A stuffed tiger named Hobbes went on a sightseeing adventure at the Tampa International Airport after a young boy inadvertently left the stuffed animal behind.
The boy’s mother, Amanda Lake, called the airport searching for her son Owen’s toy, and a worker found
Hobbes quickly, a story posted on the airport’s website said. But while waiting for the family to return from their vacation to pick the tiger up, Airport Operations Center manager Ton D’Aiuto decided Hobbes needed an adventure.
"I pitched this idea a couple of months ago after I saw a similar idea where someone took a stuffed lion around a museum," D’Auito said on the TIA website, adding that he took the tiger on tour during his lunch hour. "This seemed like the perfect opportunity."
While Owen, 6, was on vacation, Hobbes got a vacation, too, all memorialized with photos: Playing Jenga in the USO, napping by a Marriott pool, riding a luggage cart.
D’Auito didn’t just offer Hobbes a fun-filled week, but he also used a coupon he had to make a photo book of the stuffed tiger's adventures. The family arrived back at the Tampa airport June 11 to pick up Hobbes and were surprised with the book. Lake was so moved that she cried when an employee handed her the photo evidence of how much fun Hobbes had while Owen was away.
"When Owen asked for Hobbes on the plane, my husband and I looked at each other and our hearts sunk. We knew he was
left behind," Lake told the Tampa Bay Times. "Owen really loves him. He's special, and we are so thankful for the airport and what they did."
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