at school. She also told me she thinks you should be a Princess for Halloween, because you are already a Princess to her!
I really had so much fun in New York with you darling girl, and I promise to come and visit soon. I love you a bushel and a peck and oodles and boodles of macaroni noodles!
Kisses and Hugs,
Nana
MountainMornings 
Oh I hear you. My son Jacob had this Fisher Price doll that had a button, zipper, etc. that looked like a clown, hence his “clown doll.” He left it in a motel years ago and we were on our way to vacation (I think in Virginia and then North Carolina). One of my gd’s has a tattered doll – I dread if anything happens to it.
The kids do survive (but do we?)
Ours was a simpler time. We had a rule, the lovey stays at home. They would travel with other toys but J still has her puppy and D still has his coyote – and you are right “It hurts me more than it hurts you” has proven true time and time again
Ah. Sweet. Did you try ebay and Etsy?
Yes. It seems the exact Monkey is nowhere to be found. But she was so happy tonight with his sister
Sent from my iPhone
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