A recent picture of this pony reminded me of the blessed creatures that hold a special place in my family's life. Thinking about my children and their children, I can substitute a variety of names for the word Pony. The names are not particularly creative. We used to have Cheetah, Teddy, and Pengy (a penguin puppet) - all incredibly important family members.
When lost, find this beloved creature. Or else. Suffer the dramatic meltdown and tears. My daughter bought a second Curious George, just in case George disappeared for too long away from her young son. Insurance for a smooth bedtime.
Pony recently survived being absconded by a little boy on the playground when it was dropped. It's currently sitting in sandcastles on a beach vacation. I hope Pony makes it back home.
Isn't it amazing how grown adults can reminisce about an inanimate object years later? Really, it was the child's wonderful imagination bringing the whole family a great deal of joy.
I love referring to these items as "incredibly important family members" Our grandsons have Lovey, Blabber, and Moose, all important members of their family.
What a wonderful way of capturing a feeling many of us know well! I still have a security blanket, and I would be beside myself if anything happened to it. For context, I am almost 30, so well past it being a childhood necessity. My blanket now stays in a drawer in a plastic protective case, for preservation purposes, because again, I wouldn't know how to recover if something happened. I see the same thing now with my nephew. He is attached to his "bye" as he calls it. Just as you said, it brings us all so much joy to see him love something so much!