Stuffee returns to duty at children's museum

One of the most popular staffers at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada has returned to work after surgery.

Stuffee, a 6-foot-tall stuffed doll, is back helping children learn about anatomy at the museum, 813 North Carson Street.

"Stuffee was so well loved that he needed a visit to the 'hospital' to get him back together," museum director Suzi Meehan explained.

Stuffee has a large blue zipper that opens to expose his internal organs, including 22 feet of small intestine and a heart as large as his massive fist.

He was first displayed at the Nevada State Museum in 1990 while Carson's old Civic Auditorium was being remodeled to become the children's museum.

Stuffee was "born" at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum in 1990, Meehan said. "He has an older brother there and at least 10 cousins around the country," she said.

The museum is open Tuesdays through Fridays 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., when a docent or a staff member can demonstrate Stuffee's anatomy for interested visitors.