Woman Goes Viral for Recreating Sister's Lost Childhood Teddy Bear for Her Baby Shower: 'So Thoughtful' (Exclusive)
“My mom actually was gifted the original bear at her baby shower for me," Colleen Hortsmann tells PEOPLE of the full-circle moment
Colleen Horstmann
When Colleen Hortsmann told her family she was pregnant last year, younger sister Fallon Wilson already had the perfect baby shower gift in mind
"I had this idea that it would be so cool to find her childhood bear that got lost when she was young,” Wilson, 30, tells PEOPLE — but after realizing she couldn't find the exact bear online, she decided to just make it herself
“My mom actually was gifted the original bear at her baby shower for me, so I think just that full circle moment of both showers is really, really nice," Horsmann adds
One woman is showing love for her sister in a beary big way.
When Colleen Hortsmann announced her pregnancy to her family last Thanksgiving, her younger sister Fallon Wilson already had the perfect baby shower gift in mind.
“I had an eBay alert set for ‘White Floral Nineties Bear’ for probably two years before I even knew Colleen was pregnant because I had this idea that it would be so cool to find her childhood bear that got lost when she was young,” Wilson, 30, tells PEOPLE.
But, after realizing she couldn’t find the exact bear online, Wilson decided to just make it herself —and her TikTok documenting the sweet surprise went viral, getting over 14 million views.
“I had just set my mind to it,” Wilson says. “But I never expected it to blow up the way it did.”
Colleen Horstmann
Before deciding to just make her the bear herself, Wilson says she actually got close to finding the perfect one online.
“I found a bear with such a similar face, but the outfit wasn’t the right one," Wilson explains, "so I just decided I will find fabric that looks similar and I will learn how to make bear clothes."
“I did a lot of reverse Google searches to find a floral fabric that looks similar, and I could only find it on Etsy, and it took nine weeks to get delivered," she adds. "I started by just taking the measurements of the bear that I had ordered, but I didn't start actually sewing it until probably April."
In order to make sure she got it done by her sister's May shower, Wilson had to work overtime. "I finished it within a week and a half, but I was working on it for like 10 hours a day at each point," she says.
Of course, all the effort was worth it to see her sister's reaction, and the heartwarming moment was captured in a second TikTok, which has received hundreds of thousands of views.
“I feel like finding the bear is the only that I’ve brought up years later like, ‘Oh, I wish I had found that bear or a replacement," Hortsmann, 35, explains about the importance of "Di" in her life. "I had started on my own search a couple of years ago to find the bear and kind of just gave up."
Hortsmann becomes visibly emotional in the video that shows her unwrapping the present. “Anything from Fallon is very thought out and a lot of thought goes into it,” she says, adding that in addition to the DIY bear, there was another incredibly thoughtful surprise.
“I opened it, and under the cover of the box was the photo of my parents and me with the bear," she says. "And immediately I knew exactly what was happening, and then immediately started crying.”
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The moment was even sweeter because it brought back memories of their mom, who passed away in 2009.
“It was even more special because the photo had her in it, and it was a family trip that we all went on together when we lost the bear,” Hortsmann explains. “My mom actually was gifted the original bear at her baby shower for me, so I think just that full circle moment of both showers is really, really nice.”
Hortsmann, who welcomed her daughter in late June, says the bear, which they also plan to call "Di," has a special place until her daughter is old enough to play with it.
“I have the bear on a shelf in her nursery with a little plaque that says: “When I grow up, I want to be like Mommy,' " she says. "And the photo Fallon gave me in the box framed next to the bear, who, for right now, kind of just looks over her room.”
Colleen Horstmann
After both videos went viral in October, the sisters say they've been touched by the stories they've heard in the comments section.
“A lot of people have been sharing their own stories about the bears they’ve loved, and people are helping other people find their lost teddy bears in the comments. It was an inspiration to them to find their own old lost teddy birth.” Wilson explains.
Hortsmann adds, “I do think there's something special about the family relationship and a surprise gift that's so touching. I think people really resonate and connect to that.”
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Reflecting on what her sister’s gift meant to her, Hortsmann says, “She is so thoughtful and just to take the time to not only remember this about me but to research and find a similar one and make it look pretty identical really means a lot.”
“I would consider Fallon one of my best friend," she adds. "To not have a mom present in our life for the majority of our adulthood now, it's been really special to have that bond between sisters.”
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