I had an uncle who once spent $400 emptying one of those "claw" machines at my mom's work. He just started playing and didn't stop until he cleaned it out around 4 AM and went home with bags full of stuffed animals. He never could explain why he did that. I do know he did a lot of "tomatoes", so that answers that for me.
I had a sheep skin until I was about six years old or so. For those of you who don't know, it's got the soft wool on one side and the leather on the other. I practically lived on that thing. I watched tv, napped, and slept at night all on my sheep skin. My mom finally threw it away after wearing several holes in it. I never took it out in public and am glad because I'm now repulsed by children's blankets and stuffed animals that their parents allow them to take everywhere.