puff The Magic Dragon And Dragon Stuffed Animals

In 1959, Cornell University student Leonard Lipton wrote a poem called Puff the Magic Dragon about a young boy and his best friend who happened to be a dragon. The poem was later made into a famous song by Peter, Paul and Mary, circa 1963. At the core of the tale is the loss of innocence after the boy [Jackie Paper] grows up and casts aside his best friend, a dragon named Puff. With a broken heart, Puff returns to his cave and is never seen again. Due to its popularity, along with children's general fascination with dragons, in 1978, the song was made into an animated television special.

Subsequently, it was then followed by two sequels. In 2007, a book adaptation of the poem was written but this time it was given a happier ending with the child looking to find Puff to be her friend. In addition, Jackie Paper is replaced with a female character (presumed to be Jackie Paper's daughter).
Given all the attention paid over the years to Puff the Magic Dragon, it's no surprise to find that children love dragon stuffed animals. Dragons are a mythical creature that children never seem to get enough of despite the fact that they are often portrayed in books, television, and movies as evil. Disney's Sleeping Beauty, for example, has one of the most terrifying and menacing dragons ever seen in animation, yet children are still drawn to watching it over and over again.

When we think of plush toys, one of the things that comes to mind is just how soft and cuddly they are. As is the case, it seems hard to imagine that a child would want to snuggle up with dragon stuffed animals even though some are made just as plush as other animals. It may not actually be the coyzing up that children find so appealing about dragon stuffed animals, but rather, all the imaginative ways in which they can dream up to play with them.

Unlike dragons depicted in the Western world, Eastern dragons like those in China, are considered to be friendly, wise, and beautiful. While in the west dragons are feared, in China, they are worshipped and considered to be angels of the orient. They have even gone so far to as to build both temples and shrines in China to honor their dragons as they are believed to control both the rain and the water in rivers, lakes and seas.

Dragon stuffed animals certainly take on a much different connotation if they are thought of like they are in China. While a child might find this view interesting, it's likely it won't make any difference to them when it comes to their dragon stuffed animals. Children already think of dragon stuffed animals much like Jackie Paper's dragon Puff, one of their most treasured friends.