Southwest Airlines goes to infinity and beyond to return lost Buzz Lightyear toy
.jpg "A Buzz Lightyear toy was returned after his Southwest Airlines journey")
A lost Buzz Lightyear toy was recently returned to a California boy, but not before an intergalactic Southwest Airlines voyage.
Southwest Airlines shared the journey Wednesday of the toy Hagen Davis lost in January, and the beloved action figure is now back in the hands of the gleeful 2-year-old.
The toy was lost as the Davis family traveled from their home in Elk Grove, California, to Dallas for the funeral of Hagen’s great uncle, Hagen’s mother told McClatchy News. The family did not realize Buzz was missing until they got in their rental car.
“My son was devastated,” Ashely Davis wrote in a Facebook post. “He loved his Buzz so much and even had his name written on the bottom of his boot just like the Buzz from the movie has ‘Andy’ on his.”
The plane traveled from Dallas Love Field to Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, for its next flight. Jason William Hamm, an airport tarmac associate for Southwest Airlines, discovered the lost toy and did some recon work to discover to whom it belonged, the airline said.
Hagen’s name written on Buzz’s shoe was the clue the agent needed, as the 2-year-old was the only person with that name who had traveled on the plane that day, Southwest Airlines said.
Hamm and Southwest Airlines didn’t simply mail back the toy. The Southwest employee wrote on Facebook he wanted to “make sure his temporary separation was memorable.”
Photos show Buzz posing beside a Southwest Airlines aircraft and going inside the cockpit This Buzz’s journey wasn’t quite as frightful as the tarmac experience in “Toy Story 2.”
Buzz was mailed back in a decorated box and included a letter written from the perspective of the toy.
The letter read, “To Commander Hagen: I am very excited to return to you upon completing my mission. I was able to explore the airport and spaceport in Little Rock, Arkansas, while I was away and I have included photos of my adventure. My journey has taught me a lot and I am so thankful to return to my buddy. To infinity and beyond! Your buddy, Buzz Lightyear — Space Ranger.”
Southwest posted video of Hagen opening the box and being reunited with his toy. He noticed it was his toy, as his name was written on the boot.
“The thought and care (Hamm) put into getting Hagen his Buzz back when Hagen left him on the plane in Dallas was beyond thoughtful and sweet,” Ashley Davis wrote. “It will be a memory he has to cherish forever and an incredibly cool story to tell as he gets older.”
Davis thanked the Southwest employee on Facebook and told McClatchy News how much she is grateful for their service.
“This story speaks to their culture,” she said. “This is the epitome of what the company is!”
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 9:26 AM with the headline "Southwest Airlines goes to infinity and beyond to return lost Buzz Lightyear toy."