Growing up, I was a dinosaur kid. Others loved trains, cars, fire trucks or boats – but not me. I was a dinosaur kid. Recognizing this, my parents gifted me with the best gift a dino-loving-6-year-old could want: a ticket to “Dozin’ with the Dino’s” at Chicago’s Field Museum.
This meant I got to spend a night at the museum! Just like the movies! Better yet, the Field Museum was a dead animal zoo, filled with my favorite dead dino’s, birds, mammals and people (mummies). I was in heaven. Since that day, I’ve never looked back and my love for the dino’s endures. I even wear clothes with a dinosaur logo on it.
Naturally, I had to bring a dinosaur to college with me as well (thanks Mom!) – here’s how it went.
For me, having a stuffed dinosaur kind of feels like a swiss-army knife. Most of the time, I use the dinosaur to squeeze after watching Miami become the worst team in NCAA D1 hockey. But it can also be used as a pillow, something to throw at your neighbor, a cuddle buddy, a bomb or room decor (for a vintage look). I could not ask for a better friend to guide me through college.
For my wallet, my dinosaur truly saved my wallet in college. In order to succeed, I need an emotional support entity: whether that be a stuffed dino, a plant, a person, a President Crawford … you get the idea. However, all the latter options require a salary that I do not have! So instead, I got blessed with a pink stuffed stegosaurus, named Stego, for a one-time payment. It’s all the benefits without the cost!
For talking to women, the dinosaur helps tremendously in illustrating who I am to others. Admitting that I have a pink stuffed dino at the ripe old age of 22 takes courage and vulnerability-which girls are supposed to like in a guy right? That’s what all those YouTube videos said! But if those are wrong that might explain why I haven’t found my Miami Merger.
For making friends, it’s really just like, “What the f—?” then they move on. It certainly hasn’t hurt my situation but hasn’t made it any better – just like me deciding between choosing a shot of Rumple Minze over a shot of Jaeger. But overall, most people are starting to become very accepting of dinosaurs. It’s the least we can do after leaving all those dinos on Isla Nublar.
For travel, nothing looks cooler than carrying a five-pound, pink-stuffed dinosaur to and from the hotel room on a well-earned spring break vacation. Honestly, I kind of see it as a flex on people who couldn’t bring their pets with them. Like sorry loser, you have to pay extra to bring a dog and no, it does not count as a personal item for the overhead bin. Also, with all these plane crashes, no way I am traveling with my REAL DOG on a plane right now.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Read More
Spring semester start-stop-keep for Miami students
By Michael Pattee | 2 days agoLet's have a little check-in and chat with everyone about some things we have to start, stop, and keep doing as Miami students.
The art of sleeping on airplanes
By Eliza Sullivan | February 21, 2025Don't let anyone tell you that sleeping on an airplane is easy.
Day in the life of a Jeep driver
By Teddy Johnson | February 20, 2025Make sure to look both ways before crossing the street!