Toddler becomes attached to his favorite toy — it turned out to be his dad in disguise

Although toddlers can't speak fluently, they have their ways of expressing their love for their favourite parent. When Rebecca Hill handed her 20-month-old son a new Fisher-Price playset, she thought she was just indulging his obsession with trucks. But a few days later, the toddler wasn’t hauling the tiny vehicles around the house; instead, he was completely smitten with one of the miniature figurines inside. What seemed like a random favorite quickly revealed itself to be something much more meaningful. It took a nap and a closer look for Rebecca to realize that the little man her son could not stop cuddling just looked like his dad. 

But while the truck initially caught the toddler’s attention, it was one of the tiny figurines that soon became his constant companion. "I thought he was just being cute, carrying it around everywhere," Hill said, while speaking to The Newsweek.  "But then I noticed he was actually forming an attachment to this little guy." It wasn’t until she saw her son cuddling the toy during a nap that she realised the resemblance. 

The miniature construction worker shared a striking resemblance to her husband, Leo. "That’s when it clicked," Hill said.  "It wasn't just a random toy to him; he was clinging to something that reminded him of his dad. "Hill documented the sweet moment in a TikTok video on her account @beckyllih, dressing Leo in clothes nearly identical to the toy’s outfit for a side-by-side comparison. The result was an adorable reveal that resonated with millions, and made them agree that the toy indeed was a look-alike of his dad.  The clip has since racked up over 2.5 million views.

Leo was taken aback by the resemblance, too. "He couldn’t believe it at first," Hill said. "But once he saw the toy and the video, he got all emotional. He felt really proud seeing how much our son adored something that looked like him." Interestingly, this moment of attachment supports what child development experts have long observed: kids don’t need a mountain of toys to engage meaningfully.

A 2018 study published in Infant Behavior and Development by researchers at the University of Toledo found that toddlers engaged in deeper, more creative play when they had fewer toys available. In the study, 36 children aged 18 to 30 months were observed during play sessions with either four toys or sixteen. The results showed that those given fewer toys played for longer periods, focused more intently, and explored the toys in more imaginative and varied ways. This suggests that a less cluttered environment can promote richer cognitive and motor development in young children.

Everybody in the comment section was also in agreement with Hill. @LorulianBunny said, "The way I would cry so loudly," while @Haley Moore suggested a new idea, "They really need to create custom little people. I’d pay money for my daughter to have a whole set of our family." Rebecca Hill’s son formed a deep bond with a single figurine from his toy truck set, "Our son doesn't really talk much yet, but I can tell he loves the toy so much," Hill said. 

For more videos like this, you can follow @beckyllih on TikTok.