I went to my local country store downtown recently and they have an entire section dedicated to kids toys and loose candy you can buy by the bag, barrel, etc.
One of the things that immediately caught my attention was a plushie of the caterpillar from Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I can remember since I was a child reading that book over and over again, the style of the art and the interactivity all throughout. It stuck with me all my life throughout my childhood.
The past few years I was happy to see Eric Carle on twitter, still doing illustrations in the same style and usually with a peaceful/positive message. Even acknowledging pride month when other creators I followed since my youth turn into complete assholes.
Hearing about his passing in 2021 filled me with sadness, and holding onto the plushie I felt those feelings came back. Both of the joy he brought and sad he was gone from this world. (fuck, I'm crying now writing this.)
Needless to say, I needed this plushie and bought em immediately. Most things on my desk are usually characters that give me inspiration for my work or things that have stuck with me since childhood and got me where I am with transition, writing, game development, etc.
Welcome to my desk little guy~ 