GO GO BEANS the MONKEY Travels the World & COMES HOME!

Yes, the internet can be a dangerous place, and I constantly caution our children to be careful how they let our grandchildren use it. But the internet is also full of wonderfully loving and thoughtful people who will go out of their way to help someone they have never met, and never will meet.


The story of Go Go Beans the Monkey is a story of the hundreds of online angels who helped to make this precious story possible.


I invite you to read the almost two year saga of this monkey - from being left on an airplane, to sending postcards to Noah as he traveled around the world, to being found and sent on his way back to one precious little boy - who never lost faith that Monkey Monkey Go Go Pork 'N' Beans would return home. To get the full impact of this story, you need to read all the comments, too!

FOUND - CUDDLEZONE BROWN CHIMP / MONKEY from TARGET - Thanks, TAMI!!!

If you read the comments on this post, you will get to follow a great story. One of our frequent readers and helpers, Tami, saw Mr. Go Go Beans on eBay and put the information in a comment here. We were not home today, so I didn't email Stacey with the link, the way I normally would have. Stacey sees the comment - did somebody who knows her let her know? I have no idea how she knew, but she bought it, and came back here to thank Tami for her help!
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, folks.

My son, just before his 3rd birthday, lost his best friend, Monkey Monkey Go Go Pork 'N' Beans. He named him that several months prior, and the monkey had become the centralized character to all of his bedtime stories.

Go Go Beans, as we nicknamed him, was left on an airplane. On the hour-long car trip away from the Denver airport, I realized the monkey was missing. Our In-Laws wouldn't turn around on our midnight journey, so the first thing I did when we got to their home was to call and fill out a missing-item report. 2nd was to look on eBay to see if there was another available. That was in September of 2006, and I have been looking on eBay at least once a week ever since.

Noah didn't notice that Go Go Beans was missing at first. We attempted to distract him with the wiles of being on vacation. Once we got home, we were heading out on a road trip to an improv festival. On the way out the door he said, "Don't forget Go Go Beans!" We sat him down. He cried. A lot. We explained that Go Go Beans stayed on the airplane, because he had so much fun, and that hopefully he'd see the world and then come home soon.

Noah asked to write a letter to him. He dictated and I wrote and drew pictures at his request.

"Dear Go Go Beans,
We want to give you a birthday. (He had me draw a cake with two candles) I hope you're having fun on the airplane. I miss you and I miss you on the airplane. Plane. And I miss you on the ride of the airplane. And I love you *SO* much.
Candles. Birthday Cake. Happy Birthday Go Go Beans. Clock. Email us, please. Trees. Mountains. Milk. Buttermilk and chocolate milk. Regular milk. Frog and Giraffe miss you. I miss Go Go Beans. I want you to come home soon. "Tell him that I miss you." Milk. Frog and Giraffe and now candlesticks.

Love,
Noah"

After talking with Target (the parent company that made the original monkey), and their unwillingness to help, I turned to the internet.

I posted the letter to a general discussion section of the Etsy.com forums 10 days before his 3rd birthday. I wanted to know if a few people would send a post card from Go Go Beans.

As of right now, (January of 2008) we have more than 150 post cards from not only around the country, but from around the world - France, Kuwait, York, Australia, Germany to name a few. People have sent stuffed animal friends that Go Go Beans sent back along the way, they've sent artwork, newspapers, magnets, stationary and more. And with all of the many post-cards sent by complete strangers drawn to the story, we have no way of thanking them. We just know that this little boy is thrilled for their kindness.

And while we're still looking for the real Go Go Beans (yes, weekly on eBay) my little guy is excited anytime a post card arrives in the mail. He's 4 now, and can't read just yet, but he knows anytime we get anything in the mail, whether it be a box or a letter or post card, he shouts "Its from Go Go Beans!" and his little heart bursts into delight, instead of tears.

If you can help Stacey find Go Go Beans, the Cuddlezone brown chimp, please Contact Us, including #011408-2 in the subject, or Comment Here.

Originally posted 01/14/2008

I thought you might want to see what the "new" Go Go Beans looks like.



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