Why Do We Get So Attached to Fictional Characters?

There are some fictional characters you enjoy while you’re watching a film, reading a book or playing a game, and then pretty much forget about.

And then there are the ones who apparently move into your brain permanently and refuse to leave.

Before you know it, you’ve got something with their face on it, then another thing, and somehow you’re considering buying something completely unnecessary because look, it’s them.

I am definitely guilty of this.

Some Characters Just Stick

Sometimes I think it’s as simple as really liking a character. Maybe they make us laugh, we relate to them or there’s just something about them that makes us happy.

But I also think some characters get tangled up in memories.

You might remember watching something at a particular time in your life, who you watched it with or just how it made you feel. Then years later you see that character again and some of those feelings come back with them.

I suppose that’s why characters we loved years ago can still have such a pull on us now. We might have changed enormously since we first discovered them, but somehow they’ve stuck around.

The Comfort Character Is Real

There’s also something really comforting about familiarity.

When everything feels a bit rubbish, sometimes I don’t want to discover something new. I want something I already know. I want to know who everyone is, what’s going to happen and that there are no nasty surprises waiting around the corner.

Basically, I want the fictional equivalent of putting on my comfiest clothes, making a cup of tea and shutting the world out for a while.

And sometimes just seeing a favourite character can give you a tiny bit of that same feeling.

Which possibly explains all the stuff with their faces on…

Apparently I Need Things With Their Faces On

I definitely have characters like that.

Winnie the Pooh is probably the most obvious one for me, although Tigger is right up there too. And apparently putting either of them on something is enough to make me completely forget whether I actually need the thing in question.

Do I need another Pooh thing? Probably not.

Does that stop me? Also probably not.

The same thing happens with collecting in general. Logically, I know I don’t need another Disney item, trading card, pin or random collectable. Unfortunately, logic doesn’t always get a vote.

I think that’s one of the nice things about having favourite characters, though. It’s completely personal. Two people can watch exactly the same film and come away loving completely different characters.

One person can walk straight past something without giving it a second glance, while someone else spots their character and suddenly it’s a completely different situation.

Of course, occasionally you buy something because you love it at the time, only for it to sit around while you try to work out what on earth you’re actually going to do with it.

Which fictional character has a permanent place in your heart, and do you own anything featuring them?

Which brings us rather neatly to Sebastian…

Win a Disney Sebastian Plush

I have a Disney Store Sebastian plush from The Little Mermaid looking for a new home. He is brand new, still tagged and sealed in his original plastic packaging.

One winner will receive the Sebastian plush pictured in this post.

Win a Disney Store Sebastian Plush.

As always, please make sure you read the full terms and conditions before entering. All entries are optional but give you more chances in the final draw.

The competition is open to the UK only and has a closing date of 04/11. Good Luck

Pin It