I had an elephant when I was very young. I don't remember it, but my mother told me about it. But it was gone by the time I was 7 or 8. Don't know if I gave it up or my parents took it away from me.
However, I have acquired a few since becoming a nominal adult: a cat, a raccoon and a lion. I got the cat for myself, maybe 30 years ago. The others were gifts from my neice & nephew.
They live on my bed. I often find my real cat (who I adopted long after the stuffed one) curled up with them.