Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee passed away 2 years ago on 12 November 2020. In remembrance of him, Red Dot Diva wants to share a sweet story about one of her prized possessions.
Back in 2014, she had purchased a limited edition toy talking Stan Lee plush doll from Factory Entertainment as a San Diego Comic-Con 2014 exclusive. Ever since, she brought Stan Lee Plushie home, the toy had been sitting on a self amongst a collection of Marvel comics. Occasionally, she brought him along to events and conventions, and people are usually so amused with the rare Stan Lee doll that talks! He is such an integral part of her collection of pop-culture knick knacks.
On the day Stan Lee died, Red Dot Diva posted an Instagram video message with the toy, in tribute to the man's extraordinary life:
It was one of the last few times she remembered hearing Stan Lee Plushie's voice from the plush toy.
Recently, she wanted to hear the toy speak again, but it did not work. She thought it could have been the batteries, so she tried changing them. Nope, that didn't work either. Boo hoo. There has to be something that can be done about this.
She recalled reading about a toy repair company in Japan, and wondered if there was a similar thing in Red Dot Island. Upon Googling the key words, Soft Toy Hospital's profile came up immediately. The hospital had a Facebook page as well, with photos of the surgeries that they have done. Some of the repairs they performed on old and broken toys were amazing, and they have received positive comments from their customers.
Soft Toy Hospital is founded by husband and wife team, Isaac Kong and Pamela Theng. They were esteemed teddy bear artists, and in 2016, decided to offer toy restoration, repair and cleaning services to collectors and owners. With such a track record, Red Dot Diva had a good feeling that these wonderful toy doctors would be able to help recover Stan Lee Plushie's voice.
She emailed Soft Toy Hospital with a few photos of Stan Lee Plushie and the battery pack.
Dr. Isaac replied to her email within a couple of days. He told Red Dot Diva that it was difficult to see what was wrong (the mechanics were all hidden deep within the toy's body), and advised that Stan Lee Plushie be hospitalised so that they can have a better look. He even offered to collect the toy (via toy ambulance?) from her home!
Stan Lee Plushie was then warded at Soft Toy Hospital for about 5 days, and placed under the loving care of Dr. Isaac. Red Dot Diva hoped he was a good patient. Using Whatsapp, Dr. Isaac provided the diagnosis of Stan Lee Plushie's voice box. The contact plate within the toy has rusted and some wiring have been damaged. However, Dr. Isaac could operate on Stan Lee Plushie and get him fixed within a few hours at a cost of SGD 40.
OMG. Hooray! OF COURSE, YES. Please fix him!
That very same evening, Dr. Isaac brought Stan Lee Plushie back home, who was looking none the worse for wear. In fact, Stan Lee Plushie could talk again! It was an amazing superhero feat by Dr. Isaac indeed. Red Dot Diva couldn't be any happier and relieved. Thank you so much, Dr. Isaac!
Stan Lee Plushie now sits together with lots of other toy friends, and he still talks from time to time. Red Dot Diva hopes he continues to spout those heartwarming Stan Lee-isms for many more years!
So, if you ever need your precious soft toy or collectible to be repaired, do drop an email, Whatsapp (98820388) or Facebook message to Soft Toy Hospital. The toy doctors offer such skillful and affordable service. Best of all, it is all wrapped up with an awesome amount of TLC for the toys and their owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment