Friday, February 7, 2020

King Kong lives: How a favorite stuffed animal from childhood became part of a community garden



The Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden has a new stuffed-animal resident — one with a long history in the East Village.

The stuffed King Kong belonged to Nefertiti Jones, who was born and raised on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C in the 1970s and 1980s. At age 4, her mother gave her the King Kong stuffed animal. She instantly fell in love with him.


[Image via Instagram]

She recently shared this story on an Instagram post (and with me)...

Kong slept on my bed all through my early childhood and teen years. We would first be parted when I moved to San Francisco in 1994 ... He was in good hands with his grandmother on East Fourth Street.

Upon returning to NYC and settling into my own place, I would move Kong back in with me. Of course, for the next 20 years, I found myself moving from the Upper West Side, to Williamsburg and finally back to East Fourth Street ... Kong was with me.

Last month, she made the difficult decision to part with him. He was falling apart. Jones asked her husband Jimi to dispose of Kong when she was away.

He did. But Jimi had become attached to Kong too, so rather than put him in the trash he put him on top of a recycling bin in the neighborhood hoping someone would take him home.

Last week, she was walking on the Sixth Street side of the Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden when she saw a familiar figure.

I nearly fell over when I saw Kong in a tree in the garden. My beloved Kong found his way back home and is now in the garden hanging in a tree.



Someone patched up his paws and placed a bunch of pussy willows in them.


[Image via Instagram]

"It has taken all of my will power not to take him back home with me," she said, "but I think he is happier in the garden."

21 comments:

  1. Take him back - he probably misses his home !

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  2. Cute story. You really needed a Gorilla to protect you back in the day...

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  3. I’ve seen Kong before and now I know the back story. That’s awesome

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  4. This is sweet, and in a way, pays homage to the toy tower that once stood in that garden. I had some beloved toys growing up which were important to me and it was heartbreaking to part with my "friends" later in life. I'm glad Kong is enjoying a second life in the wild.

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  5. I walked by the garden and saw him! He made me smile the day he had an umbrella covering him in the rain. And, I know Nef from the community which makes this story even sweeter. Kong deserves a nice home. Thank you Nef and Jimi for giving him to the rest of us in East Village.

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  6. There are a million stories in the concrete jungle, this is one of them.

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  7. Beautiful Story. I am going to visit him this Sunday. Long Live King Kong.......

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  8. Such a great story! Now Kong is with us all!

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  9. Looks like a garden visit is in order very shortly! Great story, and glad that Kong is big enough to handle all the love being thrown his way.

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  10. can someone please buy him a raincoat and hat at the very least.

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  11. I LOVE THIS!!!! I have a stuffed chimp I"'ve had since I was 2 years old, I can relate!

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  12. Such a great story! Community. Community. Community. It's what will save us all in the end. It saved Kong. Thanks for posting.

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  13. Every once in a while there's a story like this that reminds me of why I read this blog everyday. Long live King Kong!

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  14. It's a beautiful story and the best part is that Kong can now be loved but all the people who pass through the garden.

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  15. LOVE THIS!!! I have a stuffed chimp I've had since I was 2 years old and has been with me all over, I can relate!!❤

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  16. Welcome to the Garden,King Kong!
    Love this Great story,Thanks! And Thanks to EV Grieve for posting

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  17. What a fun story! Kong lives on - protecting the neighborhood and bringing joy to all that pass by his new home. I plan to stop by and see him the next time I’m in the area!!

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  18. Love this story and love that she shares King Kong with the Lower East Side - all hands on deck to protect this amazing neighborhood!

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  19. Wow! This article is incredible! Thank you for shedding light on LES and thank you for sharing your beloved Kong :-)

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  20. Great story! Wish we could replace our orangutan president with Kong the gorilla. Long live King Kong!

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