Students Make their Very Own Frankie the Fox at SPC’s Stuff-A-Plush Event

Photo by Ava Battinelli '26

College is where you learn to be an adult, but for those who attended the “Stuff-a-Plush” event, it was a welcomed trip back to childhood.

Marist College’s Welcome Week was headlined for many by the Student Programming Council’s (SPC) “Stuff-a-Plush” event, where students were invited to stuff their very own red fox.

The event only started a few years ago, “during COVID-19 [because] it was the only event that we could do that allowed people to come and socialize with each other in a non-social environment,” said SPC President Kait Duggan ’25.

The “Stuff-a-Plush” event would never have begun if SPC did not have to get more creative with events due to the pandemic. Since the initial Stuff-a-Plush event in 2020, the program has grown in popularity as freshmen and upperclassmen flock to secure their own red fox plush. 

The Stuff-a-Plush event has become immensely popular. Attendees can expect a line stretching through the Student Center as they wait to snag their stuffed animals. The activity of making a stuffed animal creates a sense of nostalgia for students that is reminiscent of trips to Build-a-Bear.

“You just sit and stuff an animal, and it brings you back to your childhood,” Dugan said. 

Now that the event has been put on for a few years, some students have even begun collecting more than one. SPC Social Media Chair Julianna Manrique ’25 shares that some of her friends have at least three or four and have made it a tradition. 

“They look identical to each other, but I think it’s people’s passion to do this with their friends - knowing that it will be back the [next] year. It’s like a nice school tradition,” Manrique said. “They’ve known about it, and they come here like, ‘Oh, I’m getting my fox this year; I’m so excited!’”

Stephanie Merino ’26 couldn’t make the event last year but was sure to acquire one this year; “I finally got a fox after waiting a year,” Merino said. 

Lauren Ponto ’26 applauded the program, calling it “very well done and just overall a great experience,” as she walked away with a big smile and a brand-new red fox stuffie.

“Everyone loves the nostalgia of Build-a-Bear - and when Build-a-Bear is free? You want to go to build a bear. It’s easy, everyone loves something easy,” Duggan said.