TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — When a 6-year-old boy left behind his favorite stuffed animal at Tampa International Airport, officials took the toy on an adventure.
Owen Lake lost his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, earlier this month on his way to Houston. His mother, Amanda Lake, says she called the lost-and-found office but couldn’t retrieve the toy before the family left.
When airport officials found Hobbes, they took him on a tour of the airport and photographed his travels. Among his adventures: Hobbes visited a control tower and a nearby pool, and he hung out with firefighters. Officials put the images into a book they gave Owen when he returned home and was reunited with Hobbes.
Airport operations manager Tony D’Aiuto says he was inspired by the traveling gnome in the film “Amelie.”