The adventures of Piglet and Aurora: Two lost toys have an Alaskan adventure

A simple ferry ride turned into an Alaskan adventure for two fuzzy stuffed animals named Piglet and Aurora, when their owner accidentally left them behind.

Petersburg, Alaska resident Lizzie Thompson had exchanged stuffed animals with family friends in Virginia for the summer, so their children could learn about each other’s homes through their stuffed animals’ adventures. Lizzie’s 8-year-old daughter Kate sent her stuffed blue-footed booby Albert to Virginia and Aurora, an orange sea turtle, came to stay with the Thompsons in Petersburg. Piglet is Kate’s favorite toy and constant travel companion.

The plan was to take the stuffed animals on summer adventures and journal about their travels as they went.

However, after being left on a ferry between Sitka and Petersburg, Piglet and Aurora ended up on an adventure of their own.

Petersburg to Sitka

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Lizzie, Kate, Piglet and Aurora take the Matanuska Ferry from Petersburg to Sitka so Kate can attend the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.

Wanting to remember the ferry ride, Piglet and Aurora pose for a photo on the ledge next to the window as the ferry nears Sitka.

Piglet and Aurora are so distracted by the view that they don’t realize when Kate and Lizzie get off the boat. By the time they notice what’s going on, it’s too late and they’re headed off to Juneau, the ferry’s next stop, alone.

Sitka to Juneau

Luckily a woman named Amy, who had talked to Lizzie in the cafeteria during the ferry ride, sees Piglet and Aurora on the windowsill. She knows where Kate and Lizzie are going and offers to help Piglet and Aurora.

Meanwhile in Sitka …

When Lizzie and Kate realize that Piglet and Aurora are missing, they begin a frantic search for them. Lizzie calls the ferry, posts on Facebook, enlists the help of a local newspaper and radio station and asks anyone who’s seen the stuffed animals to call her cell phone.

Piglet and Aurora are nowhere to be found.

radio station

Juneau to Sitka

Since Amy knows where Kate and Lizzie are, she finds the address for the fine arts camp and mails Piglet and Aurora there.

Sitka

Though Piglet and Aurora arrive in a package addressed to Kate while she is still at camp, no one makes the connection of who they belong to.

Lizzie and Kate leave Sitka without Piglet and Aurora.

Meanwhile in Petersburg

When Lizzie gets off the ferry in Petersburg, she has a voice message on her phone. The message is from Amy who saw Lizzie’s cell phone number online, letting her know that Piglet and Aurora are at camp in Sitka.

Lizzie calls the camp and staff members find the package with Piglet and Aurora inside. She then contacts her niece Brooke, a Sitka resident, who goes to pick them up.

Lizzie also calls her friend, Alaska flight attendant Jennifer Price, and explains the situation. Jennifer offers to escort Piglet and Aurora home to Petersburg.

Jennifer

Sitka

Piglet and Aurora spend the day with Brooke. She takes them on a camping trip and even lets them cruise around town in a pink corvette.

At the end of the day, Jennifer picks Piglet and Aurora up and gets them ready for their journey back to Petersburg and ultimately, Kate, on Alaska Airlines.

Seattle

Piglet and Aurora’s first stop on their Alaska Airlines adventure is the Emerald City, because that’s where Jennifer’s shift begins. The duo make some new friends while waiting at Sea-Tac International Airport for their flight to Anchorage.

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Piglet and Aurora eye some pastries and doughnuts at the Dilettante stand at the N Gates, so Jennifer buys them each a treat.

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Outside on the ramp, Piglet and Aurora make another new friend, ramp service agent Larry (Lawrence) Tinney.

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Juneau

Rainy, overcast weather in Juneau keeps Piglet and Aurora onboard the aircraft. During their layover, they decide to tour the flight deck instead.

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Yakutat

Piglet and Aurora learn about Alaska Air Cargo and the way igloos are loaded onto the combi jet. They also keep an eye on customers boarding the flight through the back door.

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Cordova

Piglet and Aurora see even more igloos of flying fish in Southeast Alaska while at a stop in Cordova.

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Anchorage

The duo make two new friends in Anchorage, flight attendants Taylor Opitz and Carley Marchitto.

The layover in Anchorage is about 20 hours, so Piglet and Aurora go out and explore with Jennifer. They take a walk along the Coastal Trail, stop at the Westchester Lagoon and learn what to do should if they meet a moose on their walk.

The friends think about hopping a train, but decide they like airplanes better and return to the airport with Jennifer for the flight to Juneau.

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Juneau

In Juneau, they get to see the Mendenhall Glacier and both try on Capt. Mark Aown’s hat.

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Petersburg

When they land in Petersburg, Piglet and Aurora can barely contain their excitement when they see Kate and Lizzie waving at them from behind the gate.

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Customer Service Agent Jody Aulbach carries Piglet and Aurora across the wet tarmac into Kate’s open arms.  It’s a happy reunion.

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Though this part of Piglet and Aurora’s adventure is over, they will always have the pictures and memories to remember their incredible journey throughout Alaska on Alaska Airlines.

Comments

  1. It doesn’t take much. It doesn’t have to cost anything! Just good ole customer service and a little imagination! “Living in the Green!” What an awesome story

  2. What a delightful tale with wonderful photos! I shared this with my husband who exclaimed that he once worked with Larry Tinney years and years ago in Ketchikan. We now live in Panama. Thanks for this charming adventure! 🙂

  3. Great story. Love the sense of humor and adventure for all concerned.

  4. How awesome, glad Piglet and Aurora had a wonderful trip. What an awesome trip!! Thank you for all who were involved for keeping them safe and sharing there journey!

  5. We used to fly Alaska because we lived in Petersburg. We have been south for about thirty years but still fly Alaska as often as we can! This story was great!

  6. This was awesome! Nice job Alaska!

  7. This is like “Incredible Journey” meets “Toy Story” – what an upbeat tale! So glad to know other adults can still imagine adventures w/ their children for their stuffed friends…and that our daughter’s stuffed blue-footed booby is not endangered, LOL!

  8. Loved, loved this story! My two young granddaughters in Sitka, AK were at the Fine Arts Camp also and just returned home on AK Air from visiting me in SD.

  9. Great story! Always fly Alaska Airlines!

  10. Alaska Air is THE BEST airline for service. Incredible and the reason we fly again and again! (besides living in Alaska) 🙂

  11. It’s simply heartwarming.

  12. So happy to see Alaska still excels in customer service – even for piglets and turtles!

  13. This could easily be turned into a great children’s book !

    1. Totally agree, Jeff Powell! What a fun read!

  14. Piglet and Aurora are having a great summer and are so grateful to Alaska Airlines for reuniting them with Kate!!!

  15. What a great story. Thanks Alaska Airlines for taking such good care of Piglet and Aurora. Outstanding Service Using Today’s Technology

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