I posted this idea last week on the Yahoo plb board but thought I'd put it here as well for anyone who may have missed it.......

Over the years I've been participating in this hobby, I've seen some wonderful ideas that stretch the concepts of postal letterboxing. Lately I've been thinking about a few of those boxes that included a small little traveling buddy. I've had visits from Elmo and Stumpy the Sock Monkey to name a few and enjoyed taking them places and adding to their adventures. I also truly enjoyed seeing the albums being created as they traveled around the country.

I would like to get a little buddy of my own traveling around the country but I'd also like to invite everyone else to as well, so here is the concept:

Boxing Buddies!

If you'd like to create a Boxing Buddy:

Step one: Find a little buddy. He can be your lucky troll, a bobblehead, a beanie baby or a hand made stuffed animal. He doesn't even have to be an animal (or even have to be a 'he'), even though this is letterboxing.. think outside the box.

Step two: Carve your buddy a stamp. Every letterboxer needs their own signature stamp, your boxing buddy is no exception.

Step three: Make or buy a log book large enough to accommodate his adventures. I anticipate these logs to be larger than the average postal log as they'll contain letterbox stamps, adventure details and photos.

If you'd like to host a Boxing Buddy:

Step one: Request a visit from an available buddy when you're planning a letterboxing excursion.

Step two: Take your visiting buddy with you and take pictures of him on the trail, stamp his signature stamp into the boxes he visits and stamp the box stamps in his log book.

Step three: Add details (and photos) about your adventures to his log and get him ready to visit another host family.

Additional Information:

This is not a postal letterboxing ring but a series of individual boxes. You can send your buddy to whoever you like, keep your mailing list however you like, and list your box wherever you like.

Due to the complications of taking the visiting buddies boxing with you and adding to the log, I think it should be anticipated that these boxes may stay at one stop for up to a month. Don't create a Boxing Buddy if you would like a quick turn around on their visits.

You do not need to create a Boxing Buddy to host one and you do not need to offer to be a host to create one. You can get involved however you would like. You can even have more than one traveling around if you like.

Take care in creating your Boxing Buddy's box (now say that three times fast...) These boxes are going to travel the country collecting memories for you to enjoy. Give your buddy a stamp and log he's going to enjoy showing off!

Your Boxing Buddy shouldn't be too large. Think beanie baby size. If you're a host, remember, these boxes will be heavier than the normal postal letterbox.

Think about including a disposable camera in your box for those hosts who do not have access to a digital camera.

I'm sure there's things I haven't covered so if you're interested in creating a Boxing Buddy or being a host and would like to join the discussion, I've created the Yahoo Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/boxing_buddies

(To avoid spammers I will have to approve each member that joins so just put a note in about this project so I know it is not computer generated.)

I've almost finished my first Boxing Buddy, a crocheted elephant my son has named Zamboni. He still needs a stamp and a log but he will be ready to visit his first host family soon!

Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for joining me!

jacks

i have to say i love the idea.
i kinda did something along that line with a character called gingerbread jim.
he was fun, but kinda took up to much of my time.
he is off resting at home right now after being rescued in the cold woods of NH.

david (team new hampshire)
http://teamnewhampshire.blogspot.com

I would like to get a little buddy of my own traveling around the country but I'd also like to invite everyone else to as well, so here is the concept:

Oh I love this idea. A little buddy, letterboxing in places I could never hope to get to. How fantastic will that be :-) The wonderful creative ideas people have with letterboxing amazes me, and this twist involves real live letterboxing too :-)

Being a host will be a lot of stamping up, but I think it would be great fun. It would give a purpose to returning to all those boxes I have already visited (which I always end up doing). I would love to have a little American buddy visit me and have great adventures.

Wow, new project coming up, just when I am busy next week too. I shall have to be patient, this project is going to need some careful thought put into it.

YT

I have a buddy already to YT, so if you want it, let me know! I would love to have one as well, so when you are ready, I'm ready as well!

Trouble Bug

I have a buddy already

I would love to have your buddy visit. It will take about a week to get over here, by which time my busy week will be over and I will have time to go on adventures with your Boxing Buddy. I'll AQmail you.

YT

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Iwould love to have your buddy visit. It will take about a week to get over here, by which time my busy week will be over and I will have time to go on adventures with your Boxing Buddy

Oooo, oooo, me tooo! I want to make a boxing buddy that can visit you too. :-)

Anthrogradjess

I'm still thinking about this. I might like to join in. Could you talk to me like I'm a six year old and explain to me how this is supposed to work? :) It seems more involved than a postal.

Shiloh

Okay. At least I think this is how it works:

If you want to make a boxing buddy, you either make or get a boxing buddy. This is a little something the size of a beaning baby. It could be a little doll, or you can crochet/knit(disclaimer: I don't know how to spell)one as well. You make your buddy a log book and its own stamp and send it to someone away from you. IE: I live in Idaho. I am going to send my BB to YT in England. What YT will do is take my BB to boxes and log her stamp into the logbooks and log the stamps into her log book and then take a picture of her in the area of the box or with the box itself, as long as you don't give it away.

If you want to host a boxing buddy, you will request one and receive one in the mail and then you will take it boxing with you and log it's stamp into the box and the box's in its. you will then take it's picture.You will have the BB for a month or so and then send it back to the owneer with the pictures so they can see where their BB has been.

Get it? You will have to ask jacks for a better explanation. Here is the original post as well:

http://www.atlasquest.com/boards/message.html?gMsgId=91569;gThreadId=14690

I hope that helps!

Trouble Bug

I hope that helps!

That does help, thank you.

Shiloh

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Could you talk to me like I'm a six year old

Shiloh

Did some one just give away his mental age???? ;P

Mystic Dreamer

Oooo, oooo, me tooo! I want to make a boxing buddy that can visit you too. :-)

Well, Trouble Bug got in first, but her Boxing Buddy is just about ready to send. So that will give you plenty of time to make a Boxing Buddy whilst Mini Bug visits me for a month. Send me a hail when you are ready.

This is going to be so much fun. I have just about found all the local boxes here, and this is going to be a super reason to visit all the old boxes alongside any new ones that pop up.

YT

Could you talk to me like I'm a six year old and explain to me how this is supposed to work? :)

I was wondering what people do about listing them. As the Boxing Buddy is posted I presume they are listed as a postal, perhaps with Boxing Buddy in the title. What do other people usually do?

YT

You've got the idea of boxing buddies down pat! We're over on the yahoo boxing buddies board discussing all sorts of ideas but you don't need to be part of this to play. Create your own, send it out to whoever you would like. Ask for sign ups where ever you would like. If you list it on AQ (totally optional) try to list the name Boxing Buddy - (name) so that we can see them together. Other than that let's get those buddies boxing!

jacks

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but you don't need to be part of this to play

Thanks for tossing it out here too jacks. I bet you are all coming up with some fantastic ideas.

YT

This sounds like a heap o' fun! Count us in! (Already sent the join-request to your Yahoo group for the boxing buddies.)

We're happy to be a host family -- how do we find out who/where the available buddies are?

We already have a character ready to go out as a boxing buddy -- where do we 'register' it?? (Still gotta make a logbook..)

Is it OK to make special requests for travel destinations or goals, (like with the geocaching travel bugs?)

Thanks for another fun idea!

TBC

Hey, Thanks for the great idea. A friend of mine from Delaware gave me a plush Peep ( looks like a 4 inch yellow marshmallow easter Peep) that is on a keychain. I have him attached to my letterboxing back pack so he travels with me. It never dawned on me to make him a trail stamp and a log book to log his adventures. Sounds like a summer project coming up.

Whispering Thunder

{{We're happy to be a host family -- how do we find out who/where the available buddies are?}}

Boxing buddies are going to be all over the place, just like postals! If posted on AQ I've suggested everyone list them as 'other' under type of box and preceed the name with Boxing Buddy:. I will also be keeping a database of Boxing Buddies on the yahoo board.

{{We already have a character ready to go out as a boxing buddy -- where do we 'register' it??}}

As I've mentioned there are no rules for your buddy. You could make one and just send it out to friends. If you'd like it posted so everyone knows about it you can post it to AQ and/or join the yahoo group and list it under the database. Some of us will even be starting blogs to track our buddy's travels.

{{Is it OK to make special requests for travel destinations or goals, (like with the geocaching travel bugs?) }}

As I've said, no hard and fast rules.... I'm not familiar with the travel bug idea but I have no problem with requesting where you would like your buddy to go, or even to who. My second buddy is being developed as we speak. It is going to be a webkinz that will not only want to go boxing with the host family but also invite the family to play in her house on line. This one is only going to be available to hosts with children.

We have lots of boxers who have offered to host so let's get those buddies going!

jacks

Would it be too much to ask for everyone to post a photo of their boxing buddy? That way I could let the kids decide who is coming to visit...

Also, would it be wrong to set up an AQ account for these buddies, since technically, the Fcount is theirs and not ours.

Pictures would be a great idea! The only problem is that I just sent my little buddy to England and I won't see her for a month. I am creating a AQ account for my mini bug. Like you said, they do have their own F count and what not so it would be a cool way to keep track of where they have been and with who. Instead of exchanges, you could put the host name in the exchange place instead. It is like exchanging right?

Trouble Bug who is without her mini bug for a month while she has tea with the queen


ps~ ohhhh! that would be so cool if the queen boxed! 8-)