What Inspired Bigfoot?

Hi SlumberFam!

As we celebrate Bigfoot and the impact he has had on so many children who were just like me. His inspiration comes from a super vulnerable personal story that I want share with you.

Friend: Callie, you’re BUFF.
Me: Um, thanks?
Friend: You know what BUFF means?
Me: No?
Friend: Big. Ugly. Fat. Fellow.

That’s when my 5th grade heart sank. This was my “best friend” on the playground in front of a bunch of our friends. At the time, I was an awkward 5’10” just finding basketball as a safe haven that welcomed me being a foot taller than my friends. It’s appalling what kids say to each other. I know my friend wasn’t trying to be mean. (Or so she said.) Her brother had told her this the night before and she was saying it as a “joke.” I wanted to believe that, but as a very tall girl growing up wanting to fit in, still, to this day, it stings thinking back on how it made me feel in that moment.

But thankfully there was my mother. I’m very grateful she made it her mission to enroll me in every activity or sport that embraced height. From the very early days, I remember my mom speaking words of positive affirmation into my life daily, which at the time, only felt like she was saying it because she had to. Now, looking back on it, I know she was purposefully shining light into my life and speaking words of positivity that I would latch on to as an adult. Her words of wisdom are like little whispers of confidence I still hear that truly shaped me into who I am today. Now, I’m 6’2”. I am still appalled at the things people say when it comes to physical attributes, but I’m confident in who I am and thank my mom every day for doing what she did for me as a child.

Kelly and I used my experience as inspiration for Bigfoot’s story. We purposefully added the positive affirmations that children repeat out loud at the end of the story because of my mom. Doing this on a nightly basis with my children brings so much more meaning to our mission here at Slumberkins than anything else, especially for me personally. I just hope to be able to be the mom to them that my mom was to me, since they’re likely to be very tall, just like I am! We can’t control what will happen to our children as they grow, but we CAN control the positive messages we instill in them every day.

I wanted to share some of the deep inspiration that drives the passion we put into each creature we develop and to prove that we can find the confidence to use painful experiences to fuel positivity. We can’t thank you enough for supporting Slumberkins BIG hopes and dreams. We are so grateful for this amazing community of parents, caregivers, and friends, that truly see the value in making a difference in the lives of little ones.

🙏 ❤️
Much Love,
Callie